While this piece will not dive into major spoilers for “Quantumania,” it will acknowledge one thing: Before you watch it, you need to familiarize yourself with the MCU Disney+ show “Loki.” Even though the multiverse has been referenced and seen consistently in the franchise since “Avengers: Endgame,” it was “Loki” that established the multiverse’s rules and history, establishing He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors) as its ultimate overseer. It also introduces the concept of variants, other versions of characters from different timelines, and the menacing Kang (Majors) happens to be a variant of He Who Remains. Kang references everything revealed and elaborated on regarding timelines in “Loki,” but without that critical context, his motivations will barely make sense.
It doesn’t seem fair for either audience members or the creative team behind these movies that they are so reliant on following a very specific storyline. This isn’t to say that the MCU doesn’t have any self-contained entries, as the Disney+ shows “Moon Knight” and “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” have proven. That being said, they still rely on the viewers’ understanding of the entries that came before it, expecting you to understand and accept the landscape they’re being thrust into.
“Quantumania” and other big MCU releases are the same way, but in order for any enjoyment to be taken out of it, knowing everything else that has transpired is a requirement. Gone are the days when you can watch a Marvel movie, with no knowledge of a character or prior storyline, and still follow through on its plot threads from beginning to end.