Detail Diatribe: The Multiverse Problem

I had never thought about that bit of irony before: That expanding into a multiverse can actually make the story feel smaller, because less of it matters.

Multiverse is basically just what heros save once the Country, Planet, Galaxy and universe have already been thoroughly rescued.

On Wandavision and the Multiverse of Madness: I feel really bad for everyone who went to see Multiverse of Madness and expected Wanda's character to make sense...but the thing is, when my Dad and I finished watching the finale of Wandavision, the FIRST THING WE DID was turn to each other and say "they're setting up for Wanda to be a villain in the next movie/show, while still being sympathetic in this one." And so when we went to see Multiverse of Madness, it just confirmed our worst fears. I really think that's the only way one can possibly make sense of the heel-turn in writing that happens in the Wandavision finale. Up until that point, everything is slow, subtle, artistically rendered, narrative which is clearly setting up for an actual Wanda redemption arc where she faces the terrible crimes she committed out of grief and makes restitution for it...and then suddenly Agatha Harkness shows up, and everyone's like "Quick Wanda! You have to beat up Agatha Harkness, who is clearly the One True Villain here that's responsible for everything bad, and then fly off into the sunset without thinking too hard about all the crimes you just committed!" It gave me and my Dad the very distinct vibe of "the writers had a particular story they wanted to tell, but then the studio had certain requirements for the ending that didn't fit."

In the context of "writing yourself into a corner", multiverse introduction can tear down the walls that previously held you, but if you don't act carefully those missing walls may cause your roof to cave in

I think what really made a difference for Everything Everywhere All At Once was that they weren’t introducing the multiverse to an established canon. They set out to make a multiverse story from the start, that would begin and end with one film. So the multiverse serves an allegorical purpose to the story, rather than a meta one. Every different version of a character feels like a different facet of their personality. They all teach Evelyn something new about herself or the people around her. So no matter how crazy and different some of the universes can be, there’s still some level of consistency between them you can latch onto. Evelyn and Joy’s first talk in the parking lot, versus their last, is what made me realize this.

"Once you introduce a multiverse, there's no way to put it back." The "It was all a dream" cliche: Allow me to introduce myself.

I think this is actually one of the reasons people (me) enjoy fanfiction so much. It's a bunch of mini multiverses that have little to no effect on each other, so you can have the same story told in slightly different ways by different authors, and have your favorites for each one.

The SCP Wiki is an interesting case because there was never an adherence to an established canon, so different co-existing timelines and world resets just sort of happen.

As a huge fan of the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic series from DC, I 1000% approve of this diatribe.

Blue saying "Who's the Boob window?" just sounds like some new hero asking a veteran one about Power Girl, and I find it hilarious.

I love that blue Brings up the city vs world conflict. It's litteraly just the quote of "10 deaths is a tragedy, 10000 deaths is a statistic."

I’m absolutely dying over “don’t change the sails”. ⛵️ That’s like saying don’t change the tires! That is the single most changed element on the boat!

Man, any time a story analyst starts talking about "Everything Everywhere All At Once" they inevitably start revealing the deepest core of their personal philosophy. It's an interesting effect.

"im not happy and positive because im stupid, im happy and positive because of survival" kind of hits deeper then i thought.

Jeez, Chekhov's really having a time! He starts with just a gun, then he gets a seafood dinner (Video: Dragon Ball: Super Saiyan (A Prophecy Done Right) - Detail Diatribe), and now a Gatling gun of retcons

I really like what red said to summarize "existence" at the end... "I am the instrument through which the universe cares about itself." It's delivered like a throw away line but it really hit me in a way I can't quite put in words. It resonated with me <3

Few things can match the kindered spirit energy of Red saying, "40 slide slide-show" and Blue replying "Yes. YES!!!"

Also, one of the most heartwarming parts of No Way Home was Molina's Octavius remarking, "You're all grown up" to Tobey's Peter. Like. I actually got choked up because Ock's fate in 2 was genuinely tragic, especially as he could have been the kind of role model Peter so desperately needed after Uncle Ben's death.

This whole thing reminds me why I love fanfiction so much. I get to follow my favorite characters through new situations, explore different writers' interpretations and preferences, and watch my two favorite characters fall in love and be adorable over and over and over again.

Oh thank god, they brought up Everything, Everywhere All at Once as one of the examples of a good multiverse movie. And it's beautiful. It's so, so insanely good. Just from *the plot summary*, the moment Red got to Weimond's speech my eyes started watering. It's easily the best movie I've seen in the last 5 years. Maybe 10. Definitely worthy of a Detail Diatribe.