The Marvel Cinematic Universe really tried to press the reset button after the Infinity Saga's conclusion but the result brought with it a number of missteps. From the franchise's overexpansion through far too many Disney Plus TV shows to some genuinely lackluster movies in theaters, the Multiverse Saga wasn't what it should have been. And considering that the multiverse itself was supposed to the main character of this particular storyline, it didn't quite pull it off seamlessly.
But the MCU did pull it off regardless. The story is heading towards its culmination (or at least the first part of it) in the highly-anticipated Avengers: Doomsday, as Earth's Mightiest Heroes reunite to battle Doctor Doom (who is portrayed by MCU legend Robert Downey Jr. Despite some initial hesitation, those early $1.5 billion opening weekend projections suggest that we're in for a must-see affair.
But, with Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon, that gives us a chance to look back at the highs and lows of the Multiverse Saga - particularly when it comes to characters. And, with that, let's take a look at the MCU staples who really thrived in this story (and the ones who didn't).
Winner: Yelena Belova
Taking over from an original Avenger is no easy task, but it's one that Marvel Studios has attempted to pull off multiple times with its new class of characters in the Multiverse Saga. By far, the most efficient, successful example of that is Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). The sister of the original Black Widow, Yelena originally hated all things superhero, but she has quickly found herself at the heart of the MCU's new era, taking over as leader of the New Avengers and inspiring her fellow outcasts and misfits to deal with their trauma.
Yelena benefits from the fact that she's one of the few new characters who actually had her arc furthered across multiple high-profile projects. Thus far, she has appeared in Black Widow, Hawkeye, Thunderbolts*, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, with a significant role in Avengers: Doomsday (And very likely its 2027 sequel Avengers: Secret Wars) on the horizon. And that has reinforced her as a titan of the MCU going forward, allowing her to be front and center in a tale that has felt scattered and dispersed.
Loser: Captain Marvel
To say that Carol Danvers deserves better would be an understatement. Captain Marvel ended up being an ace in the hole during the Infinity Saga's conclusion, showing up to help the Avengers stop Thanos twice. Furthermore, her solo debut grossed over $1 billion at the box office, with Brie Larson's superhero setting the record for the highest-grossing female-led superhero movie of all time. Then, Marvel dropped the ball with her completely in the Multiverse Saga.
Her long-awaited sequel became The Marvels: A standalone story co-led by Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau - two characters who made a name for themselves in Disney Plus shows - with an underwhelming villain that completely bombed at the box office. Fans of the character now worry that Marvel blames the character for its bad creative decisions as she is seemingly absent from Avengers: Doomsday (despite the Avengers needing powerful heroes like her) and it's unclear when she will be back. Again, Carol Danvers deserved better.
Winner: Agatha Harkness
Not since the Guardians of the Galaxy have we seen a finer example of Marvel Studios' innate ability to take a lesser-known comic book character and turn them into a global phenomenon. Agatha Harkness is the Fantastic Four's ghostly nanny in the Marvel Comics who occasionally offers up supernatural guidance to characters like the Scarlet Witch. In the MCU, she's a fully-fledged complex villain who gave the Scarlet Witch a run for her money.
Kathryn Hahn is a delight to watch in anything that she is in, but she delivers her career-best performance as Agatha, who has stood out as one of the true bright spots in the Multiverse Saga. From her scenery-chewing supporting role as nosy neighbor-turned-ancient witch in WandaVision to her ridiculously layered leading performance in unexpected spinoff Agatha All Along, Hahn is a force who has ensured that we will all remember the name of Agatha Harkness. Easily one of Marvel's biggest wins since Avengers: Endgame.
Winner: Loki
The God of Mischief had one of the most intriguing arcs of the Multiverse Saga, as he sought out Glorious Purpose in the most unlikely of places. The alternate version of Loki, who had escaped into the timeline after the events of Avengers: Endgame, found himself at the mercy of - and eventually recruited by - the Time Variance Authority, who have gone on to become one of the most significant entities of the Multiverse Saga.
Disney Plus' Loki is the most successful of the MCU shows, running for two critically-acclaimed seasons and enjoying record viewership. Not only was it one of the few titles that were actually important to the overall Multiverse Saga arc, it did wonderful character work on the new iteration of Loki - that actually rivals the redemption arc of the original Loki - and set the stage so well for his return in Avengers: Doomsday that he is already topping fans' lists for characters that they are most excited to see again in the upcoming film. Tom Hiddleston's mischievious Trickster stays winning.
Loser: Kang the Conqueror
Kang the Conqueror was supposed to be the Multiverse Saga's Thanos. By that, we mean that he was supposed to be front and center of the storyline, with multiple titles building him up to be the MCU's next Big Bad. But it didn't work out; despite a promising (if confusing) first appearance in Loki, his reign of terror kicked off in the critically-panned Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania before another well-received alternate version appeared in Loki season 2. By that point in time, Marvel had initiated plans to move on from the character.
Kang is nowhere to be seen in the MCU anymore, with Doctor Doom now taking over as the Big Bad (Avengers: The Kang Dynasty was reimagined as Avengers: Doomsday). Reception to the character was mixed and now the studio has completely pivoted in a new direction. It remains to be seen how Kang is written off by a seemingly more-powerful threat, but it's hard to argue with the fact that Marvel dropped the ball in effectively building up Kang as a threat in the Multiverse Saga.
Winner: Spider-Man
Someone once said that Spider-Man fans love to see Peter Parker miserable. If that's the case, they were eating well throughout the Multiverse Saga. In the midst of Marvel's most scattered story, Spider-Man somehow managed to get two films, with Phase Four's Spider-Man: No Way Home and Phase Six's Spider-Man: Brand New Day breaking box office records and pushing boundaries for what the MCU can achieve. The former is one of the most important movies of the Multiverse Saga (reintroducing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men) while the latter is perhaps the most important for the franchise's upcoming Mutants Era.
For Peter, however, both proved to be extremely pivotal - taking away everything that made the MCU's young, hopeful Peter Parker who he was and setting him on course for some difficult days. The character work that has resulted from that has solidified Tom Holland's webslinger as one of the faces of the MCU franchise and one of the most popular superheroes to ever grace any screen. Just ask the $2.2 billion that Brand New Day has already made in a matter of weeks.
Avengers: Doomsday arrives in movie theaters on December 18, 2026.
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