This article contains spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessisn’t the first Marvel Cinematic Universe project to explore the concept of the multiverse. But even so, it still introduces plenty of new lore to the MCU, much of which will likely be very important in future projects.
One of the most highly anticipated aspects ofMultiverse of Madnessis its introduction of the Illuminati, a new team of earth’s mightiest heroes from an alternate universe. The group itself and many of its members will be very familiar to die-hard comic fans, as will some of the worldbuilding that comes with their introduction. As such, there’s been plenty of speculation on the internet about what implications the new film has forthe future of the MCU— and all signs point towards one very important comic storyline, which could very well be adapted into theAvengers: Endgameof the MCU’s new saga.
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Illuminati and Incursions
The Illuminati of Earth-838 featured inMultiverse of Madnessconsists of several familiar faces, including Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, Black Bolt from the much-malignedInhumansTV show, and even John Krasinski as Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic. And while these cameos were a huge surprise for moviegoers, they made perfect sense to Marvel experts — after all, they’re all founding members of the Illuminati’s comic incarnation.
In the comics, the Illuminati is not a group from an alternate universe, but a secret alliance of heroes said to be founded several years before their actual first appearance. Thegroup consisted of Iron Man,Doctor Strange, Mr. Fantastic, Professor X, Black Bolt, and Namor the Sub-Mariner, who agreed to meet periodically to exchange information about potential threats to humanity. Black Panther was also invited to join by Stark, but refused, disapproving of the group’s secretive nature.
Following their introduction in the pages of Brian Michael Bendis’ 2005 run onNew Avengers, the Illuminati operated in the background of multiple major storylines, includingPlanet HulkandSecret Invasion. However, the Illuminati wouldn’t be the stars of their own book until Jonathan Hickman’s 2012New Avengersrun, which famously introduced another concept featured inMultiverse of Madness: the Incursions. As explained in the film, Incursions are cataclysmic events that occur when the border between universes collapses, causing two parallel Earths to collide. Hickman’sNew Avengersfocuses on the Illuminatidealing with the ethical dilemma posed by the Incursions — can they destroy another Earth if it means saving their own? In other words, do the ends justify the means?
Much of Hickman’sNew Avengersdeals with infighting between the Illuminati, with the more idealistic members like Black Panther often coming to blows with pragmatists like Namor. However, it becomes clear at the climax of the series that the entire crisis around the Incursions was merely a prelude to something far worse. It’s revealed that the true masterminds behind the Incursions are a threat that the Illuminati thought long-defeated: the Beyonders.
What’s So Secret About War?
The original Beyonder — a nigh-omnipotent being who dwells outside the known multiverse — was the instigator ofthe 1984Secret Warscrossover.The Beyonder summoned some of Earth’s greatest heroes and villains to Battleworld, a patchwork planet formed from stolen fragments of other worlds, where the two sides would engage in battle. The Beyonder promised that the victors of the conflict would have their heart’s desires granted, but one combatant refused to play by his rules. While the other heroes and villains waged war, Doctor Doom enacted a scheme to steal the Beyonder’s limitless power for himself.
The plan went off without a hitch, allowing Doom to become the most powerful being in the universe. But before he could remake reality in his image, Doom was foiled yet again by the heroes thanks to his human fallibility and hidden self-doubt. But while the heroes believed that the threat of the Beyonder was over,the Illuminati eventually discoveredthat the original Beyonder was just one member of an entire species, who began the Incursions as part of another twisted experiment. But while the Illuminati bickered amongst themselves as the multiverse died around them, Doctor Doom was hard at work on another master plan.
The saga of the Incursions reached a climax in the first issue of the 2015Secret Wars— a spiritual successor to the original storyline, written by Hickman as the culmination to hisAvengersepic. The story begins with the final Incursion between the last remaining universes: Earth-616, the main Marvel Universe, and the Ultimate Universe, the original homeworld of Miles Morales. Despite the heroes’ best efforts,the two Earths collide,with the only survivors being a small band of heroes aboard an escape shuttle piloted by Mr. Fantastic.
But in the next issue, it’s revealed that the devastated remains of the multiverse were salvaged by none other than Doctor Doom, who once again used his ingenuity to steal the power of the Beyonders. And with his power, Doom merged the remnants of the destroyed Earths into a new Battleworld, which he ruled with an iron fist as God-Emperor. At long last, Doom achieved his ambition of holding absolute power over a peaceful, orderly world. But of course, his reign wouldn’t last.
The War To End All Wars
Eight years into the rule of God-Emperor Doom, Reed Richards’ shuttle resurfaces,carrying with it Peter Parker,Miles Morales, Captain Marvel, Star-Lord, Black Panther, and more. And once they learn that Doctor Doom rules the world, the heroes realize it’s up to them to make things right. To make things even more complicated, it’s soon revealed that Thanos and his followers survived as well, giving Doom a challenger to his throne. However, explaining the story any further would be getting into spoiler territory, and it’s definitely worth a proper read.
Needless to say, with the introduction of both the Illuminati and the Incursions, it seems like the MCU is already building up to aSecret Warsadaptation — especially since the mid-credits scene ofMultiverse of Madnessfeatures Clea (Charlize Theron)recruiting Strange to stop another Incursion. It’s clear that Incursions are going to be a big deal going forward, and with Mr. Fantastic finally in the MCU, Doctor Doom can’t be far behind. Even the arrival of the Venom Symbiote, as shown in the mid-credits scene ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, could be seen as aSecret Warstease. After all, the comics saw Peter first acquire the Symbiote on Battleworld during the original 1984Secret Wars.
Of course, an MCUSecret Warswill no doubt be a significant departure from its source material, likely drawing influence from both the ‘84 and ‘15 storylines. However, it’s hard to guess exactly how things will play out, especially since we’restill a long way offfrom a possibleSecret Warsadaptation. The introduction of the Incursions is likely similar to the first hint at Thanos back in the originalAvengers— a clear tease of things to come, but one that probably won’t come to fruition for a while. But either way, it’s definitely starting to look like aSecret Warsadaptation is waiting in the MCU’s future.
