diff --git a/numpy/core/src/multiarray/iterators.c b/numpy/core/src/multiarray/iterators.c
index 5099e3e193c8..4cb81fd00543 100644
--- a/numpy/core/src/multiarray/iterators.c
+++ b/numpy/core/src/multiarray/iterators.c
@@ -1436,232 +1436,183 @@ PyArray_Broadcast(PyArrayMultiIterObject *mit)
     return 0;
 }
 
-/*NUMPY_API
- * Get MultiIterator from array of Python objects and any additional
- *
- * PyObject **mps -- array of PyObjects
- * int n - number of PyObjects in the array
- * int nadd - number of additional arrays to include in the iterator.
- *
- * Returns a multi-iterator object.
+static NPY_INLINE PyObject*
+multiiter_wrong_number_of_args(void)
+{
+    return PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError,
+                        "Need at least 1 and at most %d "
+                        "array objects.", NPY_MAXARGS);
+}
+
+/*
+ * Common implementation for all PyArrayMultiIterObject constructors.
+ * This function takes a pointer to an array of at most NPY_MAXARGS
+ * PyObject pointers, NULL terminated unless completely full, which
+ * must either hold array_like objects or multi iterators.
  */
-NPY_NO_EXPORT PyObject *
-PyArray_MultiIterFromObjects(PyObject **mps, int n, int nadd, ...)
+static PyObject*
+multiiter_new_impl(PyObject **args)
 {
-    va_list va;
     PyArrayMultiIterObject *multi;
-    PyObject *current;
-    PyObject *arr;
-
-    int i, ntot, err=0;
+    int i;
 
-    ntot = n + nadd;
-    if (ntot < 1 || ntot > NPY_MAXARGS) {
-        PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError,
-                     "Need at least 1 and at most %d "
-                     "array objects.", NPY_MAXARGS);
-        return NULL;
-    }
     multi = PyArray_malloc(sizeof(PyArrayMultiIterObject));
     if (multi == NULL) {
         return PyErr_NoMemory();
     }
     PyObject_Init((PyObject *)multi, &PyArrayMultiIter_Type);
+    multi->numiter = 0;
 
-    for (i = 0; i < ntot; i++) {
-        multi->iters[i] = NULL;
-    }
-    multi->numiter = ntot;
-    multi->index = 0;
+    for (i = 0; i < NPY_MAXARGS; ++i) {
+        PyObject *obj = args[i];
+        PyObject *arr;
+        PyArrayIterObject *it;
 
-    va_start(va, nadd);
-    for (i = 0; i < ntot; i++) {
-        if (i < n) {
-            current = mps[i];
-        }
-        else {
-            current = va_arg(va, PyObject *);
-        }
-        arr = PyArray_FROM_O(current);
-        if (arr == NULL) {
-            err = 1;
+        if (obj == NULL) {
             break;
         }
-        else {
-            multi->iters[i] = (PyArrayIterObject *)PyArray_IterNew(arr);
-            if (multi->iters[i] == NULL) {
-                err = 1;
-                break;
+        if (PyObject_IsInstance(obj, (PyObject *)&PyArrayMultiIter_Type)) {
+            PyArrayMultiIterObject *mit = (PyArrayMultiIterObject *)obj;
+            int j;
+
+            if (multi->numiter + mit->numiter > NPY_MAXARGS) {
+                multiiter_wrong_number_of_args();
+                goto fail;
+            }
+            for (j = 0; j < mit->numiter; ++j) {
+                arr = (PyObject *)mit->iters[j]->ao;
+                it = (PyArrayIterObject *)PyArray_IterNew(arr);
+                if(it == NULL) {
+                    goto fail;
+                }
+                multi->iters[multi->numiter++] = it;
+            }
+        }
+        else if (multi->numiter < NPY_MAXARGS) {
+            arr = PyArray_FromAny(obj, NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL);
+            if (arr == NULL) {
+                goto fail;
             }
+            it = (PyArrayIterObject *)PyArray_IterNew(arr);
+            if (it == NULL) {
+                Py_DECREF(arr);
+                goto fail;
+            }
+            multi->iters[multi->numiter++] = it;
             Py_DECREF(arr);
         }
+        else {
+            multiiter_wrong_number_of_args();
+            goto fail;
+        }
     }
-    va_end(va);
 
-    if (!err && PyArray_Broadcast(multi) < 0) {
-        err = 1;
+    if (multi->numiter < 1) {
+        multiiter_wrong_number_of_args();
+        goto fail;
     }
-    if (err) {
-        Py_DECREF(multi);
-        return NULL;
+    if (PyArray_Broadcast(multi) < 0) {
+        goto fail;
     }
     PyArray_MultiIter_RESET(multi);
+
     return (PyObject *)multi;
+
+fail:
+    Py_DECREF(multi);
+
+    return NULL;
 }
 
 /*NUMPY_API
- * Get MultiIterator,
+ * Get MultiIterator from array of Python objects and any additional
+ *
+ * PyObject **mps - array of PyObjects
+ * int n - number of PyObjects in the array
+ * int nadd - number of additional arrays to include in the iterator.
+ *
+ * Returns a multi-iterator object.
  */
-NPY_NO_EXPORT PyObject *
-PyArray_MultiIterNew(int n, ...)
+NPY_NO_EXPORT PyObject*
+PyArray_MultiIterFromObjects(PyObject **mps, int n, int nadd, ...)
 {
+    PyObject *args_impl[NPY_MAXARGS];
+    int ntot = n + nadd;
+    int i;
     va_list va;
-    PyArrayMultiIterObject *multi;
-    PyObject *current;
-    PyObject *arr;
 
-    int i, err = 0;
+    if (ntot > NPY_MAXARGS) {
+        return multiiter_wrong_number_of_args();
+    }
 
-    if (n < 1 || n > NPY_MAXARGS) {
-        PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError,
-                     "Need at least 1 and at most %d "
-                     "array objects.", NPY_MAXARGS);
-        return NULL;
+    for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
+        args_impl[i] = mps[i];
     }
 
-    /* fprintf(stderr, "multi new...");*/
+    va_start(va, nadd);
+    for (; i < ntot; ++i) {
+        args_impl[i] = va_arg(va, PyObject *);
+    }
+    va_end(va);
 
-    multi = PyArray_malloc(sizeof(PyArrayMultiIterObject));
-    if (multi == NULL) {
-        return PyErr_NoMemory();
+    if (ntot < NPY_MAXARGS) {
+        args_impl[ntot] = NULL;
     }
-    PyObject_Init((PyObject *)multi, &PyArrayMultiIter_Type);
 
-    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
-        multi->iters[i] = NULL;
+    return multiiter_new_impl(args_impl);
+}
+
+/*NUMPY_API
+ * Get MultiIterator,
+ */
+NPY_NO_EXPORT PyObject*
+PyArray_MultiIterNew(int n, ...)
+{
+    PyObject *args_impl[NPY_MAXARGS];
+    int i;
+    va_list va;
+
+    if (n > NPY_MAXARGS) {
+        return multiiter_wrong_number_of_args();
     }
-    multi->numiter = n;
-    multi->index = 0;
 
     va_start(va, n);
-    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
-        current = va_arg(va, PyObject *);
-        arr = PyArray_FROM_O(current);
-        if (arr == NULL) {
-            err = 1;
-            break;
-        }
-        else {
-            multi->iters[i] = (PyArrayIterObject *)PyArray_IterNew(arr);
-            if (multi->iters[i] == NULL) {
-                err = 1;
-                break;
-            }
-            Py_DECREF(arr);
-        }
+    for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
+        args_impl[i] = va_arg(va, PyObject *);
     }
     va_end(va);
 
-    if (!err && PyArray_Broadcast(multi) < 0) {
-        err = 1;
-    }
-    if (err) {
-        Py_DECREF(multi);
-        return NULL;
+    if (n < NPY_MAXARGS) {
+        args_impl[n] = NULL;
     }
-    PyArray_MultiIter_RESET(multi);
-    return (PyObject *)multi;
+
+    return multiiter_new_impl(args_impl);
 }
 
-static PyObject *
-arraymultiter_new(PyTypeObject *NPY_UNUSED(subtype), PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds)
+static PyObject*
+arraymultiter_new(PyTypeObject *NPY_UNUSED(subtype), PyObject *args,
+                  PyObject *kwds)
 {
-
-    Py_ssize_t n = 0;
-    Py_ssize_t i, j, k;
-    PyArrayMultiIterObject *multi;
-    PyObject *arr;
+    PyObject *args_impl[NPY_MAXARGS];
+    Py_ssize_t n = PyTuple_Size(args);
+    int i;
 
     if (kwds != NULL) {
         PyErr_SetString(PyExc_ValueError,
                         "keyword arguments not accepted.");
         return NULL;
     }
-
-    for (j = 0; j < PyTuple_Size(args); ++j) {
-        PyObject *obj = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, j);
-
-        if (PyObject_IsInstance(obj, (PyObject *)&PyArrayMultiIter_Type)) {
-            /*
-             * If obj is a multi-iterator, all its arrays will be added
-             * to the new multi-iterator.
-             */
-            n += ((PyArrayMultiIterObject *)obj)->numiter;
-        }
-        else {
-            /* If not, will try to convert it to a single array */
-            ++n;
-        }
-    }
-    if (n < 1 || n > NPY_MAXARGS) {
-        if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
-            return NULL;
-        }
-        PyErr_Format(PyExc_ValueError,
-                     "Need at least 1 and at most %d "
-                     "array objects.", NPY_MAXARGS);
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    multi = PyArray_malloc(sizeof(PyArrayMultiIterObject));
-    if (multi == NULL) {
-        return PyErr_NoMemory();
+    if (n > NPY_MAXARGS) {
+        return multiiter_wrong_number_of_args();
     }
-    PyObject_Init((PyObject *)multi, &PyArrayMultiIter_Type);
-
-    multi->numiter = n;
-    multi->index = 0;
-    i = 0;
-    for (j = 0; j < PyTuple_GET_SIZE(args); ++j) {
-        PyObject *obj = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, j);
-        PyArrayIterObject *it;
-
-        if (PyObject_IsInstance(obj, (PyObject *)&PyArrayMultiIter_Type)) {
-            PyArrayMultiIterObject *mit = (PyArrayMultiIterObject *)obj;
-
-            for (k = 0; k < mit->numiter; ++k) {
-                arr = (PyObject *)mit->iters[k]->ao;
-                assert (arr != NULL);
-                it = (PyArrayIterObject *)PyArray_IterNew(arr);
-                if (it == NULL) {
-                    goto fail;
-                }
-                multi->iters[i++] = it;
-            }
-        }
-        else {
-            arr = PyArray_FromAny(obj, NULL, 0, 0, 0, NULL);
-            if (arr == NULL) {
-                goto fail;
-            }
-            it = (PyArrayIterObject *)PyArray_IterNew(arr);
-            if (it == NULL) {
-                goto fail;
-            }
-            multi->iters[i++] = it;
-            Py_DECREF(arr);
-        }
+    for (i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
+        args_impl[i] = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(args, i);
     }
-    assert (i == n);
-    if (PyArray_Broadcast(multi) < 0) {
-        goto fail;
+    if (n < NPY_MAXARGS) {
+        args_impl[n] = NULL;
     }
-    PyArray_MultiIter_RESET(multi);
-    return (PyObject *)multi;
 
- fail:
-    Py_DECREF(multi);
-    return NULL;
+    return multiiter_new_impl(args_impl);
 }
 
 static PyObject *