Marvel and DC are going all in on the power of the parallel universe, but the gimmick is already showing signs of wear
Back in 2013, the comedian Patton Oswalt appeared on an episode of Parks and Recreation, guest-starring as a concerned constituent who hijacks a city council meeting with a “citizen filibuster”. The remarks – entirely improvised by Oswalt, and released by NBC as an uncut, nearly nine-minute outtake of breathless elaboration – amounted to an unsolicited pitch for the then-just-announced project that would become Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Inspired by news of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm, the perfectly named Garth Blundin imagines an uber-blockbuster that would team the heroes of the galaxy far, far away with the marquee superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The joke was on Oswalt’s unlikely fantasy scenario – his geeky desire to see the characters from one fictional universe interact with those of another, like action figures from different toy lines mixed and matched on a bedroom floor.
