The concept of parallel universes, or the "multiverse" as it is often called, has come a long way since its supposed inception in the 1950s. It was later popularized by comic books in the 1960s and has since become the go-to plot device for the said piece of literature in case they need to reboot their superheroes. It wasn't until late into the 2000s that the multiverse concept became widely accepted in cinema.
At the moment, there are only a few such multiverses. Most are limited to the superhero genre since the comic book template makes it easier to utilize the setting. Some films boldly depict branching realities and make convoluted but interesting plots possible. In any case, these flicks about the multiverse ought to prepare film buffs for more maddening multiverse mythos movies.
Updated May 20, 2022 by Sid Natividad: Multiverse movies are on a roll right now, especially with the most recent titles (at the time of writing) making good use of the parallel universe theory to add to their complex plots. The beauty of movies about the multiverse is that nearly everything is possible with them from a narrative standpoint.
Now, with the box office success of the most recent multiverse movies, the film industry is about to become wilder and more convoluted with its stories in the near future. That is assuming they keep up the momentum with multiverse movies. But in any case, here are five more additions to this budding sub-genre of film.
15 Another Earth (2011)
Another Earth explores the idea of the parallel universe through the eyes of an aspiring MIT student who ruined her life and another man's when she accidentally crashed her car into his. A few years later, the woman, named Rhoda, was suffering from regret.
That's why she signed up for a space travel program that will supposedly bring her to another Earth from another parallel universe where she never crashed her car. Matters become complicated when Rhoda entangles her life with that of the man whose life she ruined, leading to an accidental romance.
14 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Basically Doctor Strange 2, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is a grand follow-up to the multiverse aspect of the MCU which was kicked off by Avengers: Endgame. The Multiverse of Madness sees Strange trying to fix the transgressions and plans of a rogue metahuman who was once an ally.
New faces are also introduced here such as America Chavez and other weird or violent variations of Strange and other MCU superheroes. The film also serves as a crossover event where the other big names of the Marvel comic book franchise (usually owned by Sony) are eased into the MCU.
13 Happy Death Day 2U (2019)
Happy Death Day 2U is the sequel to the acclaimed horror movie Happy Death Day. The first one incorporated some kind of a time loop where the protagonist keeps getting sent back to a certain point in her life in order to deal with a serial killer.
Meanwhile, the sequel throws in a parallel universe to the fray where the protagonist, Tree Gelbman, suddenly wakes up in an alternate reality. There, she must die over and over again to find out another killer who's after her circle while dealing with her different life.
12 Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
Everything Everywhere All At Once is like a gender-bender version of Jet Li's The One. Here, a 59-year-old Asian woman named Evelyn Wang is suddenly recruited by her husband from another universe to help fight against a multiversal threat. Turns out Evelyn can access the memories and skills of all versions of her from other parallel universes.
Thus, this makes Evelyn essentially a superhero as she's pretty much capable of anything humanly possible. Playing Evelyn is the legendary Michelle Yeoh along with an all-star Asian cast in a refreshing take on the multiverse sub-genre.
11 Coraline (2009)
Coraline is an old one and is a direct adaptation of Neil Gaiman's award-winning coming-of-age novel. The film follows a bizarre event in Coraline's puberty. She finds herself growing bored of her parents and any familial interactions with them; so conveniently enough, she stumbles upon a magical door in their new house.
This door acts like a portal to an alternate reality or parallel world that houses a different and "cooler" version of her parents. They have buttons for the eyes. However, not everything is as it seems and it becomes apparent that Coraline bites off more than she can chew in this children's horror story.
10 Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Bringing a parallel universe on a comic book scale didn't seem possible at first but the wizards at Marvel and Disney did it with flying colors. Avengers: Endgame turned its hopeless predecessor around, and gave the heroes of the MCU a fighting chance against Thanos.
It was made possible through time travel, which took the heroes to a parallel universe where they borrowed all the Infinity Stones. A lot of things could have gone wrong, especially in handling multiverse stories, but Avengers: Endgame pulled it off smoothly just like its heroes pulled off that time heist.
9 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
After the success of MCU's multiverse in Avengers: Endgame, it was only a matter of time before the MCU started cranking up the madness to eleven. Spider-Man: No Way Home provided that perfect opportunity. It tapped into the multiverse when Doctor Strange botched a spell that Peter Parker asked for so that people would forget his identity.
This then introduced all the Spider-Man villains from other Spider-Man films, along with the older Spider-Men, into the MCU's main universe. The film was an overload of fan service, science fiction, and superhero mayhem which somehow matched the emotional impact of Avengers: Endgame.
8 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: No Way Home wouldn't have had its boldness if it weren't for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This film came out earlier and tested the waters by including several wacky variations of Spider-Men from other universes and joining them together with Miles Morales.
It's a little too much fan service and could be confusing for those who aren't comic book fans of the said superhero. However, the charming art style, heartfelt story, and plethora of Spider-Men all make the film a must-watch for those craving either more Spider-Man or more multiverse.
7 Star Trek (2009)
Speaking of fan service, Star Trek had its much-needed franchise reboot thanks to J.J. Abrams. He did it in a way that didn't desecrate the official canon of the Star Trek mythos: by setting the whole reboot in a parallel universe. The move paid off, as the filmmakers were able to explore Star Trek through a more modern lens.
The beauty in it is that they still incorporated characters and elements of the original canon universe, where old Spock met the young one after using a wormhole to travel to a different universe. The multiverse part of the story is also a big driving point for the plot and is not just used for convenience.
6 Coherence (2013)
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Before Disney or Marvel even started tampering with the concept of the multiverse in acrobatic ways, films like Coherence were already bending minds with how they handled the complex sci-fi trope. This film turns what appears to be a reunion drama into sci-fi suspense.
Everything in the reunion seems normal, until a comet passes and splits the reality into two, where the second reality will supposedly collapse once the comet has passed. Hence, the protagonists become hell-bent on a mad-dash to kill off their multiverse doppelgängers to ensure their chance of survival.
5 Mr. Nobody (2009)
It's more art-house than sci-fi, but Mr. Nobody fits the multiverse sub-genre, as it's all about the Butterfly Effect. It's difficult to keep track of everything that's happening in this film, but the gist is that the last mortal man recalls his life, but makes it seem like he didn't choose a path to maintain all the possibilities of alternate realities.
This is explored through his three romantic options. Choosing each one resulted in a branching reality or parallel universe off-shoot, but the catch is that there was always something missing with each choice. One made him poor, one made him depressed, and one of them he didn't truly love. All of them exist and don't simultaneously because the protagonist can't make up his mind.
4 Sliding Doors (1998)
Sliding Doors is similar to Mr. Nobody, as it's a full-blown drama/romantic movie. The story revolves around the main character, played by Gwyneth Paltrow whose future life depends on her catching the train from work to home.
If she catches it, she gets home early and finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her; she dumps him and improves her life. If she misses the train, her boyfriend's other girl gets to escape, but Paltrow's character becomes suspicious, and she sends her life down a spiral. It's a pretty basic explanation for branching realities and parallel universes, but it gets the point across.
3 Source Code (2011)
Initially, Source Code seems rather simple, as it's supposedly about a machine that can run a simulation based on the memories of dead people. Its creators then use it to track down the identity of a bomber before his next attack. At the heart of it all is Colter Stevens, a dying military man whose brain is preserved as he's the only viable candidate for the Source Code machine.
By the end of the film, Stevens manages to continue living in the memories reconstructed by the Source Code, confirming his theory that the machine actually creates alternate realities instead of simulations. Sadly, there's no sequel, but that means it's worth several re-watches.
2 The One (2001)
Despite being a simple action flick, movie buffs have to give credit to The One for basing its entire plot on multiverses and interdimensional travel. It begins with the evilest and most ambitious variant of Jet Li's character. His goal is to murder all variants of himself in other universes to become "The One," a being with godlike powers attainable through erasing all his other versions.
Too bad The One's powers didn't siphon toward him, but rather, to another kinder and humbler version of him. This version, the protagonist, then uses his newfound powers to send evil Jet Li to a penal colony in an underworld universe.
1 Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010)
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Before Marvel dared to introduce the multiverse to the big screen, DC was already doing its own experiments, namely in Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. It's an adaptation of a Justice League storyline in the comic books where the "canon" Earth's superhero collective gets invaded by their evil variants from another universe.
Evil Justice League's goal is to erase all other variants of Earth so that only they exist in dominance. Batman wasn't having any of that, and thankfully, all the other heavy-hitters of the good Justice League worked hard in a pivotal battle that saved their universe as well as others.