Will the MCU sink Marvel’s MTG Crossover?

Marvel’s multiversal efforts have been floundering recently, with potential negative ramifications for the upcoming Marvel and MTG crossover sets.

There’s no question that Marvel and MTG are both titans of world-crossing adventures, making the superhero crossover a natural fit for Universes Beyond. In the pre-Endgame era, the potential for MCU characters to appear on Magic cards would likely have been met with widespread approval.

Unfortunately, the MCU’s Phase 4 and 5 efforts so far have been much less universally enjoyed, with a common refrain being that fans are already burnt out on multiversal storytelling. This could be a grim sign for MTG’s crossover sets with Marvel.

MCU, Magic, and the Multiverse

WOTC/Marvel Entertainment

MTG has clearly taken storytelling cues from the success of the MCU in recent years. This is particularly apparent in the forming of the Gatewatch, an Avengers-style planeswalker peacekeeping group, tackling threats throughout MTG’s own multiverse. What is telling, however, is that MTG is moving away from the Gatewatch as a focal point of its stories, well ahead of the Marvel crossover sets premiering.

While Multiverses are an idea ripe with narrative potential, it is becoming clear that the conceit does not mesh cleanly with Marvel’s storytelling spread out between dozens of movies and differing creative voices. Even with an overarching plan in place, it’s clear that so far Marvel’s multiversal ambitions have not gelled with the return to earlier phases’ ‘see what sticks’ method of character introduction and worldbuilding.

While crossovers can be an easy win for fans invested, large-scale universe-building between stories plays less well in an oversaturated landscape. Other multi-million franchises have struggled to establish their own cinematic universes in the MCU’s wake, and even Marvel’s flagship is showing signs of falling apart.

While once MTG may have attempted MCU-style storytelling between its upcoming Marvel sets, right now it might be better served simply celebrating Marvel’s history and characters than getting too tied up in emulating the MCU.

Titles like Insomniac’s Spider-Man 2 and the ongoing success of Marvel Snap prove that the MCU is not the only part of Marvel that resonates with fans in crossovers. While MCU characters and stories will undoubtedly play a part in the Marvel X MTG crossover, it might be for the best if they are just a small piece of the overall collaboration.