The Multiverse Can Fix the MCU's Villains

Last week I talked about how Multiverses and Metaverses are becoming more prominent in our fiction because they ease our collective anxieties. By allowing us to believe in the possibility that somewhere, our world is different, we assume that somewhere it’s also better, and there’s solace in that. In looking for it, in finding it, and in protecting it.

With the MCU opening itself up to the Multiverse in a big way from Loki to Spider-Man: No way Home, it does something else. It lets Marvel fix the one glaring mistake almost all of its movies have made: it lets them un-kill villains, and it lets others come back as heroes.

Think about it. On our world the Vulture is a villain (I don’t know how much of a villain, so we’ll leave it lower case ‘v’ for now) but on another Earth, well, he’s not that different from Tony Stark, is he? Taking technology and creating something that allows him do incredible things. Sure he was ripping off truck shipments on earth, but why couldn’t there be a world where' he’s pulling kittens from trees and other hero shit?

Somewhere in the Multiverse, Michael Keaton looks this yoked, hohmygod, even the man’s abs have abs

I’m getting ahead of myself though. Let’s do an audit of the villains we’ve seen the MCU so far:

Iron Man………………………………………………………………………………………Obidiah Stane KIA, Head of the Ten Rings KIA

The Incredible Hulk…………………………………………..………………………………………………………………………..Abomination MIA

Iron Man 2…………………………………………………………………………..……..Whiplash KIA, Justin Hammer INCARCERATED

Thor…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….N/A

Captain America: The First Avenger……………………….…………………………………………………………………….…Red Skull MIA

Avengers………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………N/A

Iron Man 3…………………………………………………………………..………………………………………………………………Aldrich Killian KIA

Thor: The Dark World…………………………………………………..……………………………………………….Malekith The Dark Elf KIA

Captain America: The Winter Soldier……………….Bucky REFORMED, Alexander Pierce, Agent Sitwell, Zola KIA

Guardians of the Galaxy…………………………………………………………………………………………………...Ronan the Accuser KIA

Avengers: Age of Ultron……………………………………………………………………………..Strucker KIA, Ultron KIA (presumed)

Ant-Man…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Yellowjacket KIA

Captain America: Civil War…………………………………………………………...Crossbones KIA, Russian Super Soldiers KIA

Doctor Strange………………………………………………………………………………………….……Kaecillius KIA, Baron Mordo ALIVE

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2………………………………………………………..……………………………Ego the Living Planet KIA

Spider-Man: Homecoming……………….……....The Vulture, The Tinkerer, Mac Gargan, Shocker INCARCERATED

Thor: Ragnarok…………………………………….…………………………….Hela KIA, Surtur KIA, Grandmaster KIA, Skurge KIA

Black Panther……………………………………………..…………………………………………………….Ulysses Klaw KIA, Killmonger KIA

Avengers: Infinity War……………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………………………………N/A

Ant-Man and the Wasp…………………………..…………………………………………………………….Bill Foster ALIVE, Ghost ALIVE

Captain Marvel……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...Yon-Rogg ALIVE

Avengers: Endgame………………………………………………………………………………………...Thanos KIA, The Black Order KIA

Spider-Man: Far From Home…………………………………………………….Molten Man KIA, Hydro-Man KIA, Mysterio KIA

Black Widow………………….………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………Taskmaster ALIVE

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings…………………………………………………………………………(haven’t seen it yet)

So, as you can see, if you go against heroes in the MCU except for a few cases, you’re either ending up in Jail or a body bag. That’s not great because A) prison sucks B) dying sucks more and C) you can’t build a stable of villains to take on the world’s greatest heroes if you always kill your fucking villain.

Imagine the Masters of Evil but with characters you gave a shit about

So, could the multiverse be the opportunity to undo some of these mistakes? Yeah, man. I think it could be. I think it probably should be. Worlds could be dying and boom, you’ve got Killmonger as an extra dimensional refugee back in the MCU, assembling a group of villains that no single hero could defeat. Is it going to happen? Maybe. Kang might even be the one to do it.

The multiverse is a beast of possibility and it in a way it allows Marvel to rectify any mistakes it’s made over the past 13 years of movie making. It’s exciting, it’s dangerous, and I hope somewhere out there exists a version of Cap who had the beard for more than half a movie. Because awhoogha honka-honka, what a look.