As the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s Multiverse Saga nears its end, it has become clear that one story element has replicated itself too many times. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars remain the only announced Multiverse Saga movies yet to hit theaters, and they promise to conclude this era in thrilling fashion. Over the last four years, MCU Phases 4 through 6 have introduced tons of great new characters, delved into alternate realities, and told some truly compelling stories. Projects such as WandaVision, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Thunderbolts* stand out as some of the best titles released since Avengers: Endgame thanks to their character-driven and emotionally resonant narratives. There’s plenty more to love about the Multiverse Saga despite its shaky buildup to Doomsday and Secret Wars, but there’s also an overused trope
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Strangely, the MCU’s Multiverse Saga has repeatedly centered on powerful or gifted children who are pursued or kidnapped by villains. Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Agatha All Along, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps all employed this concept in some way, and it appears Avengers: Doomsday will too. This consistent reduction of young characters into a plot device has grown stale and predictable, and unfortunately, the MCU isn’t done with it.
The Multiverse Saga’s Obsession With Hunted and Kidnapped Children, Explained
The MCU’s recycled plot point involving a villain’s desire to capture and use kids as a means to an end exists in five projects released in the last three years. In Doctor Strange of the Multiverse of Madness, the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) hunts America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) for her ability to travel dimensions in hopes of using her to find her children in another reality. Meanwhile, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) abducts a group of Asgardian youngsters from their homes on Earth to lure in Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and kill him as part of his crusade against the gods. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever sees the underwater nation of Talokan kidnap Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne) in retaliation for the CIA using one of her inventions to find vibranium near their home.
Fast forward to the Disney+ series Agatha All Along, in which Rio Vidal/Death (Aubrey Plaza) pursues Billy Maximoff (Joe Locke) for cheating death by installing his soul into a dead body. Finally, The Fantastic Four: First Steps fixates a major portion of its story on the birth of Franklin Richards, the son of Sue Storm/Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby) and Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (Pedro Pascal). The world-eater Galactus covets Franklin for his immense power, offering to spare the Fantastic Four’s planet in exchange for the baby.
The concept isn’t inherently bad, as the MCU’s child characters have poignantly reinforced familial themes and interesting character dynamics in the aforementioned projects. Plus, figures like America, Riri, and Billy needed to appear to complete the MCU’s apparent plan of adapting the Young Avengers team on screen. Still, recycling such similar narrative structures around them isn’t the most compelling way for viewers to meet new heroes. The Multiverse Saga has heavily focused on themes about family, resulting in some truly beautiful stories. But the trope of turning kids into MacGuffins to motivate a villain is getting old.
Avengers: Doomsday‘s Problems Are Piling Up
The MCU hasn’t finished placing powerful children in harm’s way in the Multiverse Saga, as The Fantastic Four: First Steps‘ mid-credits scene strongly hints that Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) will kidnap Franklin and kickstart the plot of Avengers: Doomsday. One can easily infer that Doom’s use of Franklin won’t be the movie’s sole focus. Doomsday will likely address other narrative threads like incursions, the return of the Fox X-Men, and the Avengers vs New Avengers conflict, yet Franklin’s probable status as a mere plot device as he was in First Steps comes as a disappointment.
Amazingly, this hardly ranks among Doomsday‘s most worrying predicaments, as the film faces an alarming lack of groundwork for its villain and current Avengers lineup, a reportedly unfinished script during filming, and a desperate attempt to win back audiences by bringing back Downey Jr. and director duo Joe and Anthony Russo. However, reusing the same narrative trope as many times as the Multiverse Saga has over the last few years dampens hopes that Doomsday will be more than a messy compilation of familiar plot points and nostalgia bait. Nonetheless, First Steps doesn’t reveal much about Doctor Doom’s pursuit of Franklin, thus it’s still possible the film could pull a surprising twist that differentiates it from the repetitive arcs of other Multiverse Saga kids. Marvel’s biggest movie in almost a decade should take a more unique and creative direction, and only time will tell if it actually does.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now playing in theaters.
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Image courtesy of Marvel Studios.
