Taking a Look at a Ruined Continuity

As we’re heading into the arrival of Avengers: Doomsday, Marvel is pitching a list of films and shows you should watch (on Disney+Disney's answer in the streaming service game, Disney+ features the studio's (nearly) full back catalog, plus new movies and shows from the likes of the MCU and Star Wars.) before the film. That’s great, if you haven’t already watched everything on their list before (or don’t want to go back and watch them again), but that’s their cherry-picked list specifically tuned to what happens in the next Avengers film. But there’s a lot that Marvel released over the last three phases (and seven years) that isn’t going to get discussed, films and shows that are going to fall by the wayside as Marvel moves on into future projects.

That’s because Marvel released a lot of shit during The Multiverse Saga, a lot of which was building to a villain, Kang, that didn’t happen, while many other works were teasing characters, stories, and ideas that, also, didn’t actually happen. It’s a huge, disconnected mess that barely holds together at all, and doesn’t really give us a great idea of what this saga was actually about at all. So we’ve taken the liberty of looking at what came out, just to see how essential it all really was in the grand Marvel Cinematic UniverseWhen it first began in 2008 with a little film called Iron Man no one suspected the empire that would follow. Superhero movies in the past, especially those not featuring either Batman or Superman, were usually terrible. And yet, Iron Man would lead to a long series of successful films, launching the most successful cinema brand in history: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. scheme:

Spider-man is Our Anchor Hero

Spider-man: No Way Home and Spider-man: Brand New Day

For starters, can anyone argue that SpidermanSure, DC Comics has Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but among the most popular superheroes stands a guy from Marvel Comics, a younger hero dressed in red and blue who shoots webs and sticks to walls. Introduced in the 1960s, Spider-Man has been a constant presence in comics and more, featured in movies regularly since his big screen debut in 2002. isn’t the biggest hero in the world right now? I’m a DC ComicsOne of the two biggest comic publishing companies in the world (and, depending on what big events are going on, the number one company), DC Comics is the home of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and just about every big superhero introduced in the 1930s and 1940s. fan, through and through, and even I have to admit that Spidey has them all beat. Spider-man: No Way Home made just shy of $2 Bil at the Box Office. Spider-man: Brand New Day has made over $2.5 Bil and is still going. Despite the highs and lows that the MCU has seen over these last seven years, Spidey keeps putting out hits. From Spider-man: Far From Home (which functionally helped kick off The Multiverse Saga), there is no hero currently active in the MCU that has had a bigger influence, and driven more people to theaters, than Spider-man.

As such, we have to look at him as our central figure for the universe going forward. Marvel didn’t have a lot of hits over these last few years, but they can easily rely on Spidey to get people interested. More than anyone else (hell, I’d argue even more than Robert Downey, Jr. returning to play Dr. Doom), Spider-man is easily the most essential hero Marvel has, and his films all need to be watched heading into whatever future Marvel has planned out next (assuming they have any kind of plan, which might be a big assumption).

Loki’s Story (and Not Kang’s)

Loki: Seasons 1 and 2, but not Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania

As far as the development for The Multiverse Saga, no show was more essential to the story than Loki. Across two seasons (season one and season two) it set up what would have been our villain, He Who Remains (one of the many variants of Kang the Conqueror), and then gave us another variant who helped tie up Kang’s story and usher him back into obscurity again. This series did all the work so that we could both appreciate who Kang was supposed to be, and then assume he’s been dealt with, never to see again. Plus, with Loki taking on the central role of controlling and guiding the multiverse, protecting it (until Dr. Doom comes along), functionally becoming He Who Remains.

But with Loki doing all the legwork, that means that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania can be completely disregarded. Yes, it has a Kang in its story, and yes it did tease more Kangs to come, but considering that Loki ties all of that up when he assumes the position that He Who Remains held, none of these teases matter. Additionally, this third Ant-Man and the WaspFirst developed by Hank Pym, the "Pym Particle" allows Pym (and a variety of successors) to transform themselves, shrinking (and growing) to amazing sizes. Joined by Pym's wife (and later his daughter), the Wasp is Ant-Man's ally and cohort in fighting crime. film really sucks and no one will be sad to see it fade away. Like dust from a Thanos snap.

Black Widow II’s Story

Black Widow and Thunderbolts* (but we can ignore Hawkeye)

If it weren’t for Spider-man, I’d almost be willing to call Yelena Belova / Black WidowNatalia Romanova was one one of the greatest and most effective Russian spies, a deadly killer who could blend in anywhere. Then she was turned and became one of SHIELD's most effective, and trusted, agents. II. Although, in fairness, Marvel could have done a lot more to actually develop her. She appears in four works in The Multiverse Saga – Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thunderbolts*, and Spider-man: Brand New Day (and we could also count a variant of her in Marvel Zombies as well, if you want) – and she is one of the few characters to have consistent character development across her appearances. Hell, if they had used her in Captain America: Brave New World (instead of bringing in a different Black Widow agent, Shira Haas's Ruth Bat-Seraph, I probably would have liked the film more. It at least would have developed the connected nature of the universe further.

Unfortunately not all the works featuring Yelena are truly essential to the overall MCU story. Black Widow and Thunderbolts* both are as they feature her in central roles, and she’s going to be a player in Avengers: Doomsday, so those are necessary works. But Hawkeye, much as I enjoyed that series, isn’t really needed. Clint Barton / Hawkeye hasn’t appeared in a mainline production since, and Kate Bishop / Hawkeye II only got to show up once more, in The Marvels (which we’re going to talk about soon), before that film became a narrative dead end. This series isn’t essential to the overall story, and what Yelena gets up to here doesn’t really matter all that much, either. Sorry, Hawkeye, but you’re out.

Eyes of Wakanda II’s Story

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World (but we can probably ignore Red Hulk)

Like Yelena, Sam Wilson / Captain AmericaCreated by Simon and Kirby in 1941, Captain America was a super soldier created to fight Germany and the evil HYDRA. Then he was lost in the ice, only to be found and reborn decades later as the great symbol of the USA. II is an essential character, at least for now. Yes, some variant of Steve Rogers / Captain America will be in Avengers: Doomsday, but so will Sam Wilson. He’s the head of one of the Avengers teams (while Yelena is sort of in charge of the New Avengers, or Avengerz, or whatever they’re calling themselves), so he will be a main player in the film. But not every aspect of everything he’s been in really matters

Neither of his works are very good. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier tells an unnecessary story about Sam trying to determine if he’s good enough to carry the mantle of Captain America, something that Steve already had addressed in Avengers: Endgame, and all it does is pad out its storyline with a boring conflict so that Sam can spend eight episodes eventually taking on the title that he should have had all along. Meanwhile, Captain America: Brave New World is barely a Captain America story at all. It’s really a The HulkOnce the brilliant Dr. Bruce Banner had dreams of making the world a better place by building super soldiers to act as a shield for all mankind. Then an accident at his lab bathed him in gamma radiation. Now he has a living nightmare, as a big green guy lives within, just waiting for the rage to take over so he can be free. story, with two Hulk villains, that Sam is tacked onto. We have to pay attention for Sam’s story, but if we never see Red Hulk again, well, who really cares?

A Few Side Characters That Get to Continue Onwards

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Shang-Chi, Deadpool & Wolverine, Fantastic Four

We also got a few characters with their own films that will all show up either in Avengers: Doomsday, Avengers: Secret Wars, or their own sequels after the universe soft-reboots into The Mutant Saga. First there are the characters that we know will appear in Avengers: Doomsday. These include much of the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, at least Shang-Chi (from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), and the whole team from Fantastic Four: First Steps. The trailers have all shown off these characters, so we know they’re going to be in the crossover, which makes their works (good, bad, or mediocre) all essential viewing.

And while we don’t know for sure if DeadpoolCreated by Rob Liefeld, the profilic 1990s and 2000s comic book auther, Deadpool was means as a homage to DC's Slade Wilson, just one that was immortal, talked constantly, and got into fourth wall-breaking adventures. or WolverineAlthough not one of the original X-Men, Wolverine is certainly the most popular, even before he was played, to much acclaim, by Hugh Jackman in the Fox film series. are going to appear in Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, Marvel has been playing coy on that information. It is assumed that Wolverine at least will come back for crossovers and future events, and Hugh Jackman has even softened his hardline, “no more Logan” stance on the character since Deadpool & Wolverine, so it’s entirely possible we could be seeing more Old Man Logan for years to come. Plus, Deadpool & Wolverine made $1.3 Bil at the Box Office, so Marvel isn’t going to let these two go any time soon.

The Zombies are Coming

Marvel Zombies, and its Many Upcoming Spin-offs

This series was originally built as a spin-off of What If…?, but you don’t have to watch that series to appreciate this one. It kind of exists on its own, poking at and playing with the MCU continuity while it tells its own story. Honestly, I wouldn’t even consider this essential viewing as it’s not going to tie into Avengers; Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars, but Marvel recently made the announcement that over the next three years we’re going to get three Marvel Zombies specials, so clearly the studio plans to keep this train rolling.

What we can assume, then, is that these specials and spin-offs will continue to comment on the main MCU continuity as various variant zombies show up. It will speak to the MCU (without, presumably, getting any notes back from the film, not unlike how Agents of SHIELD existed for a number of years), so while I wouldn’t call this truly essential, it will have a larger part in the MCU going forward than many other works we’re addressing, so that’s not nothing.

The WandaVision Trilogy

WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and Vision Quest (not that it has to tie into anything)

Now we have one of three groups of works that aren’t essential to Avengers: Doomsday but do feature solid stories that are worth watching on their own. The first is the WandaVision trilogy, which consists of WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and VisionQuest. WandaVision is fantastic, one of the best works of The Multiverse Saga, even though it doesn’t really tie into the larger narrative, so it’s worth watching on its own. Agatha All Along brings back one of Wanda’s kids, Billy, while also telling a fun (albeit slight) story. And VisionQuest is going to bring back Vision, bring in another of Wanda’s kids, Tommy, and tie up the whole trilogy.

Admittedly you don’t need to watch any of these to enjoy Avengers: Doomsday. From all reports Wanda, Vision, Billy, Tommy, and Agatha all will sit the crossover events out. But as a trilogy on its own (and yes, there’s a film that fits in here we’ll discuss soon), it works really well. And I will note that technically Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ties into this, but as we’ll discuss soon, that film isn’t really all that essential. If you skip it and just say, “hey, Wanda died. No big deal,” then you have all the information you need for this trilogy.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Got to Have Closure

The Holiday Special and Vol. 3

Similarly there have been no reports that anyone from the Guardians team will be back from Avengers: Doomsday. We can assume a large part of this is because James Gunn was the creative force behind this series of films (plus one holiday special), practically reinventing the team for theaters, and since he’s off running the DC UniverseThe successor to WB's failed cinematic universe, the DCEU. Headed by James Gunn and Peter Safran, this new DC Universe carries over some continuity from the former film and TV series while crafting a new, rebooted universe for the future., it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll see any of these players (except maybe Peter Quill) again.

As such, the two works from The Multiverse Saga, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, help to tie up the story for these characters, giving them a fitting send off. You don’t need to watch these for the crossovers, but you do need to watch them if you loved any of their films that came before. They’re essential in their own right.

And the Defenders Get it Done

Daredevil: Born Again and The Punisher: One Last Kill, but not Echo

Finally, our list of essential works has to address the NetflixOriginally started as a disc-by-mail service, Netflix has grown to be one of the largest media companies in the world (and one of the most valued internet companies as well). With a constant slate of new internet streaming-based programming that updates all the time, Netflix has redefined what it means to watch TV and films (as well as how to do it). in the room. Although not originally part of the MCU, the Netflix Marvel shows were eventually brought back into continuity thanks to the introduction of Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock in Spider-man: No Way Home. Because of that we then got a revival of his show, Daredevil: Born Again, which in its third season will bring back the rest of the major heroes from The Defenders. Plus, there was also the television special, The Punisher: One Last Kill, which brings back John Bernthal from the Netflix universe as well, and he then went on to star in Spider-man: Brand New Day, tying it all up. The Defenders are back, baby.

But there was one related work that likely doesn’t make the cut: Echo. Technically spinning off from Hawkeye, which also brought back Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk / Kingpin, that show then gave us a new heroine who… well, I doubt we’re ever going to see her again as no one cared about Echo. And with Fisk appearing in Daredevil: Born Again almost as if the events of Echo didn’t even happen, it’s pretty clear we’re all going to forget about this show entirely.

What Does That Leave Out?

And then there’s all the other stuff that came and went in the MCU that won’t ever be a factor again, we can assume. These are:

• What If…? (All Three Seasons): As much as I liked the first and second seasons of this show, this series was set in alternate continuities that, by all reports, won’t ever get revisited in mainline works. The series is a fun idea, and it gave us Captain Carter, but we can assume it’ll be a forgotten work soon enough.
• Eternals: This film bombed at the Box Office and its heroes haven’t been heard from since. This is completely disposable.
• Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: Whatever happened with Doctor Strange and Clea going off to explore the multiverse and fight some great evil? We’ll probably never know.
• Ms. Marvel and The Marvels: I feel bad that Ms. Marvel was a mediocre series, as she’s a great character. And then she’s stuck in The Marvels, which I liked but very few others watched, leading to it bombing at the Box Office. Both Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel are basically done in the MCU at this point.
• Thor: Love and Thunder: Sure, ThorBorn to one day by the king of Asgard, Thor is the god of thunder. His power is divine but can be tapped into by whoever wields his hammer, granting them the powers (and title) of Thor. will appear in Avengers: Doomsday, but I doubt almost anything that happens in this four-quel will ever get referenced again, even if Thor continues on in later works.
• She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: I loved this series, but I’m one of the few. It’s already clear, from the show’s cancellation, that we are never seeing Jennifer Walters / She-Hulk again.
• Werewolf By Night: So this one doesn’t really matter, as fans loved it and it’s a great little TV special. But if it was supposed to tie into a larger “universe of horror” for the MCU, including the Blade movie that never got off the ground, that clearly didn’t happen. Take this special in its own right, but don’t expect to see more like it in the future.
• Secret Invasion: This series is bad. So bad. Horrendously bad. EVen the film that came after it, The Marvels, ignored everything that happened in this series. We have all collectively decided this project never happened, and that’s for the best.
• Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man (Both Seasons): This is not a knock against this animated series, as it’s great, but it’s a Multiversal work that exists on its own. If it wasn’t expressly called a part of the MCU, people would simply enjoy it in its own right. Whether this continues on or not, just assume it ties into nothing and you’ll enjoy it more.
• Eyes of Wakanda: This is a little animated series that is better in concept than execution. It is another narrative little loop that exists on its own, and likely we won’t see anything from it again, either.

And that’s it. That’s the real assessment of The Multiverse Saga. A few hits, many more misses, and a whole lot of content that no one needs to watch because it won’t have any bearing on the MCU going forward. Marvel really didn’t plan this whole saga out very well, and it shows.