French Novelist Balzac’s Pioneering Multiverse World: Preceding Marvel’s Cinematic Universe

French novelist Honoré de Balzac was a pioneer in the concept of parallel universes long before the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) popularized the idea in modern times. While the MCU brought the notion of a shared universe to the forefront with movies like Iron Man and Doctor Strange, Balzac’s groundbreaking work in the 19th century laid the foundation for multiverse storytelling.

In his monumental series of novels and short stories titled La Comédie Humaine (The Human Comedy), Balzac introduced a complex network of characters that transcended individual works, creating a shared universe that allowed for intricate narrative connections. Unlike the physics-based theories of the multiverse that emerged later, Balzac’s multiverse was characterized by recurring characters who represented universal traits while maintaining their unique identities. This approach, known as Balzac’s “typology” of characters, reflected a synthesis of the universal and individual aspects, making his characters both archetypal and distinct.

Balzac’s multiverse storytelling technique anticipated the narrative complexity seen in modern multiverse films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Everything Everywhere All At Once. The interplay between universal themes and individual character arcs in Balzac’s works mirrors the dynamics observed in contemporary multiverse narratives, where characters from parallel universes interact and evolve in unique ways.

One of Balzac’s notable innovations was his use of prefaces to engage with readers and provide insights into the trajectories of his characters, akin to the post-credit scenes in Marvel movies that offer hints about future plotlines. By addressing reader concerns and expectations through these prefaces, Balzac demonstrated a keen awareness of audience engagement and narrative development, a strategy that resonates with the modern practices of creators in shared cinematic universes like the MCU.

Balzac’s approach to multiverse storytelling not only influenced the narrative structures of contemporary works but also offered a solution to the challenges faced by creators in catering to diverse audience expectations. By creating a fictional universe that allowed for fluidity and interconnectedness across multiple stories, Balzac paved the way for modern creators to explore different dimensions of their characters and narratives without being constrained by a linear or singular storyline.

In essence, Balzac’s pioneering exploration of the multiverse in literature predated the cinematic multiverse phenomena seen in modern entertainment, highlighting his enduring influence on narrative construction and character development across different dimensions of storytelling.