DC Comics had such an expansive multiverse that they ran a massive event to collapse it because it got too cumbersome to manage and too impenetrable to new readers.
And then they brought it back. Because having NO multiverse is actually more restrictive than a multiverse with too much history. And they kept kinda-sorta bringing it back, anyway, to mine the old stories. And, in fact, they keep making it bigger and bigger, to make it less restrictive. And with more and more mythology surrounding all of it.
Face it...the multiverse won! For better or for worse.
"Oh here's a Byzantine catalogue system for everything."
Ok, cool. I guess.
Hey, hey, hey...c'mon.
...C'MON!
I LOVE the Universal Stream naming system. It’s so relentlessly dorky that I can’t help but love it. They made a Dewey Decimal System for cataloging alternate dimensions and I ADORE it. It’s arguably the only GOOD multiversal naming system that’s ever been invented. In theory, if you know the rules, you could name any universe you wanted to yourself, without being told it’s name directly. SO much better and more detailed than just saying it’s Earth-*Insert Random Number Here*. And it allows for naming different variations on the same basic universe, with different branching timelines. It’s so much more all-encompassing and flexible than anything else out there, that I’m aware of. It's the very apex of the concept, in my opinion.
Truth is? I don't like multiverses as a concept. I think it diminishes the story we're being asked to care about right now if we're being reminded that there are an infinite number of Cybertrons out there. I think G1 can be G1, Armada can be Armada, etc... and you don't need to push the multiverse into things.
I feel like a lot of people feel similarly about the multiverse. Especially nowadays with the MCU delving into it. But, I’ve always loved the multiverse. When done right, a multiverse can become it’s own mythology, complete with it’s own history and rules and characters. DC even has it’s own mythology surrounding the multiverse, with Perpetua, Mobius the Anti-Monitor, and the World Forger nowadays.
I feel like complaining about the endless variation kind of misses the point. Sure, you could see it as every character just being a drop in the ocean. Or you could see it as every character being a snowflake. (In the “special” way, not in the insulting way.) The point of the multiverse ISN’T about highlighting how everyone’s the same and how none of this matters. It’s about highlighting how even small differences can add up to dramatic differences over time, while showing you what makes a character themselves at their core. If circumstances were different, what would change, and what would remain the same? And what was the inflection point that led to these changes in the first place? It’s just inherently interesting, to me. What sequence of events led to Superman being a cowboy in this universe? It’s a puzzle just waiting to be solved, and I just enjoy it. And I want Transformers to delve into it more, too. And I feel like Multiversal Singularities would give us a excuse to do just that.
Plus, I feel like the multiverse almost always forces writers to think a little deeper than they usually do. Or at least, it should. The best multiverse stories are when the stories become ABOUT the art of stories and storytelling. I feel like the multiverse almost forces the writer to think more metaphorically, leading to a deeper experience than otherwise. And I'd personally like to get more stories that are like that. But, then again, I'm also a sucker for meta storytelling, so your mileage will definitely vary when it come to enjoying that.
Personally, I'd enjoy tying a key piece the lore to the multiverse, making it feel more grand and tying everything to something I enjoy. While not being TOO in the way for the casual viewer. If you don't want to bring it up, you don't have to. But, it could still be there, unspoken, in the background, for someone else to play with later.
But if it's going to be here, I'd at least like the strengths of the concept- the ability to play around with characters in different settings unrestrained by canon- to be present. Taking central characters and going "they're in every universe and they're the same guy" is needlessly restrictive, in my opinion.
The thing is...lately, I feel like a lot of characters are written like "the same guy", anyway.
A lot of it's the G1-ification of all Transformers media. But...I feel like there's only a "spectrum" of what you're allowed to do with ANY of these characters, anymore. All Optimuses kind of feel pretty similar to one another. Whether it's Skybound, or Earthspark, or Transformers One, or what have you. They have different backstories, and they have some nuances that set them apart...but they're largely the same guy, if you squint. The character's dialogue from one show or comic would largely fit if you inserted into a different show or comic. The same goes for the Bumblebii, the Megatrons, the Starscreamses.
So, asking the writers to do the same thing for the Thirteen doesn't seem all that unreasonable, to me? If anything, it might do them some good to get them to actually care about the overarching narrative? There's a argument to be made that the writers SHOULDN'T be doing this at all, and all these different versions of these characters should be more different from one another than they are. But...that's kind of just the way it is with a brand that's trying to be more digestible to the casual viewer. Having all these different versions of these characters act like variations on their same selves isn't really a good thing or a bad thing, it's just...a thing. It makes it easier for the casual fan to keep up with their favorite character.
Having some rules isn't a bad thing. It's kind of like with tabletop gaming. Having TOO MANY rules is a bad thing, because, yes, it does stifle creativity. But, having TOO FEW rules is equally as bad, because that's just chaos. There's a middle ground to be had here. And I think Multiversal Singularities could still work in that middle ground.
For example, I know a lot of people prefer different origins for the Transformers, rather than have everything be connected to the Thirteen. Some prefer the Quintesson origins. Others might like a more "natural" evolution origin for them. But....we could have our cake and eat it, too, here.
How about a new rule for the Multiversal Thirteen?
How about whenever a member of the Thirteen manifests into a universe, that universe’s history is *temporarily* rewritten so that the Thirteen and Primus were always a part of it? "Infecting" the history of the world, and rewriting everyone's memories of the past. Thus explaining how they can have a unique body in this world. But, once they leave, the universe’s history returns back to whatever it was before they manifested. Kind of like when you “erase” a character from history in a story, but somehow the history of the entire world doesn’t drastically change because of it due to the butterfly effect. That way, the other characters knowing about the Thirteen in this dimension could be a subtle hint to the fans reading the story that there could be at least one member of the Thirteen currently in this dimension, and they could show up anytime? Rewriting the world around you, for a limited time, could just be a natural power that comes with being a Thirteen. I think that could be a interesting fix. And it would be a way to get hardcore fans hyped, anticipating seeing this powerful character that could show anytime and speculating about who it could be. The Thirteen ARE a part of every world they visit...but only WHILE they're visiting.
Like I said I’m not against changing some details about how Multiversal Singularities work, I’d just like the concept to stay in, somehow. It's a interesting enough concept that I want to see it preserved, even if it's almost never brought up or focused upon.
But, yeah, I guess I can't blame anyone for being sick of the multiverse when it's been pretty prevalent in the media for a decade or so now. I'm not sick of it yet, but I guess I can't blame other people for feeling that way, and for not wanting Transformers to delve too deeply into that area, again. I just feel differently.
