Fans want nothing more to do with the multiverse thanks to how badly the concept was mishandled in Phase 4.
At one point, Avengers: Secret Wars and its prospect of a huge multiverse crossover was enough to have Marvel fans foaming at the mouth. Rumors of Hugh Jackman possibly reprising his iconic role as Wolverine yet again, as well as the possible return of at least one of the three Spider-Men sounds like the ultimate comic nerd’s treat. But is it all getting to be too much? Time has passed and Marvel has fumbled the multiverse concept to the point that fans are no longer waiting on the fifth Avengers movie with bated breath.
A tweet shared online showing some old-school Marvel movie heroes (including Tobey Maguire’s Spidey and Wesley Snipes’ Blade among others) standing together with the caption “What [people] think the MCU’s Secret Wars gonna be” has fans mocking the idea already.
Fan reactions to the pic were pretty much what you’d expect.
It seems that audiences are already growing tired of cameos that amount to little more than fan service. Surprisingly, people want more substance to their films with a focus on the future rather than our collective nostalgia. It was cool in No Way Home, but each time the MCU revisited the concept, fans have become more and more aware of Marvel’s lame attempts at nostalgia baiting.
It all started with the Multiverse of Madness. In Doctor Strange’s second solo outing, he meets a few heroes from parallel universes, including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Mr. Fantastic, and Captain Carter — among other heroes fans were excited to see. Anyone who’s seen the film will tell you that these legacy characters were handled pretty poorly, being killed off in ways that felt pretty disrespectful not only to the characters but the audiences who admired them, too.
We’ve only had two proper MCU multiverse films and only one was bad, so perhaps it’s too soon to pass judgment. But that being said, how many times can Marvel play up to audience nostalgia and expect it to work? At some point, the studio will have to give us something more than simply reminding us of better films.
Even Deadpool 3 has fans worried as there are more rumored cameos including Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen.
The concept of the multiverse has already overstayed its welcome. The idea that any character can die but a variant can return has already ruined the stakes somewhat. Phase 4 really mishandled the concept and Phase 5 continued the trend. With what we’ve seen so far, it’s understandable that many are looking at Secret Wars with concern rather than excitement.