Remember the days when saving the world was the ultimate hero gig? Fast forward to 2019, and we watched Earth’s mightiest heroes in Avengers: Endgame take on the ultimate challenge—saving half the universe! But after that, who could settle for anything less than multiple universes? Enter the multiverse, where superheroes now juggle realities like it’s no big deal, all thanks to Doctor Strange.
The multiverse started in 2018 with Into the Spider-Verse. Then No Way Home brought Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire together. But let’s not forget about DC! They weren’t sitting on the sidelines. Shows like The Flash, Arrow, and Batwoman twisted timelines like pretzels. Plus, Teen Titans Go! Teen Titans mashed up characters from various realities in an epic animated showdown. And what’s next? The Flash movie promises a wild nostalgia trip with Batman from Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton—bring on the chills!
And if you think only superheroes are having fun with alternate realities, check out Everything Everywhere All at Once. Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn, a regular gal who discovers she can tap into infinite realities while juggling a failing laundromat and a rocky marriage. Directed by the “Daniels,” this flick mixes hilarity and heartfelt moments, proving that multiverses are the talk of the town. They even turned down directing Loki to bring this wild ride to life. How’s that for commitment?
So, how did we land in this multiverse madness? It all started in 1957 when mathematician Hugh Everett tossed out his “many-worlds” interpretation of quantum mechanics. He claimed that every time you measure a particle, it spawns copies across different universes. Think of a world where dinosaurs still walk among us or where you win the lottery every week. This idea was a mind-bender back then but fueled countless sci-fi stories, including Michael Moorcock’s The Sundered Worlds, which popularized the term “multiverse.”
Comic book fans? Oh, they jumped on this train too! DC’s The Flash kicked off the alternate Earth craze in the ’60s, with superheroes crossing paths across realities. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. DC tried to simplify things with Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, but surprise! The multiverse came roaring back, especially with Grant Morrison’s The Multiversity.
Then there’s the MCU. Starting with Iron Man in 2008, Marvel built a vast and connected universe that fans were all in. If one universe was good, why not have a bunch? They took the multiverse idea and turned it into a box office bonanza.
As we look ahead, who knows where this wild journey will take us? With the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, it’s clear that while there are endless parallel universes, we’ll always find our way back to one—until the next dimension-hopping adventure comes along! Whether it’s Marvel’s Doctor Strange or a DC dream crossover, the multiverse is here to stay, and the possibilities are mind-blowing!