First, let us define what an Avengers film means in the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and how the understanding of the word can be deconstructed and subsequently evolved.
We can thank Infinity War and Endgame for putting the current idea of an Avengers film in our heads; namely, we understand them as the culmination of several years’ worth of films, characters, and storylines into one, big crossover event with stakes that reach cosmic-and-beyond levels.
But the logistics of the Infinity Saga aren’t the same as the Multiverse Saga, and as a result, it may be foolish of us, and perhaps Marvel Studios as well, to assume that the linear nature that drove the emotional impact of the Infinity War-Endgame combo is going to be successfully replicated this time around.
Between the beginning of Phase One and the end of Phase Three, a majority of those films centered on a relatively small, very digestible group of characters who all overlapped with each other quite naturally; the original Avengers team and the Guardians of the Galaxy were all easy to fall in love with in the 11 years we spent with them, and even the more independent heroes such as Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, and Black Panther crossed over with the Avengers enough to stick with us exactly as much as they were meant to.
But more importantly, among this cast of characters were the likes of Iron Man and Captain America, whose wildly frequent appearances as main protagonists allowed the Infinity Saga to champion them as protagonists of the MCU as a whole, allowing them to serve as “anchor” characters that held the overarching Infinity Saga story together, while further enabling the audience to connect with the characters and, by extension, the story on a much deeper level.
This isn’t the case with the Multiverse Saga. Even with the added number of projects bestowed on the MCU by way of Disney Plus originals, most of this saga has been dedicated to bringing brand new characters into the fold, and of the films that did decide to expand on the story of an established character, they haven’t done so with enough pace or significance to cement them as a de facto protagonist of the Multiverse Saga. The closest is probably Loki, and despite Tom Hiddleston’s god of mischief being a longtime fan favorite, he hasn’t been given any impactful time on the big screen since his “death” in Infinity War, which may muddle his chances of filling Iron Man’s shoes in a satisfying way.
One may say that this dissonance can be chalked up to us being in the relatively early stage of the Multiverse Saga, but let’s not forget that we’re only two years out from The Kang Dynasty, which, realistically, isn’t nearly enough time for us to connect with all of these brand new characters, to say nothing of those who may enter the fold for the first time before then.
Perhaps, then, it would be wise of Marvel to approach the Multiverse Saga in a much less linear fashion than it did with the Infinity Saga, and it’s here that we can deconstruct the meaning of an Avengers film in a way that would fit the Multiverse Saga’s current trajectory much better.
As we’ve established, when we think of an Avengers film, we currently understand it as all of Earth’s champions getting involved for one, big, universe-ending threat that everything up until now has been leading up to. But, what if an Avengers film literally just involved the eponymous superhero team in whatever form they’re currently taking? What if Avengers meant a team-up film for the likes of Sam Wilson’s Captain America, Scott Lang, Thor, and Bruce Banner? And what if the conflict in such a film was solely the result of buildup from the respective escapades of those characters?
Right now, it seems that the MCU is looking to outdo itself after the big event that was Infinity War/Endgame, and it seems as though it wants to do so by simply making everything bigger; meaning more characters and even higher stakes. We’ve dug into the meat of why that strategy could end up being its downfall before, but this time around, we’re here to offer a solution.
At this rate, it will be near impossible for the MCU to replicate the logistics of the Infinity Saga, which were absolutely key in creating the linear, character-driven nature of the saga before its two big boons with Infinity War and Endgame, and especially with Disney Plus allowing them to indulge in so many different tones now, there’s a real opportunity here for Marvel to make like Kang and embrace non-linear storytelling over such enormous, overarching narratives that the Infinity Saga had the tools to field.
We already touched on what it might look like for the Avengers, but what about other groups and settings that exist in a world as rich as the MCU? What if the films of Doctor Strange, Moon Knight, the yet-to-debut Blade, and yet-to-be-revealed Ghost Rider all culminated into one big Midnight Sons crossover film that isn’t quite as big as Infinity War, but not quite as small as individual Marvel films? The stakes would be just high enough to keep us on the edge of our seats, but not so high that it takes away from the development of these characters and our subsequent attachment to them.
What about the Young Avengers? Kamala Khan, Kate Bishop, America Chavez, and Cassie Lang are all more than capable of carrying their own films and/or shows, and they could all come together for a Young Avengers crossover film that doesn’t require much in the way of knowledge from the Midnight Sons or Avengers shades of the MCU.
And it doesn’t end there; you could have a whole slew of stories following the more extraterrestrial side of the MCU with Nova, Silver Surfer, and any surviving members of the Eternals all without needing to get the earthbound heroes involved, while the X-Men and even Spider-Man could anchor their own individual storylines all by themselves.
Marvel has the chance to diversify its projects in an entirely unprecedented way; gone could be the days of needing to watch all of the Marvel films to be prepared for The Kang Dynasty, and in its place could be much more digestible, independent storylines for Midnight Sons, Young Avengers, Spider-Man, Avengers, and whoever else Kevin Feige and co. wish to explore. These storylines, each of which could feature their own, independent team-up films with marked-but-not-overwhelming stakes, could easily co-exist in the same world without stumbling over one another, as many are fearing will be the case with The Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars.
And this way, the mass appeal that Marvel already aims for can be broken down into even more delectable pieces; you could have Young Avengers geared more towards younger audiences, Midnight Sons for the horror-inclined moviegoers who can stomach more graphic stories, while Spider-Man, X-Men, and Avengers could provide space for dramedies, political thrillers, and a good old mix of magic realism-meets-action, respectively.
The Multiverse Saga, and any sagas that come after it, will never be the Infinity Saga, but if Marvel plays its cards right, that could very well be the most beautiful statement imaginable.