The Marvel Cinematic Universe is inching tantalizingly close to the end of its second saga. The Multiverse Saga kicked off in 2021 with WandaVision and will come to an epic conclusion with a two-part finale event, Avengers: Doomsday in 2026 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. With the Russo Brothers and Robert Downey Jr. returning for the finale, the Multiverse Saga looks like it might stick the landing despite a turbulent run.
Unlike the Infinity Saga, which received nearly unanimously positive reviews from fans and critics alike, the Multiverse Saga has been much more controversial. Phases 4, 5, and 6 have introduced a vast cast of characters while continuing to juggle the enormous group of heroes introduced in the previous saga. However, the MCU hasn’t been able to do justice to every character in this new saga. Whether they were underutilized or woefully misrepresented, the Multiverse Saga utterly failed these important Marvel characters.
The MCU Wasted Shang-Chi’s Perfect Debut
Simu Liu stars in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsImage via Marvel Studios/Everett Collection
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduces Simu Liu’s master of kung-fu, Xu Shang-Chi, to the MCU in a stunning adventure that is commonly labelled the best origin story of the Multiverse Saga. Marvel marketed the film as a crucial piece of this saga’s overarching story, with director Destin Daniel Cretton even attached to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty before it was reworked as Avengers: Doomsday. Despite the changes to the MCU’s current arc, Shang-Chi’s introduction was an all-around success, with audiences eager to see more of the new superhero in future projects.
Despite his strong debut, Shang-Chi has been completely absent from the MCU since 2021 (barring several appearances in non-canonical animated projects like What If…? and Marvel Zombies). While Simu Liu is confirmed to reprise his role in Avengers: Doomsday, this leaves a staggering five-year time gap between Shang-Chi’s first and second appearances in the MCU. Worse, the highly anticipated sequel to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is nowhere near completion, with Cretton hard at work on other projects like Wonder Man and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. While Shang-Chi 2 is still on the way, it won’t release until well after the conclusion of the Multiverse Saga.
Moon Knight Is Epic, But Disappeared Too Soon
One of the most popular Disney+ series from Phase 5 was Moon Knight. The 2022 series introduces Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant, who learns that he is merely the alternate personality of mercenary Marc Spector, who serves as the avatar of the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. While the series has its detractors, most agree that it accomplished its mission of introducing an epic new hero with a promising future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Unfortunately, the supernatural side of the MCU has stalled considerably in recent years, leaving characters like Moon Knight lost in the mess. Marvel has yet to confirm Moon Knight’s next appearance, whether it be in a second season of his self-titled Disney+ series, a solo film, or an upcoming crossover event. Many theories suggest that Moon Knight’s MCU future is tied to the rumored Midnight Sons team-up alongside other supernatural heroes like Blade and Black Knight. With Marvel Studios’ Blade reboot still steeped in development hell, thereby stalling any Midnight Sons plans, it may be a long time before the franchise figures out what to do with characters like Moon Knight. The character won’t truly get his chance to shine until the next saga, if at all.
Thor Got Too Silly With Love and Thunder
Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is one of the foundational pieces of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the few remaining members of the original Avengers team. The character has only made one appearance in the Multiverse Saga so far, embarking on yet another solo adventure during the events of Thor: Love and Thunder. Unfortunately, Marvel missed the mark with Thor’s post-Endgame narrative.
By Hemsworth’s own admission, Love and Thunder got too silly, undercutting Thor’s emotional arc throughout the MCU. Despite going through the darkest period of his life between the events of Infinity War and Endgame, Thor is goofier than ever in Love and Thunder. While this keeps in track with the tone of Thor: Ragnarok, the sequel seemingly misses everything that made its predecessor successful. With Thor set to return in Avengers: Doomsday, fans can at least hold out hope that the Multiverse Saga can correct its mistakes with the original Avenger.
Secret Invasion Completely Wasted Maria Hill
Maria Hill is one of the MCU’s most underrated characters. First appearing in 2012’s The Avengers, Cobie Smulders’s S.H.I.E.L.D. agent has been an integral part of the franchise for over a decade. Hill has served as a loyal ally of Nick Fury and the Avengers ever since her debut, putting her life on the line to counter any threat facing the world, whether it be an alien invasion or a Hydra infiltration.
Unfortunately, the Multiverse Saga struggled to include characters like Maria Hill in its less grounded storylines. The character doesn’t appear in this era of the MCU until Secret Invasion, and only disappoints when she finally shows up. The infamous Disney+ series kills Hill off in its first episode, with her death doing little to further the storyline or change the MCU. Eliminating a legacy character for the shock value alone has never worked out for a major franchise, and Maria Hill’s death remains one of the worst creative decisions in the history of the MCU.
Captain Marvel Isn’t the Core Character Marvel Promised She Would Be
Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) appears in The MarvelsImage via Marvel Studios/Everett Collection
When she was first introduced in 2019, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel was expected to become one of the leading forces in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Though she only had a minor role in helping stop Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, it was clear that Marvel Studios intended to use the character much more heavily in future movies, possibly as one of the Avengers’ leaders in the Multiverse Saga. Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out that way for Carol Danvers in recent years.
Marvel fans haven’t been able to connect with Captain Marvel in her limited MCU appearances. The franchise often portrays Carol as a stoic character, which can make it difficult for viewers to identify with her. While The Marvels tried to reverse this trend, it was unsuccessful. Now, Captain Marvel’s potential return in Avengers: Doomsday is up in the air. A character who was introduced with intentions of leading the Avengers now isn’t even confirmed to appear in the next Avengers movie.
The Wasp Never Lived Up to Her Full Potential
Evangeline Lilly has never been adequately utilized as Hope van Dyne, a.k.a. the Wasp, in the MCU. Introduced all the way back in Phase 2, the Wasp has been a peripheral character at best in the franchise. Unlike Ant-Man, who becomes a crucial member of the Avengers briefly after his introduction, the Wasp doesn’t meet up with the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes until the final battle in Endgame. While this could have been the turning point for her character in the MCU, the Multiverse Saga hasn’t done any better with the Wasp.
The Multiverse Saga was the chance for the MCU to finally make good use of the Wasp. Instead, it has only made the same mistakes with her character as the Infinity Saga. Hope is entirely absent from the franchise outside of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and even takes a back seat to other heroes in a movie that includes her name in the title. Even worse, Quantumania reveals that Hope has been active since Endgame, building her own company and working hard to implement her father’s inventions in the world. Yet, audiences never get to see any of this, leaving Hope’s most interesting storyline off-screen. It is unclear whether Evangeline Lilly plans to ever reprise her role in the MCU, but one can only hope that the Wasp gets more time to shine in future projects.
M.O.D.O.K. Is the Multiverse Saga’s Least Popular New Character
Marvel Cinematic Universe fans waited years for the introduction of the iconic supervillain M.O.D.O.K. The character finally made his debut in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which took a slightly different approach to the comic book villain’s origin. In Quantumania, M.O.D.O.K. is revealed to be Darren Cross, the villain from the first Ant-Man movie, who was hideously transformed by Kang the Conqueror after his banishment to the Quantum Realm.
Audiences weren’t fond of the MCU’s version of M.O.D.O.K. The character’s design was ridiculed for its cartoonish effects and underwhelming nature, making M.O.D.O.K. the butt of endless jokes after Quantumania’s release. The villain also failed to live up to his comic book counterpart, serving as a menial minion of Kang the Conqueror rather than stepping up as one of the franchise’s most dangerous villains. In the end, the character is killed off almost immediately, eliminating any chance for him to make any meaningful impact on the MCU. Ultimately, M.O.D.O.K. is remembered as a wasted opportunity for the MCU to introduce a great villain.
Taskmaster Was Taken Out Too Quickly in Thunderbolts*
Taskmaster is an iconic character in Marvel Comics. A mercenary with the ability to copy any fighting technique or weapon training he witnesses, Tony Masters is one of the most dangerous villains around. The MCU takes a different approach to the character of Taskmaster, however. Black Widow reveals Taskmaster to be Antonia Dreykov, the daughter of General Dreykov. While she still has the same abilities as her comic book counterpart, the personality and wit of the original Taskmaster are lost in the cinematic adaptation.
While many fans were disappointed with Taskmaster’s portrayal in Black Widow, the MCU refused its only chance to redeem the character. Taskmaster is quickly killed off in Thunderbolts* when Ghost shoots her in the head during a confrontation. With this version of Taskmaster dead and gone, the only hope left for fans of the character is that they will be rebooted in the MCU’s next saga.
Nick Fury Was Done Dirty By Secret Invasion
Thanks in no small part to Samuel L. Jackson’s portrayal, Colonel Nick Fury was one of the coolest characters in the Infinity Saga. The man responsible for bringing the Avengers together in the first place, Fury was always portrayed as a man working amongst gods, yet always managed to hold his own. While Fury gradually slipped out of the main circulation of MCU characters toward the end of the Infinity Saga, it was the Multiverse Saga that finally ruined his character.
After completely skipping Phase 4, Nick Fury returns in Secret Invasion to lead his own MCU project for the first time. Unfortunately, Secret Invasion proved to be one of the worst-written and worst-executed Marvel projects of all time. Not only was the titular storyline a disaster, but the Disney+ series also horrifically misrepresented Nick Fury. Samuel L. Jackson’s iconic character is portrayed as an incompetent secret agent who effectively facilitated an alien invasion behind the Avengers’ backs. While Jackson’s portrayal of the character never misses, the writing has been all over the place in the Multiverse Saga.
Kang the Conqueror Was Almost the New Thanos
Kang the Conqueror in QuantumaniaImage via Marvel Studios/Everett Collection
Upon his introduction in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Jonathan Majors was set to portray the next big bad of the MCU. Kang the Conqueror and his numerous multiversal variants would face Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, the culmination of the Multiverse Saga. Unfortunately, Marvel was forced to change its plans when Majors was accused of domestic abuse, dropping the Kang storyline entirely and pivoting to focus on Doctor Doom instead.
While there is always a chance for Kang the Conqueror to return in future projects, perhaps portrayed by a different actor, Marvel has missed its chance to make the villain as big a threat as he would have been in the original plans for the Multiverse Saga. If Kang ever does return, it would likely be to wrap up any hanging plot threads with his character. This is a major downgrade from the original plan to have Kang be the MCU’s next Thanos.