Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is only a few days away from blowing the collective spirit of the world of cinema. The Multiversal sequel has been in the works for some time, and after some delays, a director change, and a global pandemic, the press saw the Benedict Cumberbatch-directed film garnering mostly positive reviews.
The conversation surrounding Mom has been mostly focused on the multiverse, and it seems to be playing into the lead up to release. Not much is known about the actual story yet, and instead of revealing these plot details, Marvel Studios seems keen to emphasize the endless possibilities of said multiverse.
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But this isn’t the first MCU project to tackle the concept of alternate timelines/realities. Last summer Loki set the stage for this new era of on-screen Marvel storytelling, as the Disney+ series opened up the multiverse.
Because of this Multiverse of Madness and Loki are so intrinsically linked, as are their creative teams. And one of those key figures has expressed regret about how one of those projects will affect the other.
Waldron on the rules of the multiverse
In an interview with digital spy, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Loki writer Micheal Waldron expressed regret over how they created the multiverse in Loki.
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Waldron said he wished he “had not defined” some of the rules of the multiverse “so clearly” in the Disney+ series, but creations in a box all the way:
“We have worked hard enough to Loki to make it as airtight as possible. But there were times when I was like, ‘Oh shit, I wish I hadn’t defined this so clearly. I don’t know why I had to be so specific on my time travel TV show about the rules of the multiverse,” “
The MCU writer, however, said he was “happy that [he] entered [to Multiverse of Madness] with institutional knowledge of the multiverse” because it was then easier to hire the team “the same page as [him]:”
“But, I was glad that I came with institutional knowledge of the multiverse and was able to get the creative team from strange doctor on the same page as me on everything. Because as with Lokithat’s the most important thing when you’re dealing with this.”
He concluded by saying that the development of this “shared language” is the most important thing in this kind of storytelling, “otherwise it can get quite confusing:”
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“You all need to have a common language for all of this, otherwise it can get quite confusing.”
It’s madness outside
Tackling a multiverse in any kind of story doesn’t seem like an easy undertaking. And that difficulty would seemingly be multiplied tenfold when dealing with an interwoven narrative tapestry as dense and interconnected as the MCU. So, it’s good that someone like Waldron is there to at least help define what the rules of this new storytelling device will be.
And that’s going to be the key to it all. Since the rulebook was supposedly written about the MCU Multiverse, will Marvel Studios actually stick to those rules, or after a while will they have to break out of the book?
It’s this question that likely caused Waldron to show signs of regret over how he helped define the multiverse, at least initially. Because he knows that some of those little details that exist in Loki will now have to rely on them for years to come.
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What if five years later, those tools with which to create an MCU Multiverse story are no longer viable? Well, then a new creative force will have to come in and completely change that definition again.
It’s a problem that can weigh heavily on someone like Michael Waldron’s mind, but Marvel Studios has shown that they can adapt over time, and will likely do so here should problems arise.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters Friday, May 6.
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