Disney May Be Taking Things Further Than I Will Go

There was a time when a crossover in media was incredible.  I remember as a kid getting so excited to see Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote in a two part episode with Thomas Magnum from Magnum P.I.  It was beyond incredible, and I really didn't feel like I could believe my eyes.  They were working together!  Gosh, that was excitement for a young Scott.

In 2012, I couldn't help but get tickled thrilled by The Avengers.  It wasn't something that I saw in theatres, but the idea of people from different movies merging together was enticing.  There was a great novelty about it, and I had a lot of anticipation for the sequel.  Wonderful times, they were.  Absolutely wonderful times.

For the first two Avengers films, I hadn't seen everything in the Marvel universe heading into them.  Not everything was entirely straight forward for me, but what I was seeing on the screen was able to speak for itself.  There were aspects that more dedicated fans would appreciate having seen, but that did not exclude me from the overall experience in the theatre.

Now we seem to be living in a much different age.  Hardcore fans probably love the interconnected story lines and the now blossoming programming on Disney Plus.  That's great for them, as there is a lot that they can view and look forward to.  I'm not a die hard, so I know that not everything should be for me.  Having tales being told elsewhere is fine and dandy.

The problem that has emerged, however, is that it feels as though it is necessary to watch everything Marvel, be it on the big screen or on the streaming service.  When I watched Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, I was pretty much excluded from the main story.  Apparently the motivations of the antagonist, Scarlet Witch, were all built up on the show WandaVision.

Within the film there was minimal explanation as to what was driving her.  They said she was trying to find her kids, but there was no reason why.  I didn't even know if the children were real or made up, based off the dialogue in the film.  Thankfully, Elizabeth Olsen is a tremendously talented person and I could see that she was extremely driven, but I didn't know why.

This is such a critical aspect within movies.  We need to understand the characters, and there wasn't any attempt to catch up viewers who hadn't seen the television show.  I was left with a very lacklustre feeling in my craw, not knowing if I wanted to continue watching Marvel movies if the audience is expected to know every bit of lore from previous programming.

And then Disney seems to have done it again.  I really enjoyed The Mandalorian and can't wait until season three to see what happens next... except that's not going to happen.  The answer to 'what happens next' seems to have already been answered in Disney Plus show, The Book of Boba Fett.  I watched the very first episode of The Book of Boba Fett and never returned to see anything else.  I really didn't like it, and it kind of ruined the image we had of this incredible and mysterious bounty hunter.

From what I have been told and have read, Mando shows up in the last part of the series and his storyline continues.  To me, this is just wrong.  There is a difference between a crossover between the shows and advancing the story from one show on the other.  Imagine if you were watching season four of Seinfeld and it ended before they shot the pilot of 'Jerry.'  We would be waiting over the course of the summer to see the resolution, but would then be shocked when the story picked up somewhere else.  'Oh,' your neighbour says as you are complaining about a lack of resolution.  "You needed to watch the last few episodes of Mad About You."

Crossovers are fine, but massive aspects of the story telling needs to happen within what it is you are watching.  Disney is definitely beginning to alienate myself, and I am sure there are others who feel the same.  Ultimately it's going to come down to, do I trust that what I'm paying to see is going to answer its own questions.  Will I have a satisfying time, or will I be left in the dust because I don't have the desire to see everything.

Easter eggs and other goodies for the big time fans are great.  Crucial elements of the story being only for them is not.  This is a point where I really would be bowing out of Marvel films if I didn't need to see them for the podcast.  What is golden for some is actually disruptive for others.  I absolutely refuse to watch every single series and movie for fear of missing out.  I'm probably not the typical fan, but the bus seems to be pulling up to my stop, and I want to get off.