With the Marvel Cinematic Universe fully embracing the Multiverse, many fans are excited for what the future of the franchise holds. However, with the strong emphasis on returning characters in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the characters rumored for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel may find itself depending too heavily on cameos.
When No Way Home was revealed to feature fan-favorite characters from outside the MCU, some fans were worried that the entire film would rely on fan service. Luckily, the movie's co-writer Chris McKenna understood the potential problem, and has said, "The most important thing is this wasn't going to be a bunch of fan service. It wasn't going to be just curtain calls for everybody."
And Chris McKenna stuck to his word, as No Way Home has received near-universal praise from fans. Yet with the recent trailer for Multiverse of Madness, it seems once again Marvel is running the risk of too much fan service. After Doctor Strange is seen with a mysterious organisation, who many assume is the Illuminati, the voice of Patrick Stewart can be heard. Assuming this is the character of Professor X, it means mutants could soon be pouring through the Multiverse, and Marvel can continue the constant introduction of non-MCU characters.
While there's plenty of hype and excitement surrounding a returning character, the MCU may be backing itself into a corner when it comes to surprises. The more movies that feature character cameos, the more fans will come to expect it. And if fans are expecting more cameos, then they could be disappointed when they don't appear, or underwhelmed when they do.
Already there have been problems with fan-service expectations, seen through the show WandaVision. Actor Even Peters, who plays Quicksilver in the X-Men franchise, made a few appearances. Yet by the end, he was little more than a small nod to his character and played off as a joke with the name Ralph Bohner. While the cast and crew may have found it funny, many fans felt disappointment.
And the expectation of characters only made things worse, as numerous theories and deep-dives into the WandaVision trailers made some fans convinced that Mephisto (the MCU's Devil) would appear. But with the show wrapping up with no mention of the character at all, they were underwhelmed by the finale.
Of course, the idea of fan service isn't necessarily a bad thing. No Way Home proved that fans can be treated to recognizable faces, while still providing a great story. Even Daredevil's Matt Murdock made a satisfying appearance, which tied into the Hawkeye show where Kingpin was finally introduced. His surprise reveal successfully gave fan service for Daredevil audiences, and a great new character for those who haven't watched.
But with Marvel seeing the buzz around their returning characters, it would be easy to keep using cameos as a way to bring more fans to the cinema, without the characters actually providing anything of value to the story. In a movie called Multiverse of Madness, it's understandable that well-known characters would make an appearance, and so most will agree that Marvel isn't yet overstepping with cameos. However, if every trailer for a new MCU movie featured a surprise character reveal, it could become old quite fast.
Either way, it appears that Multiverse characters will keep coming for the foreseeable future. If Professor X really is in the next Doctor Strange, then there's the potential for the entire X-Men roster to turn up, which could have huge implications for the MCU's future. And only time will tell if each character is able to return seamlessly without feeling forced.