Dark Matter creator explains why he doesn’t “have an extraordinary amount of respect” for Marvel’s multiverse

The main foundation of Dark Matter, the science fiction Apple TV series, is based on the idea of the multiverse, something that multiple franchises have explored and continue to explore. Marvel's multiverse, which the studio has been exploring heavily since Avengers: Endgame, is one of the most popular and mainstream portrayals of the concept of the multiverse.

Dark Matter, however, takes a different approach, something that was evident from the first episode of the show. The creator of the show, Blake Crouch, who is also the author of the book the show is based on, has said that while he understands why Marvel takes the approach it does with the multiverse, he does not have much respect for Marvel's storytelling approach to the multiverse.

Dark Matter's creator talks about what he thinks of Marvel's multiverse

When Marvel or any other big franchise usually works with the multiverse, they use it to introduce various alternate versions of popular characters or to bring back a fan-favorite character who has died as their alternate selves. But Dark Matter uses the concept of the multiverse as a tool to explore characters and their identities, choices, and regret.

In a recent interview with /Film, Blake Crouch was asked if he has noted the difference between Marvel's approach to the multiverse and that of Dark Matter's. In response, he said:

"Marvel comes along, and they make [multiverses] the plot device of every single movie. I know why they do it, it's because it's easy, and it's because ... I'm sorry, I don't have an extraordinary amount of respect for that kind of storytelling, just for what you said. This is literally the antithesis, what we're doing, of that. We're using it as a way to explore character, to explore what our characters are capable of."

Thus, on one hand, Marvel uses the multiverse as a way to build new stories and bring us new versions of the same characters at times. On the other hand, Dark Matter uses the multiverse to explore different sides of the same characters. As Crouch also said in the interview, the show doesn't look at the alternate selves of a character as completely different people. It looks at them as different sides of the same character. Crouch said:

"There's a line in the book towards the end, when Jason has this kind of epiphany as he's driving his family to the power plant to escape, and he says, 'I realize I'm not just one man, I'm just one facet of a multifaceted man called Jason Dessen.'"

He also said that what the show does differently is that it portrays multiple facets of not just Jason, but of most of the main characters. Thus, although Jason2 started out as an antagonist who was trying to take over Jason1's life out of regret about his own choices, that doesn't make him a saint. Dark Matter shows that while Jason1 represents a more logical and "good" side of the character, he's capable of making mistakes as well.

As Crouch points out, the show doesn't give us distinct alternate versions of a character. Through those versions, we get to see different facets of the same character, something we don't see in Marvel or other big franchises.

All released episodes of Dark Matter are streaming on Apple TV. The Season 2 finale of the show comes out on October 30, 2026.

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