The MCU Multiverse Is Continuing A Great Marvel Trend – Screen Rant

Through TV shows like What If...? specifically, the MCU multiverse is continuing a fantastic, much-needed Marvel trend that properly began in Phase 4 of the sprawling universe. That trend corresponds to the representation of minority groups in superhero cinema, which Phase 4 provided in abundance. With new characters such as Shang-Chi, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and Namor, to name but a few, Marvel Studios continued providing representation for broader ethnic groups in the MCU.

While all of these characters were introduced in the core MCU universe - Earth-616 - TV shows like What If...? will take minority representation to the next level. This has been proven by the early announcements from season 2 of the upcoming anthology season, which demonstrates one of the best traits about the multiverse should Marvel Studios continue to utilize it in this way. With the multiverse now wide open, countless more underrepresented communities could be given a spotlight in the world of superheroes and the MCU.

Related: What If...? Season 2: Stories, Variants & Everything We Know

Announced on March 9th, 2023, Marvel released details on a central character of one of What If...? season 2's episodes. The core premise of the episode will ask the question of what would have happened if the Tesseract fell to Earth and landed in the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the colonization of America. This will lead to the introduction of Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman who goes on a quest to discover her power after the Tesseract converts a lake into a gateway to the stars in a story that brings the Infinity Stones back to Marvel's Phase 5.

Related: The MCU Still Cannot Escape The Infinity Stones, Even In Phase 5

According to Marvel.com, the episode was made in close collaboration with members of the Mohawk community. Historian Doug George aided Marvel Studios in creating the episode alongside other people closely linked to the Mohawk Nation. According to George: "The episode is exceptional in another sense--it is done with the complete cooperation of the Mohawk people from dialogue to adornment." This proves that Marvel's Phase 5 is continuing from where Phase 4 left off by introducing an as-of-yet underrepresented community to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The introduction of Kahhori to the MCU proves that the multiverse is a perfect vehicle for allowing more underrepresented communities to have heroes in the MCU. The anthology nature of What If...? gives Marvel Studios ample opportunities to create original characters that have ethnic minority backgrounds. Most of the established heroes in the MCU from Phases 1-3 were Caucasian, with the latter half of the Infinity Saga and Phase 4 going to introduce more Marvel Comics characters that were from other communities.

The Marvel multiverse then can allow characters to be introduced from other universes than Earth-616. This would not only make Earth-616 seem less overcrowded, but it would allow original creations like Kahhori to become MCU mainstays. The multiverse offers the opportunity to seamlessly weave characters into other universes, something that could massively benefit underrepresented groups if superheroes like Kahhori were introduced in What If...?. If this were the case, Marvel Studios would have a way to easily introduce more ethnic minority superheroes, something Phase 4 has proven the MCU sorely needs more of due to the amazing reception of Shang-Chi and Ms. Marvel.

Source: Marvel.com

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The MCU Multiverse Is Continuing A Great Marvel Trend - Screen Rant