By Emily Papleux
Warning: Spoilers abound!
After countless hints, the multiverse has finally been recognized in the MCU, following Spider-Man No Way Home, What If? and the new upcoming movie the Multiverse of Madness. The Multiverse is a widely known subsect of philosophy, and in the Marvel Universe, causes quite the chaos. It is the idea that this reality is mere one of infinite; this derives from the word “Multi” instead of “Uni”. For example, there are a myriad of decisions that led you to read this article right now, and in another reality, maybe you never even logged onto whatever device you’re reading this from. Maybe you adopted a puppy instead. This means every minor decision creates an infinite amount of new realities. One in which you never made that decision, and some where you may have done it differently.
There isn’t a specific pinpoint, but the idea of the multiverse is something identified long ago (about the 1950’s), and almost just recently, brought to the big screen by our favorite super-heroes. Phase four of the MCU brings out the last-standing avengers, and who, when, and how they cope with the loss of their fellow companions. Wanda re-evaluates her whole being as Agatha derails her plan of enslaving the town Westview, and hints at something big coming her way in the season finale. Sam Wilson-after much struggle dealing with inner and outer demons-is recognized as the new Captain America, as Bucky Barnes comes to terms with his past. Variants were introduced to the MCU in Loki, as he battles the powerful organization (the TVA), and Kate Bishop and Clint Barton wrestle with old and new enemies. Fans wondered if these projects were preparing the MCU for the arrival of the long-waited Multiverse, and after Spider-Man No Way Home, various theories were confirmed.
Countless of opportunities were opened the second Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man unmasked himself, and even more so when Tobey Maguire joined on. These three Spider-Men created a brother-like bond (Which puts the Loki and Sylvie kiss in a bit of a weird position) as they fight off personal villains from their own realities. As Doctor Strange struggles with closing the tears in their reality fans wonder if a few managed to have snuck in. In the second end-credits, the Multiverse of Madness trailer dropped, introducing America Chavez, and a new romantic storyline for Christine. As Doctor Strange approaches Wanda Maximoff (who seems to be settled in an isolated area), he asks her of the multiverse. We then see a new dark and twisted version of Doctor Strange. This new figure may not be new at all. In an Episode of What If? The Watcher takes us through a story in a reality very similar to the one we see Doctor Strange and America Chavez stepping into in the first trailer, a world of decaying buildings and civilians as they turn into a sort of black goo.
There have also been speculations as to which characters we may see now that fans have seen the spider trio. Many think Wanda will go up against Professor X, which may have made a cameo in the new trailer for MoM or a powerful version of Iron Man played by Tom Cruise, which some speculate is the being Wanda was fighting with in the trailer. There is a possibility of it being Captain Marvel, though, yes, the blood on Wanda’s face was red, the blood we see on Wanda’s shirt is blue, which is the color of Kree blood. In one of Wanda’s fight sequences, the place of which Doctor Strange was “arrested” is up in flames, and popular conspiracy theorists have deducted it as the Illuminati headquarters.
In the second trailer, we are taken through various realities, and we meet variants of Wanda and Doctor Strange (one in a hopefully post-apocalyptic world) and in a split second we see a scene of a comic book world in which Doctor Strange and America Chavez are depicted in comic/cartoon style, which many fans think might set up the introduction to a Miles Morales Spider-Man.
The Young Avengers take up the mantle after dangerous situations brings them together in the comics, and some even show their faces in some of marvel’s series. Kate Bishop carries the legacy of Hawkeye, and Stature is seen hugging her dad, Scott Lang, after the events of the Blip. Billy and Tommy (Wiccan and Speed) are the twin duo seen in WandaVision. Patriot is also seen in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier, America Chavez in the MoM trailer, and lastly, Kid Loki also makes his appearance as one of Loki’s variants in Loki. Could future Marvel projects introduce the Hulkling? Will these teenagers group together to become the next avengers?
