Beginning with 2021’s Wandavision, the MCU has been slowly inundating fans with movies and series about the multiverse as part of a vast, arcing saga. In the (not so distant) past, Marvel Studios has successfully pulled off the ambitious Infinity Saga, telling an overarching storyline through a series of 23 (!) stand-alone films. The ability to keep audiences interested in a franchise for over a decade is no small feat; the Infinity Saga undeniably changed the trajectory of film by showing audiences a new kind of superhero movie. While we can’t discredit the impact Marvel has had on the movie industry, the MCU’s newest Multiverse Saga is already boring some of their most die-hard fans.
The multiverse was first introduced conceptually in Doctor Strange, but it wasn’t until recently Marvel expanded on the concept and made it a main part of the studio’s upcoming projects. Disney Plus series Loki and the recent Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania further fleshed out the multiverse and the consequences of messing with something so vast. The Multiverse Saga will encompass Phases Four, Five, and Six with a proposed 2026 end date—so fans have at least 3 years of multiverse madness to prepare for, no matter how much they tire of the concept.
In a now-deleted Reddit post, one user wonders if they’re the only one who dislikes the multiverse and even goes as far to say the Multiverse Saga has made them “basically lose interest in the MCU.” The post got some mixed responses as many users feel like the topic is stale at this point (though if anything, this is more evidence the original poster has a decent amount of sympathizers).
Many users agreed the Multiverse didn’t feel as engaging but they still loved Jonathan Majors as the new big bad, Kang.
Although Kang is a compelling villain, some believe the writing in this latest saga has been lacking. With Majors playing such a strong villain against some of the actors who made the Infinity Saga the success it became, the movies need to tell a good story in order to engage audiences once again.
Some users tried to reassure the original poster that not every new movie or show would have to do with the multiverse as films in the Infinity Saga didn’t all follow the same overarching plot (or did so only sparingly).
Several agreed with the post, saying the multiverse was boring but some were still hopeful everything would make sense when the Multiverse Saga was complete.
One poster came up with an idea to utilize Kang in a more subtle way, writing him as a shadowy villain who uses the multiverse to subtly change things in his favor.
Another user pointed out fans were not happy with the Infinity Saga when poorly-received films like Thor: The Dark World were released.
It’s true critics haven’t been enjoying the last few MCU movies, and for many fans, Quantumania is the latest in a slew of disappointing films. That hasn’t stopped the film from becoming the number one movie in the world and despite the complaints and think-pieces, Marvel is clearly still a major box-office draw. It’s possible upcoming projects will better tie-in with the Multiverse Saga, but it’s too early to tell if this is another successful round of long-form storytelling or if the MCU has lost its touch.