With the upcoming release of Christopher Nolan's Tenet, the spotlight is being shone once again on projects that have over the years explored time travel. There's been hundreds of big franchises and indie hits that have used time travel as a mechanism to explore their characters and world further.

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There's an argument to be made that the use of time travel is a little overdone these days. It seems that every major franchise has utilized it in some way and there's no end to the line of projects that will be continuing to use these time travel elements. At the same time, that very concept is always going to be one that fascinates humanity, suggesting there's plenty of reasons it has not been overused.

Hasn't Been Overused: New Possibilities

Despite the age of the concept, it still does one thing tremendously well. It creates entirely new possibilities for characters to explore. A show like Doctor Who is a perfect example of this.

Without time travel, Doctor Who would not have celebrated so many huge anniversaries. It allows for a variety of different stories, with the series never tied down to a particular era. This results in thrilling swashbuckling adventures or allows the audience to historical figures like Madame de Pompadour.

Has Been Overused: The Time Loop

A man aims a gun down at the ground in Looper.

The use of a time loop has been revisited again and again in recent years. A project like Groundhog Day really popularised the concept, but since then it has been used multiple times.

The impact is lessened sometimes, with TV shows sometimes having an episode dedicated to the idea without any long term consequences. It can be used well, like in Looper but is certainly a version of time travel that are overused.

Hasn't Been Overused: Unique Uses

Nadia staring in the mirror in Russian Doll

Despite the potential for being overused, there's always another unique way that time travel can be incorporated into a project. Take Russian Doll for example.

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Despite using the time loop element mentioned previously, it manages to do so in a unique and fresh way that revitalizes the genre and has audiences engaged in a different way.

Has Been Overused: Generic Laws

Since the concept was invented there's been a number of generic laws that most time travel properties adhere. The characters can't meet themselves or they'll cause a paradox. Significant events cannot be changed. Reality could be altered if the protagonists aren't careful.

From Harry Potter to Back To The Future these rules have been repeated again and again, with many series simply copying from other famous properties, weakening the overall concept.

Hasn't Been Overused: Exception To The Rules

There's a few exceptions to the rule that don't actually follow the traditional format of a time travel filmAvengers: Endgame is a recent example of this.

The MCU film threw out all the usual concepts linked to time travel and instead took an approach that saw multiple timelines created if anything was ever changed. It made the film far more compelling and unique, thrilling fans.

Has Been Overused: Expected Moments

Terminators

Because audiences have seen these tropes so many times, it's easy for certain moments to become extremely expected. Whether it's someone being wiped from existence or meeting two of the same characters.

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There's plot beats that manage to fit into most science fiction and space time travel films, that perhaps wouldn't be as expected if they weren't used quite so often!

Hasn't Been Overused: The Multiverse

The idea of the multiverse might be overused down the line, but for now it's a concept that franchises are starting to get on board with. Comic book series have been featuring them for some time, with the Arrowverse as a popular example.

But shows like The Man In The High Castle or films like the Terminator franchise have started to use this idea to expand their worlds further and create new story opportunities.

Has Been Overused: Popularized By Key Franchises

Many key franchises are getting on board with the time travel concept, even if it didn't initially fit with the overall idea of the world. Harry Potter, the Avengers and even the Men In Black all utilized the idea.

If all big brands end up using it then it feels like a redundant plot point to use. It becomes less unique and less special when it's actually used in the right way.

Hasn't Been Overused: No Audience Fatigue

Films like The Time Machine originally brought about the idea of time travel on the screen, taking it from science fiction novels. Despite the age of the concept it still hasn't caused audience fatigue.

In fact, there's clearly a desire to see more stories told in this format. Despite the amount of content available in the genre, audiences continue to consume it!

Has Been Overused: Used To Fix Any Problem

Sometimes time travel, or other related narratives are only used to fix a problem in the plot. Game Of Thrones used Bran's gifts to travel through time and allow him to impact Hodor's life and see Jon Snow's heritage.

It seemed like an unnecessary moment and a way just to include a some additional information and fix a few plot holes. It appears that time travel is now the go to method of finding a way out of a situation.

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