Within a year of launching Phase 4 of the MCU, Marvel Studios has already had multiple projects that have featured more than one hero. Along with the main protagonist, one of the other Avengers or heroes has made an appearance and played an important role in the specific plot line. Even though it is technically a standalone project, fans get to see more than one hero in action. And this isn’t obviously the end, as upcoming projects are following a similar path. This makes one wonder whether future Marvel movies and television series are at a risk of feeling too overloaded.
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The biggest crossover in the history of the MCU came towards the end of 2021 in the form of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Not only did the film feature Tom Holland’s Peter Parker and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, but it was also the perfect conclusion to two decades of Spider-Man’s cinematic journey. With Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield returning to reprise their roles as the web-slinging hero, and officially being initiated into the MCU, the character’s journey seemed to have come full circle.
However, even if the two had not been a part of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange would still have been one hero too many for a typical standalone movie. His involvement in the film wasn’t just a cameo or a passing reference. Holland’s Parker approaches him for assistance when his true identity is revealed. It is Doctor Strange’s botched spell that brings characters from parallel universes into the same world as the MCU’s Spider-Man.
Some would argue that Doctor Strange doesn’t participate in the final fight against the villains, but had the other Spider-Men not appeared, would he still just watch from the sidelines? Seems highly unlikely. Also, let’s not forget that Spider-Man: No Way Home has officially brought Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, under the MCU’s wing.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the next film slated for release in Phase 4’s lineup, and based on the trailers and the official synopsis, it is already known that it is going to be another crossover. Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff will be making an appearance in the upcoming film, and it seems like she will be playing an important role in helping Doctor Strange deal with the madness. Fans last saw her in the Disney Plus series WandaVision, and things for her seem to pick up where the series left them off.
The much-awaited film will also be introducing Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, the latest hero to be joining the MCU’s busy roster. While it isn’t her film, fans are hoping that they will get to see the hero in action alongside her MCU colleagues, and successfully bring her powers from the comics to the big screen. At this point, fans also know that a second Variant of Doctor Strange, who is being referred to as Sinister Strange, will also be a part of the upcoming film. It remains to be seen whether he will be helping the heroes, or filling in for the role of a villain. Either way, it seems to be a loaded project.
While films are the popular medium in the MCU, the Disney Plus series became an integral part of the timeline in Phase 4. One of the series with a crossover was Hawkeye, which brought the MCU’s favorite archer to the small screen. But, he wasn’t the only hero soaking in the limelight. Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop was inducted into the list of superheroes. Her chemistry with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova became the talk of the town, especially after they shared some very meaningful dialogues about the Avengers in one of the episodes. The series also brought Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, into the MCU fold.
Some of the other MCU films and series last year featured multiple heroes or a connection to a previous project. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings featured the Mandarin, the real one that is, portrayed by Tony Leung. Fans will remember the character from Iron Man 3, and how he ended up being an actor named Trevor Slattery, portrayed by Ben Kingsley. He also returns in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and even helps Simu Liu’s titular character in his mission.
Other Disney Plus content that featured crossovers include Loki, which introduced Jonathan Majors as He Who Remains. He happens to be a Variant of Kang the Conqueror, who is confirmed to be a part of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. What If…?, on the other hand, was a treasure trove of crossover content, and it has been confirmed as MCU canon, so it cannot be discarded as a side plot.
Future MCU films are also leaning heavy on the crossovers, such as The Marvels, which will feature Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau, and Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel. While the official synopsis for Thor: Love and Thunder has not been released yet, fans last saw Chris Hemsworth’s Thor heading off with the Guardians of the Galaxy in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, and so fans are expecting some sort of potential crossover.
However, the studio seems to be ignoring the fact that the films and series might be getting overloaded. The standalone MCU films have been appreciated by fans over the years, and work perfectly in narrating the story or journey of a single hero. For years, fans complained that Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff did not feature in a standalone project, and so her backstory was never explored. She finally got her own film in the form of Black Widow in 2021, after the character had already been killed off in Avengers: Endgame.
The standalone films are a necessity in offering background and helping fans connect with the respective heroes. When multiple heroes show up, it becomes important to offer them equal screen time, which takes away from a specific hero’s plotline. It does, however, seem like crossovers will be a regular part of MCU content, both films and TV series, moving forward. Previously, multiple heroes got together in the Avengers films, to fight a big-level threat. However, Phase 4 is bringing a few heroes, or multiple Variants of the same hero in the case of Spider-Man: No Way Home, together in individual projects instead. It has worked for the projects thus far, with Spider-Man No Way Home going on to become the third highest-grossing film on the domestic box office, but it remains to be seen whether the formula will be appreciated in the long run.
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