Recently, Variety released a bombshell article alleging that Marvel Studios is rethinking its plans for its ongoing Multiverse Saga following the lackluster success of its many films and TV shows. The studio is even supposedly pondering not having Kang the Conqueror be the saga’s overarching villain after all since the character’s actor, Jonathan Majors, is now on trial for accusations of domestic violence.
All in all, the studio clearly needs to return to the drawing board to bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe back to its former glory, and the higher-ups should consider doing these things in a revised Multiverse Saga.
Have the heroes save the world less
Many have criticized the MCU for following the same formula in its project, with one key component being the hero having to defeat the villain to save the world. But at this point, the Earth getting put in jeopardy doesn’t feel as exciting anymore, as it’s so common, it could very well show up on the weekly weather forecast in that reality.
In the future, the MCU should focus more on putting the hero’s personal world at risk to make new conflicts more grounded. For instance, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was more about the heroes protecting one of their own from the High Evolutionary, as opposed to saving the entire galaxy from destruction. Audiences have seen enough of Marvel’s heroes trying to save the world. How about more of them try to save themselves for a change?
Reinvent Thor
Taika Waititi’s work on Thor: Ragnarok helped revitalize the titular hero by injecting silliness and seriousness into his character. However, the director seemed to have put too much of the former in the God of Thunder’s fourth solo film, leaving him in dire need of another character change.
Should Marvel Studios choose to reinvent Thor again, they should approach him like they did in Avengers: Infinity War, as the way the character tried to redeem himself after suffering so much pain and loss to Thanos arguably made it the best chapter in his story.
Bring back the original Avengers
On top of rethinking Kang’s role in the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios has reportedly considered bringing back the six founding Avengers for another film. This would be quite a move since both Iron Man and Black Widow sacrificed themselves in Avengers: Endgame, with Steve Rogers going back to live a normal life married to Peggy Carter in the same film. Since these three heroes had such fitting conclusions to their run in the MCU, bringing them back could ruin these endings for fans.
However, the studio succeeded in bringing back iconic heroes and villains in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and they could very well do the same with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine in Deadpool 3. Perhaps bringing these pivotal heroes back for one last ride together could give the Multiverse Saga a fitting sendoff, especially since it has been rumored to end with a reboot of the MCU in the vein of DC’s The Flash.
Kill off the Council of Kangs
This may seem like a bold move, given that the MCU has hyped an infinite amount of Kangs threatening the Multiverse with Loki and the third Ant-Man film. However, this twist actually occurs in the comics, as Immortus originally gathered the council so he could kill all the variants of him he considered inferior.
If Marvel Studios does change their approach to Kang as a villain, getting rid of all his other variants could be a surprising twist that will make Immortus far more threatening.
Bring back Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch may have sacrificed herself to destroy all the Darkholds in the second Doctor Strange film, but given her connection to Kang in the comics, the MCU seems to have built up too much to kill her off now. To explain, in the source material, Kang’s variant, Immortus, orchestrated the traumatic events in Wanda’s life so he could eventually take control of her shattered mind.
Since Wanda has pretty much followed the same path as her comic book counterpart in the MCU, it would seem like a missed opportunity not to bring her back so Immortus could have her take on all her former Avengers for control of the Multiverse.
Make Doctor Doom the true big bad
Since Marvel is planning to make a Secret Wars film and introduce the Fantastic Four, it only makes sense for Doctor Doom to end up being the final antagonist of the Multiverse Saga. 2015’s Secret Wars storyline does see Doom absorb the almighty power of the Beyonders, destroying every universe in a series of incursions, and ruling over a Battleworld created in his image as God Emperor Doom.
Having Doom overthrow Kang as the saga’s big bad would be a shocking but fitting twist, given the former villain is the Conqueror’s ancestor. And since the Beyonder in the MCU has been rumored to be a variant of Kang on Twitter, Doom could likely become the God Emperor by harnessing his descendant’s realty-warping power, establishing himself as the saga’s final boss.
Recast Kang
Even if Marvel Studios decides to make Doctor Doom the final villain, they should simply have a different actor play Kang going forward if Majors is found guilty. The MCU is no stranger to recasting its characters, as they did so with War Machine, the Hulk, Red Skull, Cassie Lang, and even Thanos.
Getting someone else to play Kang may seem difficult, especially since Majors set a high bar with his outstanding performance as the villain. But seeing how the MCU already built up Kang as a threat to the Multiverse, it would be a mistake to throw away his character now just to have Majors be his sole actor.
