The Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Multiverse Saga has featured both large-scale multiversal stories and smaller, more grounded ones. Made up of Phases 4, 5, and 6, following the Infinity Saga, the Multiverse Saga revolves around the convergence of many realities, introducing characters from other universes, as well as world-altering threats. The MCU’s current chapter began with 2021’s WandaVision and will conclude with 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars. In theaters and on Disney+, some of the Multiverse Saga’s more contained projects include The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Meanwhile, the Multiverse has taken center stage in titles such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Loki. Over the last few years, fans have started to notice a pattern involving certain Multiverse Saga stories.
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According to a Reddit fan theory by u/OddlyCrazy, the MCU’s Multiverse Saga can be separated into two separate plot threads. One includes all of the lower stakes, street-level stories, and the other contains every MCU project directly dealing with the Multiverse. The theory proposes that the Multiverse Saga’s “grounded” projects could make up their own mini saga. At the same time, the actual Multiverse Saga would be comprised of fewer, more closely connected movies and shows. After removing several films and shows deemed unnecessary, the theory leaves a pair of closely connected storylines that can stand on their own.
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How the MCU’s Multiverse Saga Takes Place on Two Timelines
Per the Reddit post, the full list of current and upcoming “grounded” Multiverse Saga projects contains: Black Widow, Hawkeye, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Echo, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Eternals, Daredevil: Born Again, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts*.
Along those same lines, the list of “Multiverse” projects include: Loki, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Ms. Marvel, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, What If…?, The Marvels, WandaVision, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Avengers: Doomsday, Spider-Man 4, and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The fan theory makes a ton of sense because there does, in fact, exist a clear divide between the types of narratives featured in the Multiverse Saga thus far. Even though each movie and show is meant to contribute to the MCU’s larger narrative in some manner, certain projects address the idea of innumerable realities head-on, while others focus on introducing new characters and highlighting the day-to-day lives of heroes and their associates in the MCU. One can easily place Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on the same thread, for example, because they all incorporate elements from outside of the main MCU (aka Earth-616) and explicitly foreshadow the grand multiversal events of Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
On the flip side, the Multiverse Saga’s “grounded” projects may not have much to do with each other individually, but their contained plot lines take on a similar quality of character-based stories without giant team-ups or multiple realities. A portion of She-Hulk takes place in a courtroom, and Hawkeye sets its gritty narrative on the streets of New York — both of which Daredevil: Born Again will do very soon. These projects don’t require much prior knowledge to understand, which makes them enjoyable to watch separately from the rest of the Multiverse Saga.
The Multiverse Saga’s Projects Differ From the MCU’s Infinity Saga
This theory also highlights the reduced degree of interconnectivity between projects in the Multiverse Saga compared to the Infinity Saga. Previously, each MCU movie introduced heroes that would play a pivotal role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame while directly developing the larger threat of Thanos and/or construction of the Avengers team. The Multiverse Saga’s different approach has involved many more projects, including TV shows. This strategy has made the MCU’s current storyline feel over-complicated and distant at times.
So, if the Multiverse Saga was split in two, like the fan theory suggests, its interconnectivity would look more similar to the Infinity Saga. Additionally, dual storylines suggests more consistency between projects. When watching the Multiverse Saga in chronological or release order, narratives jump around a lot, and the creation of separate timelines would offer a more straightforward story at large.
The MCU is back in theaters with Captain America: Brave New World, which is now playing. Daredevil: Born Again will premiere its first two episodes on Disney+ on March 4th.
