Marvel has established something which is beyond any cinematic universe at this point. Their wide array of Movies in the MCU has cemented these superheroes into a larger-than-life setting. What began with Iron Man and culminated with Avengers Endgame, is now transforming itself with a new perspective and in a new direction. They have cashed in on these movies for a long time now and the medium change that is occurring in their platforms currently, wouldn’t have been possible without an array of side characters and a huge untapped story potential, waiting to be utilized.
Disney+ WandaVision and the Beginning of Marvel Multiverse
WandaVision, the first Marvel TV show to directly expand the stories of characters from the MCU, came on to Disney+. Even since the trailers came, the audience knew that they were in for something far different from anything the MCU had shown before.
The whole Black & White sitcom vibe was just a front for the expansion of Multiverse which Marvel is heading towards now. The biggest advantage of releasing a show as opposed to a movie, is the intensive focus received by each and every character. This is not to say that the character development has been bad in MCU, if that were the case then we wouldn’t have wept so much on the passing of Iron Man.
But the potential in unravelling these characters further in a TV show creates depth and attachment which was previously unfelt. Adding to this, the kind of genre WandaVision possessed, it would have been too big of a gamble to make a multi-million-dollar movie out of it anyway. With Disney+, WandaVision was the first shot in the series of upcoming shots, to signify its viewers that Marvel is truly heading home. Right on to the TV screens.
The Multiverse is expanding and there’s such a huge opportunity to cash in on. Even after the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended, the viewers and the executives knew that outdoing this is going to be one Mammoth of a task. You don’t just go from one cinematic universe to another.
You don’t just introduce new pivotal characters out of the dark and put them in new movies, hoping that people will still be interested in it because it carries the Marvel tag. What you do is expand your side characters and through them introduce other characters which are going to fulfil your Multiverse vision in the future.
A great instance of this was seen in WandaVision with the introduction of Quicksilver (played by Evan Peters) from the X-Men Universe. When the production starts introducing these subtleties in their work, the outcome doesn’t feel like it overstayed its welcome. It hits just right, fulfils its purpose and then vanishes, bound to reappear in the future. This is also a great way for Marvel to previously test the waters before making any big change in their upcoming universe. Not any character from, say the X-Men Universe, is just going to magically fit well in the MCU setting. So, Disney+ is a great way for them to judge reactions and make sure that each decision is greeted positively by the audience.
The tonality difference between WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, streaming on Disney+
Differences in tonalities of these shows is another, game changing investment benefit for marvel. WandaVision was this eerie, heart-breaking tale about Wanda coping up with the loss of Vision, whereas The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, which is now currently streaming its episode 1, is so much more grounded and based in realism (Similar to the movies like Captain America: Civil War).
Each one of these tones is experimental for Marvel and upcoming shows like Loki, Hawkeye and Moon Knight will only prove this point further. But how is this going to be an advantage for the future theatrical releases of Marvel?
Well, judging by the rumours till now, we know that these upcoming movies are going to be much more peculiar and standalone in comparison with anything that came in MCU. It is even stated that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going to be heavily dominated by horror elements. So, Disney+ is only going to act as an heads up for the fans who are ultimately going to witness these movies.
The Movie Culture Synopsis
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 1 is streaming now on Disney+ and it will surely be interesting to see if Marvel introduces its Multiverse elements in the show, considering that it feels far away from anything mystical or magical.
