One of the key storylines of Deadpool & Wolverine is Ryan Reynolds’s antihero partnering up with an alternate timeline’s version of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. This marks the fifth project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to feature the multiverse, but where does it rank?
Considering how ambitious the multiverse concept is, it’s no surprise that the movies that have used it in the MCU have had somewhat mixed results. For every amazing, emotional sci-fi storyline or awe-inspiring cameo, there’s a plot point that uses the multiverse as a cop-out. How well does Deadpool & Wolverine use the multiverse?
Here is our ranking of the films involving the multiverse, including Deadpool & Wolverine.
6. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
When Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came out, we’d already seen Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme deal with the concept in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Unfortunately, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness doesn’t live up to its name. The multiverse we see isn’t all that mad.
Some of the “highlights” of the multiverse we see here include a universe where green means stop instead of go and one where humans have a paint-like consistency. Although the cameos ruled — like John Krasinski as Reed Richards and Patrick Stewart’s return as Professor X — this didn’t feel like a great use of the multiverse. Xochitl Gomez is great as America Chavez, though; hopefully, she’ll get a chance to return to the role and do something interesting with the multiverse.
5. Deadpool & Wolverine
The latest multiverse film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a sequel to films that were not in the MCU but in the pre-merger days of Fox Marvel. Deadpool & Wolverine has the level of meta-humor fans expect from the Merc with a Mouth, often poking fun at the fact that this is the first R-rated movie in the main franchise for the comic book studio.
As fans can tell from the trailer, Deadpool & Wolverine makes plenty of use of the multiverse concept with a story that involves the Time Variance Authority (TVA). The film promised plenty of cameos, and while we won’t go into those to avoid spoilers, the cameos deliver. In fact, they’re by far the best part of the movie, lending themselves to some fanservice-fueled action sequences and amusing in-jokes. This is precisely what the concept of the multiverse calls for.
4. Loki (Season 1)
Loki picks up from a scene in Avengers: Endgame that set up the possibility of the multiverse, where the Avengers traveled through time, allowing Loki to escape, survive, and create a new timeline. The Disney+ series also introduces us to the TVA, which will be an essential concept in the MCU’s multiverse.
Like Deadpool & Wolverine, the version of the multiverse we see in season one of Loki is mostly fun and full of jokes. This season of the show is where a lot of the mechanics of the concept are explained, but we also get the opportunity to see some fun cameos and running gags — namely, the different variants of Loki, like Alligator Loki and Crocodile Loki (Richard E. Grant). It’s a bit too expositional to earn a higher spot on this list, but it’s still a valid use of the multiverse.
3. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
At first, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t much of a multiverse movie — it’s more of a Quantum Realm movie. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that the multiverse will play a huge role not just in this film but in the entirety of the MCU.
In Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the multiverse comes into play for Kang the Conqueror. Of course, with the potential change of course in the MCU following actor Jonathan Majors’s fall from grace, this film’s journey into the multiverse may end up being somewhat inconsequential. However, seeing the many variants of Kang the Conqueror in the post-credits scene was an incredible moment for fans.
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Our first introduction to the multiverse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was Spider-Man: No Way Home, and what a way it was to introduce the concept. The film strikes a perfect balance between the fanservice/cameo possibilities of the multiverse and its emotional stakes. Of course, seeing Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprise their roles as their versions of the web-slinger was an absolute delight for fans, but that ending packs the emotional wallop that the franchise needed in a post-Endgame lull.
Although No Way Home wraps up Spider-Man’s adventures in the multiverse quite nicely, it introduced the concept to the franchise in a way that would fundamentally alter the course of the MCU. Perhaps we should blame this movie for all the lacking attempts we’ve had at the multiverse in the MCU.
1. Loki (Season 2)
The end of season 1 of Loki introduced us to He Who Remains, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduced us to Kang the Conqueror. Season 2 of Loki heavily involves Victor Timely, another version of the character, as Loki goes on a quest to save the multiverse. It’s the best use of the multiverse concept yet.
While season one of Loki saw the Trickster God playing around in the multiverse, season two uses it as a source of surprisingly emotional conflict. Loki season two is where we begin to see the true consequences of the multiverse, as entire timelines get spaghettified right before our eyes. If you want to see the multiverse actually make a difference, this is it.
What do you think? What’s your favorite use of the multiverse in the MCU so far? Where do you think Deadpool & Wolverine stacks up? Let us know in the comments!
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
