The success of ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ shows why Marvel is the problem, not the multiverse

After Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was defended as a good movie by the dude who wrote it, at around the same time the threequel’s record-breaking box office drop was deemed not a big deal by the people in charge, the Marvel Cinematic Universe became in real danger of being the Hollywood equivalent of the South Park episode where smugness is defined by people smelling their own farts.

Quantumania is one of the franchise’s worst-reviewed installments, and it keeps on smashing unwanted benchmarks in terms of earnings, but the people in charge are refusing to listen. The hype for both Phase Five and the Multiverse Saga is already on the wane, and it’s been pointed out that it would only take a couple of quick fixes to arrest the slide in quality that’s been hounding the MCU since the end of the Infinity Saga.

Things have gotten so bad already that the mere thought of ongoing multiverse shenanigans is failing to leave even the most dedicated of the Marvel masses enthused, which is majorly concerning when Avengers: Secret Wars isn’t coming to theaters until May of 2026, leaving almost three and a half years of potential apathy to come.

However, the unanimous critical acclaim, box office glory, and awards season bulldozing accomplished by Everything Everywhere All at Once underlines that dealing in alternate realities isn’t the issue, but the approach taken by the people planning the execution. It’s already beginning to feel as though the MCU will never deliver a multiversal masterpiece that even comes close to the Daniels’ spectacular effort, but it won’t be for a lack of trying.

The MCU continues to narrow its focus in appealing more and more to those who watch every episode of every Disney Plus series and religiously keep abreast of release schedules, casting announcements, and rumor-mongering leaks, leaving the causal fans and new converts overwhelmed and confused.

Meanwhile, the benchmark has been set by a bonkers indie that features Michelle Yeoh – herself a veteran of two Marvel properties – weaponizing a butt plug, which says it all.