Marvel Studios found a way to expand beyond the widest of horizons when the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off its Multiverse Saga. The biggest movie franchise in Hollywood history decided to add television to its catalog of conquered formats (but made it more official this time), adding an abundance of Disney Plus shows to the MCU lore.
But the expansion came with both highs and lows - the latter of which was uncharacteristic for the mighty MCU. The overexposure of the franchise hurt its brand somewhat, with occasional lacklustre films, diluted storytelling, and one extremely divisive Disney Plus show. Thankfully, on a whole, the good outweighs the bad as the Multiverse Saga has produced some of the overall best MCU titles. And, although it hasn't reached the same heights as the Infinity Saga, it will all hopefully be worth it in the end.
With that in mind, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars will close out this story. So, as its final few shows and movies remain, let's take a look back at the highest highs of the Multiverse Saga (and some of its lowest lows).
Deadpool and Wolverine
Two characters who seemed like they would never join the MCU, Deadpool and Wolverine got their chance in their team-up adventure that officially brought both characters to the MCU for the first time ever. To say it was worth the wait would be quite the understatement.
Deadpool and Wolverine is a hilarious, off-the-rails romp that entertains from start-through-finish, showcasing how absolutely unhinged this pairing is. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are electric on-screen together and they ensure that Wade Wilson and Logan's crossover is one or the ages.
Although the film generally doesn't take itself seriously, it lands some incredibly powerful emotional beats and serves as a worthy tribute to the legendary Fox X-Men movie series, wrapping up one era while it sets out to begin another. And, silliness aside, it's one of the most deceptively important titles in the whole Multiverse Saga.
Verdict: BEST
Loki
The God of Mischief finally got a throne of his own when he headlined his own Disney Plus series in the early days of the Multiverse Saga. With Tom Hiddleston's signature charm and a time-travel-centric storyline that picked up after the events of Avengers: Endgame, it's easy to see why this one was a resounding success right out of the gate.
While Loki was typically involved in the more mythical stories in the MCU due to his Asgardian roots, ithe Disney Plus series made for a welcome change, presenting itself as a more eerie '80s-like sci-fi mystery. It really worked, with Owen Wilson's TVA agent Mobius M. Mobius and Sophia Di Martino's Sylvie being perfect foils for Hiddleston's larger-than-life trickster.
The first season was a little slow-moving, with the overreliance on expository conversations preventing it from breaking out in the way that its second season ultimately did. And speaking of season 2, it was one of the MCU's true masterpieces - delivering a satisfying, bittersweet resolution to the sci-fi epic that had us all so heavily invested.
Verdict: BEST
Eternals
Eternals is a tricky one because, in all honestly, it's not a bad movie but it's also where the cracks in the Multierse Saga began to show. Up to this point, the MCU was an impentrable fortress designed to take on all attacks. But the pandemic and the slowly-forming superhero fatigue made for a less forgiving audience by the time that Eternals arried in theaters.
There is potential in this one, with the beautiful visuals a testament to director Chloé Zhao's filmmaking and the performances a reminder of just how strong this star-studded cast truly is. The finished product just couldn't capitalize on those strengths, specifically because Eternals was too long.
Within the film's decent realization of its potential, there was a truly great film. Now it's just a somewhat overbloated tale o what could have been. And while that's certainly far from the worst offender given some of the questionable projects that have come after it, it could have been so much more.
Verdict: WORST
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
Marvel fans weren't quite sure what to expect from Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings ahead of its release. It was one of the first Multiverse Saga titles and yet it was a complete origin story for a new character, new lore, and new (old) organization right out of the gate. The pressure was on to succeed, and it only went and pulled it off - far exceeding any and all expectations.
In fact, Shang-Chi is one of the MCU's best origin stories, utilizing the best of the Phase One movies while honing in on the character depth more renowned with later Infinity Saga movies. Simu Liu is nothing short of brilliant as the titular character while Destin Daniel Cretton's incredible work as director allows for the vivid, visual masterpiece to make the most of its potential.
This is one of the Multiverse Saga's best examples of introducing a new character in a veteran, aged franchise and making it work. A lot of the subsequent titles could have learned more from this one, but the fact remains that Shang-Chi - full of enthralling character development and the best action scenes in the MCU entirely - is a triumph for the ages.
Verdict: BEST
Hawkeye
I'll be the first to admit that Hawkeye wasn't among my most anicipated Multiverse Saga titles. Although Clint Barton always deserved the spotlight of his own solo title, the decision to give him a Disney Plus series after the original Avengers' era had seemingly come to a close was interesting, to say the least. But it turns out that it was a work of genius.
Hawkeye tells a two-fold story. Like many Multiverse Saga titles, it is focused on introducing a new, younger hero for the next generation of Avengers. But it's also committed to gifting us with some of the finest aftermath that the MCU has ever delivered. Clint's grief over the loss of his best friend, his realization that he's getting older and his attempts to make amends for his murderous rampage as the Ronin all make Hawkeye a surprisingly thoughtful tale. The same could be said for how Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova attempts to deal with the loss of Natasha, too.
Hailee Steinfeld is a force as Kate Bishop while Jeremy Renner delivers some of his finest work in his two decades with Marvel Studios. Together, they are chaotic, unhinged, and thoroughly entertaining - just like Hawkeye itself.
Verdict: BEST
Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder had all the makings of an MCU high-point. It was the God of Thunder's first appearance since Avengers: Endgame, it was the sequel to 2017's critically-acclaimed Thor: Ragnarok, and it brought back Natalie Portman's Jane Foster for the first time since 2013's Thor: The Dark World. It all should have been a homerun. It wasn't.
While there was a lot of good in that movie, it ultimately fell victim to the very thing that made its predecessor work: The OTT humor. This was a movie that, on one hand, dealt with a woman's determined battle against cancer and, on the other, had screaming goats and outlandish gods talking about orgies. You see the disconnect?
The film also threw Christian Bale's terrifying villain, Gorr the God Butcher, away, never fully making the most of him either. And, in spite of Bale and Portman's show-stealing performances, Love and Thunder is one of the Multiverse Saga's multiple stories of "could have been better" - and, with a few tweaks, it really could have been.
Verdict: WORST
Spider-Man: No Way Home
In what will come as no surprise to you, Spider-Man: No Way Home has landed among the very best titles that the Multiverse Saga has produced. Easily the most successful of the bunch, it grossed an incredible $1.9 billion - and or very good reason, as it brought back Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as their respective versions of Peter Parker, allowing them to share the screen with Tom Holland's MCU webslinger for the first time ever.
While those moments were undoubtedly pure fanservice, they also served one heck of a purpose - and that's what ensures that Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the Multierse Saga's best titles. Not only was the script full of stakes - picking up from the previous film's shocking ending - it proved to be pivotal to the overall MCU's storyline, showcasing the full extent of what the Multiverse itself was capable of. And it is perhaps the best use of the concept since.
Spider-Man: No Way Home took some big swings and every single one of them landed. From seeing the three Spideys share the screen to the powerful cliffhanger ending that sets up sequel Spider-Man: Brand New Day incredibly well, it was an emotional rollercoaster that was as effective as a standalone as it was as part of the franchise's overarching storyline.
Verdict: BEST
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Ant-Man is one of the few heavyweights from the Infinity Saga's larger group of Avengers to continue to play a significant role in the Multiverse Saga. As both of his previous standalone films were well-received - and the character had a significant role in Avengers: Endgame - hopes were high for his third installment. Unfortunately, there was very little reason to be excited.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania cast aside what worked in the previous two films in favor of being an inferior Avengers meets Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Gone were the light-hearted heists and surprisingly meaningful character arcs and in their place were dull CGI landscapes and half-hearted character arcs that didn't make the most of its star-studded cast. The Ant-Man movies worked because they felt like extended TV episodes designed to serve as palette-cleansers after the serious high-stakes MCU movies; this one wanted to be a serious high-stakes MCU movie. As a result, it sacrificed anything and everything that made the Ant-Man movies so successful.
The only silver lining here is that Michelle Pfeiffer delivers a cracking performance, spotlighting Janet van Dyne in a way that no other project has. That aside, however, this one missed the mark.
Verdict: WORST
Agatha All Along
Perhaps the most surprising of all the Multiverse Saga titles, Agatha All Along came at a time when the MCU needed a win. We expected great things from Kathryn Hahn, as she reprised her role from WandaVision, but audiences worried that overexposing one of the Multiverse Saga's best characters at this particular time or the MCU could result in tainting one of the franchise's best stories. Thankfully, everyone was wrong.
Hahn is nothing short of magical in a series that reminds viewers how strong the MCU is when it's at its most creative. Centering on Agatha's quest to restore her own power, she and a new coven venture down the mysterious Witches' Road in search of the prize at the end - which lends the series the episodic format that worked oh-so-well for WandaVision. The chaotic brand of magic that comes after this is sublime, with the likes of Heartstopper breakout Joe Locke and Broadway legend Patti LuPone all stealing the show on multiple occasions.
Simply put: Agatha All Along was the freshest show Marvel produced in years and it came along at a time when the franchise was getting stale. It is, by far, one of the most innovative and entertaining projects in MCU history.
Verdict: BEST
Thunderbolts*
It's safe to say that Thunderbolts* caught us all off-guard. It was the movie spun out of multiple Multiverse Saga projects, which perhaps somewhat divided audiences leading up to its release, but it all it had to do was come out to show us its value. And oh, did it ever.
On its surface, Thunderbolts* is a fun, chaotic romp about the MCU's most unhinged group of gifted individuals (We can't call them heroes because they wouldn't like that, but they do a damn fine job of proving that they have it within them to be!). But dig a little further and you'll find a surprisingly thoughtful story about finding your place that also takes a meaningful look at the importance o mental health. Bob, who also has the capability for heroism within him, is at the heart of that in what can only be described as a career-defining performance from Lewis Pullman.
Florence Pugh leads the motley crew of misfits, reprising her Black Widow role as Yelena Belova, and she proves herself as a big part of the MCU's future. The result is, quite simply, divine, allowing Thunderbolts* to ascend beyond all raised eyebrows and questions, delivering what was easily the Multiverse Saga's best movie.
Verdict: BEST
Secret Invasion
If you watched the MCU shows on Disney Plus, you probably aren't surprised to see Secret Invasion listed among our worst entries of the Multiverse Saga. Perhaps the most critically-reviled project in the MCU's entire two-decade history, this one got just about everything wrong - which is abominable considering it was the first project to place the spotlight on Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury. It should have been a homerun, but it turned out to be a complete misfire.
It's hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong here because everything went wrong. Was it the totally unjustified death of Maria Hill? Not the best note to start on. Perhaps it was the underutilization of Olivia Colman's thrilling character? More of her would have helped the project feel less dull. Maybe it was the random death of Talos? Cetainly not a good addition to the show. Or it might have just been the moody, broody tone and relatively uninteresting resolution of his villain's arc? Honestly... all of the above.
From opening on the Hill death to closing on the Rhodey twist (that descrated some of the MCU's greatest moments), Secret Invasion was irredeemible in the eyes of longtime MCU fans. Its series finale is considered the worst installment in the MCU's two-decade run, and it never capitalized on its greatest strength: Samuel L. Jackson's performance.
Verdict: WORST
WandaVision
They say the first one is always the best and, in the case of the Multiverse Saga, they are absolutely right. WandaVision kicked off this new chapter for the MCU, serving as the first entry in the new saga, serving as the first Disney Plus series, and just serving in general. Not only did it pull it all off, it set the bar for every other show - and movie - to come from the new chapter.
As the first Marvel Studios TV series, it needed to be different to justify the new format. We got that pretty quickly through its black-and-white sitcom approach early on, and then it just kept evolving throughout, paying tribute to the conventions of TV as it did so. And yet, this work of art was simply table setting for one of the best ever portrayals of grief to grace any screen.
Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany put on a masterclass here, bringing Wanda and Vision to the small screen or the very first time, while Kathryn Hahn ate up the screen as both nosy neighbor Agnes and ancient witch Agatha Harkness. Their chemistry, along with the stunning scripts, deliver a 9-episode outing that is one of the finest projects in the entirety of the MCU. In doing so, they all proved that Marvel was not only capable bringing the MCU to television, but that those stories could be even better than the movies. In this case, it absolutely is.
Verdict: BEST