Marvel’s Phase 4 Multiverse Is Already A Mess

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse already has several problems, and Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness prove it. Marvel seemingly unleashed the Multiverse on its films and shows with its Phase 4 programming, and its Disney+ shows are currently doing the heavy lifting. In WandaVision, Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch seemingly took her place as a timeline-changing Nexus being. In Loki, Lady Loki (Sophia Di Martino) killed a Kang the Conqueror variant (Jonathan Majors) and destroyed Marvel's Sacred Timeline. And in Marvel's What If...?, the MCU revealed all the possibilities for alternate stories.

However, MCU films are now getting in on the action as well. Spider-Man: No Way Home brings past Spider-Man villains into the MCU via the Multiverse. In the movie, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) messes with one of Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) spells, seemingly opening a hole in the Multiverse. Because of Parker's interference, Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, and Jamie Foxx's Electro enter the MCU and wreak havoc. Additionally, Doctor Strange 2 will take the Multiverse to entirely new places, with Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange exploring all corners of the MCU's alternate timelines and taking on foes rumored to include the X-Men.

The Multiverse provides countless places for Marvel to take its stories, but not all the possibilities are good. Various films, such as Sony's past Spider-Man movies, crossing over into the MCU can create confusion, leading to complicated storylines and details getting lost in the weeds. Additionally, the Multiverse creates problems behind the scenes, with No Way Home's script in a constant state of flux and Doctor Strange 2 undergoing massive reshoots. The stories are also confusing for the actors to follow, let alone casual fans. Unfortunately, the Multiverse also gives Marvel an unlimited free pass to make mistakes and pretend they never happened. However, there is still a way for the studio to course-correct, and that's by adhering to a simpler and more focused master plan.

The Multiverse's Origins Are Confusing

The origin of Marvel's Multiverse is already causing issues. Scarlet Witch first seems to cause the Multiverse in WandaVision, potentially becoming a Nexus being with time-altering Chaos Magic. Then, Marvel seemed to unleash the Multiverse again in Loki, with Lady Loki destroying the person controlling Marvel's Sacred Timeline. Finally, not to be outdone, No Way Home appears to open up the Multiverse again, showing Peter Parker tampering with Doctor Strange's spell and allowing Spider-Man villains to enter the MCU. With so many causes, fans often don't know what's happening. And, unfortunately, it seems like Marvel doesn't either. Marvel's complicated Multiverse is currently a mess of tangled and hard-to-decipher story threads with no clear origin.

Multiverse Stories Are Getting More Complicated

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Marvel boss Kevin Feige initially touted Marvel's Disney+ shows as a way to make the MCU more immersive than ever, with stories weaving together and carrying across both its shows and movies. But, unfortunately, the increased content has also had the opposite effect. Now, fans starting the MCU have a more difficult time getting into the stories, needing to watch more than twenty movies and multiple shows to keep up. As overwhelming as Marvel was before, the Multiverse makes things even worse.

With the Multiverse, MCU stories are getting more and more complex. In an interview, Tom Holland opened up about No Way Home, saying prep work was pivotal for the actors. "Because when you're dealing with magic spells and dimensions, it gets really complicated," he said. Holland's words aren't a good sign for casual fans. With the Multiverse making the MCU, which is already a behemoth, even harder to understand, it appears that Marvel is ready to leave any fans who haven't memorized its entire catalog by the wayside. It's not a great sign for fans who just want to enjoy a movie.

The Multiverse Leads To Behind-The-Scenes Issues

Tom Hardy in Venom 2 and Tom Holland in Spider-Man No Way Home

The Multiverse has already caused severe behind-the-scenes problems in multiple films. Besides touting the importance of prep work on No Way Home, Holland has also stated that the Spider-Man: No Way Home script was in a constant state of flux. "You could ask the director, ‘What happens in act three?’ And his response would be, ‘I’m still trying to figure it out,'" Holland said. The actor also convinced the director, Jon Watts, to change the film's ending, thinking the big finale wasn't working. Overall, it's not an excellent sign for Marvel's Multiverse plan.

Besides No Way Home, Doctor Strange 2 is also a Multiverse victim. The Doctor Strange sequel will explore all facets of the Multiverse, but the story still wasn't quite working late into 2021. So the film underwent massive reshoots. Starting in November, Doctor Strange 2 reportedly went through six weeks of reshoots, with the cast and crew working six days a week. Unfortunately, while films undergo reshoots to strengthen the final product, the extensive Doctor Strange 2 changes don't inspire confidence that Marvel is happy with the project.

Marvel's Multiverse Is Full Of Excuses

The watcher Ultron supreme doctor strange Marvel Finally Fixed What If problems

In What If...? episode 8, Ultron (voiced by Ross Marquand) tells the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) that "anything is possible in a multiverse.” And that is one of the main problems with the future of the MCU. There are no rules, and there are no consequences. Any theory can exist, any character can come back at any time, and any show can crossover without the need for a narrative strategy behind it. No Way Home is already bringing back dead Spider-Man villains, retconning other franchises in the process. The new Spider-Man film may include Andrew Garfield's and Tobey Maguire's Peter Parkers as well. Unfortunately, without any rules, Marvel's Multiverse is in danger of devolving into nonsense. With No Way Home's ending getting changed, it seems Marvel's plan is more of a guideline rather than the actual rules.

Marvel Can Still Avenge The Multiverse

Tony Stark snaps his fingers in Avengers Endgame

The Multiverse is messy. As Holland discussed in his Spider-Man: No Way Home interviews, even the actors in the films have difficulty understanding what's going on. Additionally, the complicated narratives lead to apparent structural issues, such as the problems going on with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. However, there is a reason for hope.

In an interview (via Collider), Feige talked about the Multiverse, calling it one of the most powerful storytelling tools in Marvel's comics; however, he also said it's "one you have to wield carefully" because things can get "overwhelming." The fact that Marvel's Kevin Feige is conscious of how overwhelming the Multiverse can be is an encouraging sign for bewildered fans. Of course, there's no guarantee Marvel will be able to rein in the chaos currently going on in the MCU, but, as Ultron put it, "anything is possible in a Multiverse."

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