When the Marvel Cinematic Universe began in earnest with 2011’s Thor, which bridged the gap between Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger, industry figures were skeptical at its feasibility. At the time, this idea of a shared universe of superhero movies was utterly unprecedented, leading to many Hollywood stalwarts becoming wary at its chance of success. Of course, 10 years and one Infinity Saga later, history has proved them wrong and seemingly every studio is rushing to have a ‘cinematic universe’ of its own. From Warner Bros.’ DCEU to Universal’s much-maligned ‘Dark Universe,’ the concept of a shared universe has become the norm.
However, in recent months, a new notion has come forward that pushes the concept even further: not just one shared universe, but sharing universes; combining previous iterations of a character or franchise together. This idea is nothing new in the world of comics (often characters are confronted with different versions of themselves from alternate dimensions or parallel universes), but it is a totally unproven concept in cinema.
Nevertheless, multiple upcoming blockbuster films are running with the idea. From the currently untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel reportedly featuring Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire as their past versions of the web-slinger, to DCEU’s The Flash film supposedly being based off The Flashpoint Paradox and featuring Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman for the first time since 1992. Clearly, these studios feel the regular cinematic universe format is played-out; they’re massively shaking it up by combining different iterations of characters together.
But is this really what audiences want? At the time, viewers may have enjoyed the run of these characters (Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films remains especially popular to this day), but 20 or so years later, is there enough room for them to return? Simply put, should old superhero movies just be left behind?
One big argument for leaving these legacy characters/universes in the past is that there doesn’t appear to be a seamless way of introducing them. Already blockbuster films are saturated with narrative, character, action, and lore – how can they feasibly fit in a whole extra universe as well? Take 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, for example: critics have lambasted the film for being a “bloated mess,” forcing so much unnecessary additions into the movie that audiences just leave feeling confused (e.g., why was Jimmy Olsen introduced just to be killed 10 minutes in?). If Zack Snyder was able to get his hands on legacy characters as well, who knows how overly complex the result could’ve been.
Equally, the average movie-goer’s level of lore knowledge perhaps isn’t enough to facilitate referencing and including another universe. While most people know who Batman is, do they know the seven actors who have played the character since 1960, each with their own specific history and version of the Dark Knight? Expecting audiences to know enough to delineate between them may be a fool’s errand, so why would studios risk mixing them together? For a blockbuster to be financially viable, it needs to be accessible – becoming convoluted through lacing different universes together isn’t a way of achieving that.
Finally, there’s the inescapable risk that revisiting a version of a character may retroactively ruin it. Michael Keaton was beloved as Batman, bringing entertainment and joy to countless fans across the world. Conversely, the current slate of DCEU superheroes have been criticized by people like Superman director Richard Donner as being too dark and lacking in heroism. Why trust Keaton’s Batman to those same creative forces? By mixing universes together, there is always the chance that what is currently exalted could be tainted.
For all these reasons (and plenty more), it seems like the best idea is to just leave old superhero movies behind. But, at the same time, when a multi-universe story is done right, the resultant film is utterly outstanding. Just look at 2018’s Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse – this animated movie featured seven different Spider-Mans, countless super villains, and a high-concept plot about multi-verses colliding, and yet still stuck the landing. The film has been hailed as one of, if not the best superhero movie ever made, elevating the genre to new thematic and artistic heights. When films like Spiderverse are achievable through sharing universes, why wouldn’t studios want to give them a go?
Like it or not, old superhero movies don’t look like they’ll be staying in the past for very long. Between The Flash, the next live-action Spider-Man film, and reportedly even a new solo Batman series for Keaton, the nostalgia-enriched properties are back for another round in the spotlight; it can only be hoped that such films traverse the many possible pitfalls, and stick the landing like Spiderverse did.
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