![\"How](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/whats-next-for-the-mcu.jpg\")
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness<\/em> hit theaters Thursday and it\u2019s doing quite well for Marvel Studios, scoring the biggest opening in 2022 thus far and claiming the 11th best domestic box office opening of all time. Critically, it\u2019s been more divisive than one might guess, with many either being put off by how “Sam Raimi” the Doctor Strange<\/em> sequel is or completely smitten with it as a result of the Evil Dead director\u2019s style.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve seen the movie, you\u2019ve likely noticed how unique it is in the pantheon of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. It features more horror elements than ever before, and it introduces a lot of new concepts and ideas to the MCU. In fact, I think Multiverse of Madness<\/em> sets up where the MCU is ultimately going later in\u00a0Phase 4 and beyond. To speak any further on this, though, requires a deep dive into the movie so beware: there will be numerous spoilers ahead.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t yet watched Multiverse of Madness but plan to, I highly suggest dipping for now.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013<\/strong><\/p>\n Last chance\u2026SPOILERS AHEAD!<\/strong><\/p>\n As the name implies, Multiverse of Madness<\/em> is all about the multiverse, which is infinite. If you can think it, there\u2019s a universe out there to host the idea. There\u2019s a universe where Doctor Strange primarily speaks Spanish and runs with America Chavez as a duo. There\u2019s a universe where Wanda Maximoff lives peacefully as a single mom \u2013 no Vision in sight for some reason \u2013 with her two kids, Billy and Tommy. There\u2019s even a universe where a naked Wong is chased\u00a0by a terrifying clown. Doctor Strange, Christine Palmer, and America Chavez learn all this and more in Multiverse of Madness<\/em>, including that there\u2019s a group called the Illuminati made up of different sectors of the MCU \u2013 Avengers like Captain Marvel and Captain Carter, The Fantastic Four\u2019s Reed Richards, X-Men\u2019s Charles Xavier, and the Inhumans’ Black Bolt.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the most important thing they learn of is something in the MCU called “incursions.” These happen when two universes collide, which can happen in a number of ways. Perhaps someone from one universe brings\u00a0a piece of another universe into their own. For example, had Wanda succeeded in fully commandeering another universe\u2019s Wanda to become the mother of her Billy and Tommy, she likely would have created an incursion of some sort. If Doctor Strange and the Christine from Earth-838 he meets later in the film decided to live the rest of their lives together, they would have created an incursion, something Christine mentions in the film\u2019s final moments. Incursions can be small in the MCU it seems, but as Multiverse of Madness <\/em>shows on-screen, they can also be devastating and even world-ending\u00a0<\/p>\n Elsewhere in the movie, we learn another universe\u2019s Doctor Strange was responsible for an incursion that killed trillions. That\u2019s how disastrous\u00a0merging two universes can be. Right now, we don\u2019t know what the MCU\u2019s next Thanos-level threat is. Many think it will be Kang, who we last saw in Loki<\/em> where he educated Loki and Sylvie on how multiverses actually work. Others predict the coming of new heroes like The Fantastic Four could bring with them the new major threats of\u00a0Galactus or Doctor Doom. After watching Multiverse of Madness<\/em>, though, I think the next major danger\u00a0to the Avengers and the rest of the MCU is, well, themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n That is to say, the next big threat to Captain Marvel will be Captain Marvel and the next big threat to Spider-Man could be Spider-Man. That\u2019s because I think Multiverse of Madness<\/em> set up Secret Wars<\/em>.<\/p>\n The non-spoilery version of this very good Marvel Comics story (we\u2019re talking the 2015 one here) is that incursions create a scenario where one universe is crashing into another universe, with both under the threat of complete annihilation. In this case, Earth-616, the mainline Marvel universe, was crashing into the Ultimate Universe, the alternate\u00a0reality that spawned its own comic line in 2000. A temporary Battleworld is created and the drama unfolds here. Ultimately, it leads to the destruction of essentially one entire universe (Ultimate Comics came to an end as a result of Secret Wars<\/em>). It\u2019s a big deal and it could present a new moral dilemma, unlike anything our MCU heroes have faced thus far.\u00a0<\/p>\n Our heroes have fought villains intent on killing trillions to \u201chelp\u201d the rest of the universe i.e. Thanos, but how will they handle a situation where they must kill trillions to save trillions? That\u2019s a massive moral conundrum and one that would challenge the relatively high-ground positioning our heroes have had for more than a decade. Plus, incursions and multiversal travel allow us to see old heroes return in the form of parallel universes. Do I want to see Robert Downey Jr.\u2019s Iron Man return anytime soon, or at all really, after his great sendoff in Avengers: Endgame<\/em>? No, but if he were to return by way of a parallel universe to fight against another Iron Man (perhaps one embodied by Tom Cruise as many theories have posited),\u00a0I\u2019d be able to swallow that pill much easier.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The simple use of the word \u201cincursion\u201d in Multiverse of Madness<\/em> isn\u2019t how I think we arrive at Secret Wars in the MCU, though. The introduction of Clea in the first Multiverse of Madness<\/em> post-credits scene ties directly into this, I think. If you\u2019re unfamiliar with Clea, she\u2019s played a number of roles in Marvel Comics. She\u2019s the niece of Dormammu, who Doctor Strange defeated in his first solo movie, and she becomes the love interest and successor to Doctor Strange as well. You can read our more in-depth Clea breakdown here<\/a>. In the Multiverse of Madness<\/em> post-credits scene, though, it remains unclear what Clea\u2019s role will be in the MCU.\u00a0<\/p>\n She tells Doctor Strange she needs help with an incursion, using a special blade to rip open the multiverse and open a window directly into the world where we last saw Dormammu (or at least, that\u2019s what it looks like to me). She asks Doctor Strange if he\u2019s scared to help, and, tying back into Christine\u2019s last words to him in the climax of the movie, he accepts the mission while also revealing that he seems to have control of his third eye that appeared in the film\u2019s final scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n Doctor Strange and Clea are heading right to an incursion and it will likely be the first of many. Could Clea be a teammate in the MCU, someone who truly wants to end ongoing incursions with the help of Doctor Strange, or is she interested in learning about Doctor Strange\u2019s powers to bring forth new incursions (perhaps she plans to grow close to Doctor Strange to then gain the trust or power of dimension-hopping America Chavez\u2026)? Only time will tell but it\u2019s clear Marvel Studios is ready to dive deep into incursions and if that\u2019s where these films are headed, I foresee Secret Wars<\/em> coming sometime down the line.\u00a0<\/p>\n That the use of incursions in the MCU could allow for future reappearances of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men\u00a0is a cherry on top. I only hope that incursions get the spotlight and storytelling they deserve in future MCU\u00a0movies (especially the big team-up ones) and that they aren\u2019t just something Multiverse of Madness<\/em> used to push its plot along, Secret Wars or not.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/whats-next-for-the-mcu-1.jpg\")
Marvel Comics
\nSecret Wars <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/arcader.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/whats-next-for-the-mcu-2.jpg\")
Marvel Comics
\nClea <\/p>\n