8 Cinematic Universes That Existed Before Marvel's

6. Tarantino's Multi-Layered Universe

You heard of that fan theory that all of Quentin Tarantino's movies exist in the same universe? Some of them (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Inglorious Basterds) are the primary universe, while others (Kill Bill, Death Proof) are movies-within-movies (where Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight fall is up to debate), but according to some they all form this alt-reality where violence and the N-word roam free. Well it ain't no poxy fan theory; the director has repeatedly stated that not only is this the case, but it has always been the intention. There's an interesting level of cohesion between the films; it's not oblique or constant, never going beyond a cheeky wink for movie obsessives, ensuring the focus is always on the movie at hand, yet there's obvious care taken to make sure things slot together, as if they're another layer to Tarantino's love of homaging his favourite movies (or, in the case of The Hateful Eight, himself). The key elements in making the shared universe explicit come from his early films - Mr. Blonde is Vincent Vega's brother and Kill Bill is the movie version of Mia Wallace's failed pilot Fox Force Five - but there's potential clues and elements hidden in the background of most (depending on how you read them).