Saturday, December 28, 2024

Countdown to 2025 - #4 - The MCU Multiverse versus The Kang Dynasty (and my Top 3 MCU movies)

Countdown + Movie Review + Series Review

In Marvel MCU terms there is little difference between alternate timelines and alternate universes, so I'll group them together.

And - even if you dislike Jonathan Majors - there are some multiverse installments worth watching.


In order

Disney / Marvel tried to re-create the success of the 'Infinity Stones' Marvel Saga, but failed. That doesn't mean that all the 'Kang' and 'multiverse' movies / series are bad. Just that most of them are... Find some reviews and know what you're signing up for.

To be frank, the order isn't that strikt. Loki season 1 is probably the best starting point, but after that anything goes.

  • Doctor Strange - Go and re-watch it. It does feature alternate universes.
  • Avengers Endgame - We do time travel, so we do multiverse shenanigans, right? This one does feature alternate (timeline) versions of Gamorra, Thanos, and others.
  • Wandavision - Not a multiverse story per-se, but it's nicely leading into the second Doctor Strange movie (and watch Agatha All Along after watching Wandavision!)
  • Loki Season 1 - I think Loki may have saved the whole multiverse disaster. I personally think Jonathan Majors wasn't that bad as Kang in Loki. It's another Kang variant, remember? This is also the first real Kang / Multiverse story. Start here. (Or did What If season 1 come first? I can't remember...)
  • Loki Season 2 - Good wrap up of season 1.
  • Quantumania - Boring, skip it. This is the worst of the ant-man movies, and may have ended the sequence.
  • Spider-Man No Way Home - In some ways this is a fantastic movie, and a serious multiverse participant. It even allows you to insert all the Spiderman movies into the MCU timeline, and enjoy them as canon, as - per multiverse logic - everything is canon 😇
  • Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness - Yeah, the multiverse exists, and Wanda probably dies in this movie. Probably.
  • The Marvels - Another poor MCU movie, with one multiverse crossover near the end.
  • Agatha All Along - Perhaps it's not exactly a multiverse movie, but it ties up some loose Wandavision ends... and is just fun all along!
  • Deadpool and Wolverine - Not the most serious one of them all, and perhaps a bit let-down by the typical villand-destroys-the-world plot, but it makes good use of the TVA and alternate universes / timelines.


Not exactly in order

These are movies / series that can be enjoyed during or after the ones listed above.

  • What If - Now this definitely is an alternative take on the MCU. Season 3 should have arrived a week ago (yeah, I'm writing these posts in advance).
  • Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse - Great animated movie, dealing with its own take on the multiverse. Go and watch the sequel Across the Spider-Verse as well... and we'll have to wait for the third one Beyond the Spider-Verse (which would arrive in 2027, sigh).
  • Agents of Shield - An alternative (or not?) take on Shield, which somewhat overlaps the regular movies, but not always.


Countdown...

Three days left...

So, what's my top 3 Marvel (MCU) movies?


1. Endgame

Though nothing without Infinity War this may have been the best MCU movie thus far. I know some prefer Black Panther but I wasn't that impressed with that one. To be fair: it's unfair to all other MCU movies to pick this one, as it can build on the twenty-two movies and shows that came before it.

2. Infinity War

I was so tempted to pick a Spider-Man or Guardians movie, but the combo Infinity War / Endgame beats them all...

3. Ironman 1

The movie that started it all. Robert Downey Jr. is brilliant in this one, and perfectly cast.


Note that I limited myself to the movies and didn't include any of the series. It's unfair, I know, but it's what it is.


More

  • Marvel TV shows ranked - though I'm not impressed with their order. Putting Punisher that low, and Falcon, Luke Cage, Hawkeye and even Echo above Moonknight?!? Did they even watch the shows?!?
  • Marvel Movies ranked - this ranking makes more sense, though the whole Wakanda / Black Panther stuff does nothing for me. It's as if they try too hard to be cool.
  • Multiverse on Wikipedia - explains Marvel (MCU) timelines versus the multiverse

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