Spoiler Warning: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Somewhere in Phase 2, Disney noticed some common traits in their MCU movies. Aside from their recognizable character voices and special effects, more successful films usually shared a similar story structure, and it wasn’t just Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. Movies that grossed higher usually opened with an action sequence. That allowed writers to follow it up with a lot of exposition without boring the audience. This exposition would introduce the ultimate boon from the Hero’s Journey and explain why the hero needs it. Then, cut to a secondary narrative, which was usually an emotional conflict the main character was having. Another action sequence follows, and then the villain is introduced. That is the end of the first act. You can plot a map of the same story beats through many MCU films.

While not every Marvel movie follows an exact pattern, those that deviate from it are either specifically exempt or don’t do as well. A lot of the beats are, in fact, an unavoidable consequence of the Hero’s Journey, but in the case of the Marvel pattern, they can distract from the skill of storytelling in favor of a safe bet at the box office. Their most recent film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, had potential far beyond what the movie gave us and likely had elements added or held back for more corporate reasons. Marvel has always had its own aesthetic, but now innovative movie making might be turning into the next fast food of film.

The MCU Process

Robert Downey Jr at a trial in Iron Man for Stark Industries
Paramount Pictures

We can all recognize the big high-stakes fantasy intercut with snappy quips. The aesthetic has served Marvel well. But in the same way that old James Bond movies had 007 falling in love before rescuing the girl one film after another, a whole world of Marvel heroes resolves their stories with the same familiar process. It’s essentially the same movie every time, even if it has a different hero.

There are three movies that follow the aforementioned formula that we have chosen to use as examples, each from a different phase in the MCU -- Age of Ultron from Phase 2, Thor: Ragnarok from Phase 3, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness from Phase 4. These movies have different heroes, different directors, and different stories, but they all follow the same pattern.

First, they all open on an action sequence: in Ultron, the Avengers attack Strucker’s Hydra facility; in Ragnarok, Thor fights Surtur; and in Doctor Strange, America Chavez and Strange are chased by a demon through interdimensional space.

Second, the exposition and introduction of the boon: in Ultron, it’s Tony and Banner explaining how they need to create an AI to protect the Earth using Loki’s scepter; in Ragnarok, it’s Odin explaining the inevitability of Ragnarok, and though Surtur’s crown is the Key, Thor is unaware; and in Doctor Strange, we are told Chavez’ power is the problem, and the Book of Vishanti is the key, but of course, the real key is the internal boon of Chavez believing in herself.

Related: Elizabeth Olsen Explains Why Scarlet Witch Lost Her Accent from Age of Ultron to WandaVision

Third, the secondary, usually emotional, story: in Ultron, the secondary story is the Avengers’ friendship and ability to “assemble,” demonstrated at this stage by the scene when everyone tries to raise Thor’s hammer; in Ragnarok, it’s Thor’s innocent faith in his father (and himself) that’s shattered when he finds out Odin has been lying about Hela; in Doctor Strange, it’s Strange still having feelings for Dr. Palmer, that we see when he attends Palmer’s wedding.

Fourth, in the first act, we see another action sequence and the introduction of the main villain: in Ultron, the robot Ultron shows up, revealing his sentience and attacking the Avengers; in Ragnarok, Hela appears; and in Doctor Strange, the giant eyeball with tentacles (that might be either Shuma-Gorath or Gargantos) shows up to ruin the wedding, and Strange follows the clues back to Wanda, who reveals herself as the villain. After that, their first acts are completed.

The movies continue in a similar, mappable way, but it would take too much time to plot out three whole films here.

How This Could Impact MCU Films

A scene from Avengers: Endgame
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

As mentioned above, Marvel likely does this to ensure similar box office results and retain viewership. But what this pattern will do for sure, eventually, is turn the MCU into the same movie being produced one after the other with as little variation as possible. While not every single film in the MCU follows this formula, many of them do. The big movies are usually exempt, such as Infinity War and Endgame. But the typical steps inside each phase usually follow the pattern. Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Shang Chi are excellent examples.

It restricts not just the filmmaker’s creativity but the possibility of what can happen inside the MCU. Multiverse of Madness was an unfortunate case of this. It had an excellent director (Sam Raimi) and pieces that were not used to their full potential. The number of fan theories before the film created so much anticipation for huge developments in the Marvel universe, but instead, things like The Illuminati were used more for a set of cameos than a valuable part of the narrative. Sinister Strange could have been explored much more, and Shuma-Gorath could have been explained beyond the line of “It’s a monster.”

Related: Marvel: Which Character is the New Leader of the MCU?

Though the Marvel world is crossed with legal difficulties, a good movie shouldn't be limited by story structure. All in all, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hit a series of required notes instead of being the film it could have been. Although Sam Raimi did an excellent job despite the restrictions, a safe bet isn’t always the best bet.