Summary

• Matt Tolmach and Joel Edgerton explain how Dark Matter's multiverse is relatable and grounded, unlike the superhero-filled MCU.
• Edgerton describes the series as "multiverse for the middle-aged man," focusing on human introspection over flashy effects.
• The show delves into deep human themes about the road not taken, inviting viewers on a thought-provoking journey.

Dark Matter star Joel Edgerton and executive producer Matt Tolmach address how the series' multiverse differs from the multiverse in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Blake Crouch, Dark Matter follows physicist Jason Dessen (Edgerton), who finds himself in an alternate reality and must find a way back to his own to protect his family from an alternate version of himself. Along with Edgerton, the star-studded cast includes Jennifer Connelly in the role of Jason's wife, Daniela Dessen, and Jimmi Simpson as the character Ryan Holder.

In an interview with Screen Rant, Tolmach and Edgerton discuss what makes Dark Matter's multiverse not only distinct from the MCU and other popular multiverse stories like the Academy Award-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, but also how the series even makes the high concept feel relatable. Check out their comments below:

Tolmach: This, to me, is a [show] about all of us. This is a very grounded group of characters and despite the number of worlds, it lives in our world. I think part of the appeal of it, originally to me as a reader, was how easily I could identify with these characters. It isn't a universe inhabited by superheroes, which we all love; this is our world.

I think that creates a different experience for the viewer. It comes with this sci-fi conceit, but it's really a very grounded story about a man trying to come to terms with who he is, the choices he made, and the mistakes he made. I see it as a cousin to all of that, but in a very different context.

Edgerton: I call it the multiverse for the middle-aged man. In all seriousness, I loved Everything Everywhere All At Once. I love this general concept of being able to explore alternate realities. Quite often they become big, expansive things that explore these crazy visual effects worlds. And we do a little bit of that, but for the most part, we're using this multiverse alternate reality concept as a way to look inward to ourselves about the road not taken, about what ifs, about all of these deep human things that we think about.

I think we all wonder about key decisions in our life, and how we would've evolved down that road instead of the road we chose. So true. We use that concept, and I joke about multiverse for the middle-aged man, [but] alternate realities in a suburban, every person, average human being way become a really interesting story to tell. We don't need to have capes flying off our backs and laser guns in order for it to actually be a really rich narrative.

A Grounded Multiverse Makes Dark Matter Unique

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe and in other superhero universes, the multiverse is largely used to allow alternate versions of popular characters to interact with each other. This enabled the versions of Spider-Man played by Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield to interact in Spider-Man: No Way Home, along with bringing back memorable villains Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Men faced, including Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Alfred Molina's Doc Ock. Non-superhero stories like Everything Everywhere All at Once have leaned into the weirdness of the multiverse, featuring universes populated by googly-eyed rocks and people with hot dog fingers.

Dark Matter, on the other hand, is going to make its iteration of the multiverse feel unique through making it grounded. Instead of being a vehicle for bringing in alternate versions of superheroes and supervillains, or for the absurdist comedy-drama of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Dark Matter's multiverse will be unique for how grounded it will feel. This version of the multiverse is intended to be a metaphor for exploring regrets and the different lives that could've unfolded if different choices were made.

The 2016 Dark Matter novel predates Everything Everywhere All at Once and the proliferation of multiverse stories in superhero films and television shows, but the novel's approach is for the best, as it will help the Apple TV+ series to feel unique. With series including Severance, Silo, For All Mankind, and Constellation, Apple TV+ has proven it is one of the best streaming platforms for compelling science-fiction stories, which is a good sign for doing justice to Dark Matter and its version of the multiverse.