It’s only been a little over a week since Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was released, but it’s already becoming worryingly clear that a lot of fans don’t seem to be all that invested in the Multiverse Saga.
Spider-Man: No Way Home got away with using it as a storytelling device because the returns of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield drummed up mountainous levels of hype, but the muted reception to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness began to sow seeds of doubt that audiences would be anywhere near as interested as they were when the Infinity Stones were the MacGuffins of choice.
At least the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel didn’t receive anywhere near the levels of apathy and anger that greeted Quantumania, though, which proved to be such a colossal disappointment that both the entirety of Phase Five and its big bad Kang the Conqueror have a lot of work to do in order to convince the skeptics that the Marvel Cinematic Universe can get back on the right track.
However, the most potentially damaging thing by far could be the studio’s long-held habit of locking in its major storylines and plot points years in advance. For example, if the next couple of multiverse-heavy projects end up suffering a similar fate to Quantumania, then the enthusiasm will be sapped to an even greater degree.
There are still 39 whole months to go until Avengers: Secret Wars comes to theaters in May of 2026, and who’s to say the MCU won’t have eroded yet more of its goodwill by then? Not to dive deep into outright doomsaying, but if the ship isn’t steadied sooner rather than later, then the only thing people will care about by the time Earth’s Mightiest Heroes reassemble will be the members of the team and top-secret cameos.