Hollywood loves nothing more than trying to piggyback on someone else’s success and capitalize on a hot trend, with any notable changes in the comic book genre one of their favorite bandwagons to jump on.
When X-Men and Spider-Man became massive hits at the turn of the millennium, virtually every comic book property under the sun was given the big screen treatment in the immediate aftermath, and the bubble still hasn’t burst almost two decades later. Similarly, the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe saw many studios rush to build shared franchises of their own to varying degrees of success, while Logan and Deadpool have led to a huge increase in the number of R-rated adaptations.
Both the MCU’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and the DCEU’s The Flash seem to indicate that alternate realities are poised to become the genre’s next favorite storytelling device, and we’ve now heard that Marvel are planning to use the Sorcerer Supreme’s sequel as the jumping-off point to start developing spinoffs that won’t be a part of their established timeline.
According to our intel – which comes from the same sources that told us that Disney were working on live-action remakes of Bambi and Robin Hood months before either was officially announced – Marvel Studios are said to be hugely interested in the idea of expanding their output beyond the confines of the MCU’s main continuity, and the introduction of the multiverse provides the ideal opportunity.
Obviously, DC are already in the midst of something similar following the news that Michael Keaton is returning as Bruce Wayne, but Marvel’s What If…? will see the MCU dabbling in alternate realities, too, and if the animated series goes down well with fans, then the premise could be turned towards their live-action division and projects that take place in different timelines and universes.
While we don’t have any further specifics as of yet, the sheer volume of characters Marvel have at their disposal already presents infinite possibilities for the future of the MCU, and removing the need to tie everything together would only increase their creativity and allow the studio to finally take some major risks when it comes to their big screen blockbusters.
