One of Marvel's top bosses shared a message for fans who have gotten a little tired of how much the Multiverse has been utilized in recent years. Even with the MCU inching closer to the conclusion of the aptly-named Multiverse Saga, some longtime fans are itching to return to a more grounded big-screen release from the franchise.
Marvel Studios' next movie, Thunderbolts*, will not include the greater multiverse as part of its story. This marks a change from the franchise's last three big-screen releases in theaters (Captain America: Brave New World, Deadpool & Wolverine, and The Marvels), which all either teased multiversal story threads or heavily focused on them.
Speaking at the world premiere event for Thunderbolts* at Cineworld Leicester Square in London, UK, Marvel Studios executive producer Brian Chapek shared this update with the HeyUGuys YouTube channel.
Considering how many recent movies have dealt with Multiversal and cosmic threats, Chapek reflected on Marvel wanting "to bring it back down to Earth on a more human scale" with Thunderbolts*. At its heart, it was a chance to "take these outcasts and unite them:"
"Yes, the MCU has gotten so big, right? We're dealing with Multiverses and these large, giant threats, and so from the very beginning and in making a Thunderbolts movie, we really wanted to bring it back down to Earth on a more human scale and tell a story about these characters and what they might be dealing with as internal characters. So yeah, it was really a great opportunity to be able to take these outcasts and unite them in this film."
Chapek later addressed the massive cast assembled for Thunderbolts*, explaining how his job is "so much easier, because they are all such amazing actors." Looking back on the core cast all existing "in kind of subpockets of the universe" through other franchises, he thoroughly enjoyed seeing them come together and "unite...as something much better:"
"It makes my job so much easier, because they are such amazing actors and what they were able to bring to these characters...I mean, these are all people who have existed in kind of subpockets of the universe in different franchises so, so much fun was bringing them together, and seeing what kind of strange alchemy we could create with them, and it takes people who are maybe left in the rearview mirror and unite them as something much better."
Thunderbolts* marks the final movie of Phase 5 and the first MCU movie since 2023 to completely avoid using the Multiverse.
Most recently, the post-credits scene from Captain America: Brave New World included the Leader teasing an otherworldly threat to Sam Wilson. Right before that, Deadpool & Wolverine was heavily multiverse-influenced, dipping into various worlds and timelines to assemble its massive cast.
Finally, 2023's The Marvels concluded with Monica Rambeau being forced to close a rift in spacetime and trap herself in an alternate reality. This led to an interaction with a different variant of her mother, Maria Rambeau, and the return of Kelsey Grammer's Dr. Hank McCoy, better known as Beast.
Currently, Marvel is prepping for the release of Thunderbolts*, featuring a team of half a dozen antiheroes/villains led by Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Alongside darker characters from various past MCU projects, they will have to work together to neutralize Lewis Pullman's Sentry, one of the most powerful villains in Marvel history.
Thunderbolts* is lined up to debut in theaters everywhere on Friday, May 2.
Will Thunderbolts* Benefit by Avoiding the Multiverse?
As thrilling as aspects of multiversal stories in the MCU can be, many fans prefer when the franchise goes back to the grounded roots on which it was built. Heroes like Iron Man and Captain America helped make the stakes and plot feel more real and human before the more cosmic entries took the MCU in a wilder direction.
Thankfully, early reviews for Thunderbolts* have teased another huge success for the MCU, largely because of its grounded nature. Some have specifically noted it feeling "like the old Marvel" while also praising it for feeling much more human and down-to-earth.
Of course, with Marvel being deep into its Multiverse Saga, it's no shock that many of the franchise's recent movies have lived up to that name. Additionally, while Thunderbolts* will end off Phase 5, the saga's final phase is expected to bring everything home with multiple multiverse-influenced films.
For now, Marvel seems to have made a wise decision to take the narrative street-level, giving burnt-out fans a bit of a break before universes meet and collide.
