Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has thrown up a number of possibilities for the future of the MCU, and there is one theory about where the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s next cataclysmic event is going to arrive: Secret Wars. Ever since Avengers: Endgame, there have been a number of teases about Secret Wars being the next universe, or on this case multiverse, breaking moment in the MCU timeline that will come sometime in the next decade. Now, Multiverse of Madness has seen many fans become even more certain that this is where everything is now heading. This article will contain spoilers for Multiverse of Madness.
While Avengers: Endgame seemed to be as big as the Marvel Universe could get, with hundreds of heroes and villains battling it out in the climactic finale of the Infinity Saga, there is something bigger that could well be coming in the future. Secret Wars was released in 2015/2016 and was a storyline that was based on a thirty-year-old comic book mini-series of the same name.
The basic premise of Secret Wars was a crossover event that saw multiple Marvel universes collide, with variants of many heroes and villains appearing in the same reality until the true Marvel Universe, noted as 616, was restored. The collision of worlds was known as an “incursion”, and mention of this in the Multiverse of Madness post credit scene gave fans all the encouragement they needed to flood social media with their theories.
Secret Wars Has Already Been Teased By the Russo Brothers and More
Marvel Studios always have a plan when it comes to where the MCU is going. While others have attempted to fast-track the process of building a world around numerous characters, Marvel has consistently taken it at their pace, even when faced with constant calls from fans to do certain things sooner. Following the end of Phase 3 of the MCU, it has been clear from the start that Phase 4 is almost like starting over again. There are a lot of new characters being introduced to the story, and that takes time. The multiverse is being used as a new character, with hints and small, gradual reveals instead of one big drop of every possible thing it can offer in one go.
When it comes to the next big Marvel event, which may come in five years or ten years, it seems pretty certain that Secret Wars is going to be that final part of the multiverse story. While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has cemented the deal for many fans, there have been previous mentions of the Secret Wars storyline being a possibility.
The Russo Brothers have commented that they have been thinking about a Secret Wars movie for years and would consider returning to Marvel to do it if it were to happen. Former Marvel Comics Editor in Chief Jim Shooter also revealed that he had been approached to write a novel around his 1984 Secret Wars storyline, and when he asked whether the offer meant they were making a movie of it, he was told they couldn’t comment. With every storyline heading somewhere, it is clear that the next big event is going to be huge, and that in itself leads directly to Secret Wars. The real question now, is just how long do we have to wait for it to arrive?