The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Multiverse Saga has proven itself uneven, but there is a key option the MCU could go for to solve many of its issues.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had some problems in recent years, but the franchise already has the perfect solution to make the multiverse work in its favor. The MCU established itself during the Infinity Saga. That chapter of the franchise encompassed 23 movies, going from 2008’s Iron Man to a grand finale in 2019 with Avengers: Endgame and an emotional epilogue in Spider-Man: Far From Home. The saga included most of the MCU’s best movies, and with the loss of the franchise’s two main heroes — Iron Man and Captain America — the MCU has had a harder time being successful recently.

While there have been some resounding hits during the Multiverse Saga, both where movies and Disney+ projects are concerned, it has become clear that the MCU’s Phases 4 & 5 have been uneven. Several complaints about the direction the MCU is in have emerged over the past couple of years, with the multiverse not escaping. While it is a fantastic tool to bring characters together and explore alternate versions of the MCU and other universes, Marvel could have been doing more in terms of making the multiverse pack a punch, and there are a few ways to do so.

Doctor Strange 2 And Loki Had Different Approaches To Variants & One Worked Better

The Multiverse Needs To Feel Alive

One of the most important uses of the multiverse is to show what kind of variants are out there in alternate versions of the MCU or other Marvel properties. While the MCU has found success in bringing back past actors in new roles through the multiverse, like Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter, or reprising their iconic characters, like Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man: No Way Home, one way the multiverse has been used to present variants has been more exciting than the other, and Marvel needs to focus on that to make the most out of the multiverse.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Loki are two key multiverse projects with opposite uses of variants. While the movie had its main Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch variants again be played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen, the Disney+ series introduced several newcomers to the franchise as different versions of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki. To help make the multiverse more unique and fresh, Loki‘s approach to variants should be followed by new projects, as new actors as versions of beloved MCU characters bring along an interesting dynamic that can revitalize the franchise.

The female Loki variant — Sophia Di Martino’s Sylvie — showed the enormous potential of such practice.

The MCU Needs To Make The Multiverse Feel Expansive

The Multiverse Can Offer More Than It Has

The MCU has been facing a lot of criticism in recent years due to the universe feeling directionless and the multiverse not having been fleshed out enough. The Multiverse Saga should come to an end when 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars rolls around, and only three years out, Marvel Studios has not really done a deep exploration of the multiverse aside from a couple of projects. Instead, the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has mainly focused on introducing new/smaller characters that do not really have much to do with the grander scheme of the multiverse.

While Spider-Man: No Way Home was an enormous hit with a multiverse story at its center, the film saw characters from past Spider-Man franchises come to the MCU. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the MCU movie that was really meant to do a deep dive into the concept and show other universes and their particularities. However, the film never really focused on many universes, only heavily using a couple of different ones — with minor changes like going on a red light instead of green — and a quick sequence of Doctor Strange and America Chavez falling through universes.

Having Different Actors Play Variants Would Solve Multiple MCU Issues

The Kang The Conqueror Problem Needs A Solution

By having different actors play variants instead of using the same MCU stars, the franchise can succeed in making the multiverse feel expansive, widening the scope of the Multiverse Saga. With Kang the Conqueror actor Jonathan Majors fired, the MCU could also solve its big villain problem through that. All Kang variants have been played by Majors, and recasting the actor with several new stars would be the best way of making each variant feel unique, bringing in as much talent into the MCU as possible, and not putting the burden of taking over Kang on a single actor.

Using new actors for variants could also lead to many exciting moments in upcoming MCU projects. Deadpool & Wolverine could cast actors who have been requested by fans as variants of Wolverine and other characters, such as Taron Egerton or Daniel Radcliffe playing Logan; Avengers: Secret Wars could finally allow Tom Cruise to become the MCU’s Superior Iron Man, and more. With different actors playing variants, the Multiverse Saga can feel expansive and exciting going into its last few years, responding to MCU complaints.