After the critical acclaim and bumper viewership figures that greeted Loki‘s first season, Marvel Cinematic Universe supporters were excited to see what creator and executive producer Michael Waldron would bring to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, especially when he’d instantly been established as a new favorite of Kevin Feige’s.
Unfortunately, the writer’s work was singled out as one of the worst aspects of the Sorcerer Supreme’s long-awaited solo sequel, with Sam Raimi’s dazzling visuals and infectious sense of mischief barely papering over the cracks of what proved to be an underwhelming and undercooked story.
As a result, excitement for Avengers: Secret Wars severely dissipated when it was revealed Waldron would be penning the concluding chapter of the Multiverse Saga, putting him in the exact same boat as fellow Rick and Morty veteran Jeff Loveness, who saw Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania weaponized to disprove his credentials as the right person for The Kang Dynasty.
In a turn of events we didn’t see coming, though, star Xochitl Gomez has stepped in to not just defend Waldron from criticism, but indirectly point the finger at Marvel, after taking to her Instagram comments and stating that “Y’all need to stop hating on Michael Waldron…They asked for 33 rewrites…none of it is up to him.”
As the sole name credited on the screenplay, Waldron isn’t exactly immune from any blame, but it does further the sentiment that Marvel Studios has a tendency to get a little too involved on the creative side of the equation, something that’s been repeatedly pointed out as the Multiverse Saga stumbles from one disappointment onto the next.