The MCU’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was a long-anticipated film. It was one of the first films that followed the events of the Avengers defeating Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. It featured Multiversal travels where Doctor Strange went to different universes with the help of America Chavex. This was all while they fled from a trauma-riddled Wanda Maximoff, who was struggling to accept losing all the people she has ever loved.
However, Multiverse of Madness fails in some ways that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse succeeds easily. Solidifying the latter’s position as the better of the two films. Across the Spider-Verse is a film that has shown what Multiversal travel should entail. It further portrays how it can be set up for the continuation of a story of large magnitude.
Across The Spider-Verse Is More Cohesive Than MCU’s Attempt At The Multiverse
The MCU’s exploration of the multiverse has been largely scattered and disjointed. This was clear in Multiverse of Madness. Altogether, the film struggles to tie the disparate threads of the different universes together into a cohesive narrative. The only other versions of Dr. Strange that we see turn out to be villainous men. Needless to say, they do not compare in the ways that have made Dr. Strange loveable. Compare this to Across the Spider-Verse, where there are so many versions of the same character that in each version we see, there is an iota of the Spider characters that we love.
In contrast to the MCU’s muddled approach, Across the Spider-Verse presents a coherent vision of the multiverse that’s both ambitious and accessible. There is not just a keen focus on the different versions of Spider-Man. We also learn what connects all of them together. Even while they are different, they have similarities. Multiverse of Madness struggles to balance the many possibilities of the multiverse and places the MCU’s known version of these superheroes as the best and most powerful, where they should be at par with the other versions of themselves to a certain degree.
Across The Spider-Verse Sets The Perfect Foundation For The Completion Of The Series
When the Across the Spiderverse ends, the original crew from the first film, Into the Spider-Verse, returns to help Miles escape the wrath of Miguel O’Hara. But prior to this, the foundation for the actions in the next film has already been carefully laid. By the end of the Multiverse of Madness, the fate of the rest of the characters remain unknown, left to be decided, with viewers wondering; what’s next?
Across the Spider-Verse keeps things grounded by centering its story on one character and exploring his many variations. Those that have come before him, at the same time as him, and even after him. It is an intricately well-laid-out plot, and as Spider-man swings from one universe to the other, it is easy to follow where the story goes. Each point connects to the next one ensuring that every aspect of the Spider-Verse feels like it’s working together towards a singular purpose.
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