Doctor Strange 2 Hid The Perfect Set-Up For X-Men Vs Avengers

The multiverse is now open for the MCU and this creates the potential for the franchise to adapt the Avengers Versus X-Men comics in the future.

WARNING: Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness introduced several concepts that could prove crucial to the future success of the MCU, and the film may have provided the perfect set-up for an adaptation of the popular comic series, Avengers Versus X-Men. First referenced in Doctor Strange before playing a large part in both Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, the multiverse is undoubtedly the key model around which the MCU’s Phases Four and Five will circulate. The theory states that there are an infinite number of universes, some similar and some different, and after Doctor Strange opened a gateway between them, the MCU has begun to explore the potential for cross-universe travel.

This idea played a huge role in Doctor Strange 2, with America Chavez granting the sorcerer the chance to move between universes – albeit, not at will. While the concept is freeing for the future of the MCU, Doctor Strange 2’s Illuminati warned against the risks of consistent multiversal travel, stating that meddling in an alternate universe either via travel or dreamwalking could result in an incursion event. As shown in the universe of Sinister Strange, an incursion event results from one reality colliding with another, pulling apart the structure of each universe in the process.

Such an event could prove disastrous to the MCU’s main universe, though the prospect of a collision could open doors for the franchise to introduce characters and storylines that have long seemed impossible. One such instance could see an incursion event being used for the introduction of the X-Men – characters who have not appeared thus far in the MCU, but now can through Disney’s acquisition of Fox. This would create the chance for Marvel to adapt some of their most popular storylines, with the incursion being used to set up Secret Wars, or even throwing the X-Men straight into battle with Earth’s mightiest heroes in an adaptation of Avengers Versus X-Men.

How Incursions Can Set Up X-Men’s MCU Debut

In the case of characters such as the X-Men and Fantastic Four, the MCU is tasked not only with introducing the popular heroes, but also with explaining where they have been throughout key events in the MCU timeline such as The Battle of New York in The Avengers and The Battle of Earth in Avengers: Endgame. An incursion event and wider multiversal travel provide the franchise with the chance to bypass these narrative concerns and bring the heroes into the MCU from another universe entirely. Be it through a dual-universe collision or along the lines of America Chavez’s powers, the MCU now has a way to bring all of Marvel’s most popular characters into the same setting.

If this were to take place via an incursion, then it stands to reason that the X-Men may have malicious intentions towards the MCU’s Avengers. The multiverse effectively means that anything is on the cards for the franchise, and if the Avengers are held responsible for the destruction of a universe home to the X-Men then the studio is provided with the perfect way to adapt the popular Avengers Versus X-Men storyline and see the two supergroups go face to face. Potentially escaping from the incursion event that Strange is said to have created in the Doctor Strange 2 mid-credits scene, the X-Men may begin their MCU careers as something of anti-heroes.

Why X-Men Vs Avengers Would Be Bigger Than Endgame

In the comics, the size of the battle between the Avengers and the X-Men rivals that of Avengers: Endgame, and there is no reason to suggest that this contest would be any different in the MCU. The franchise generally adapts the Marvel comics quite loosely, taking certain elements from the source material and reshaping them into a narrative better suited to the big screen. While the rivalry between the two teams in the comics originated in the threat of the Phoenix Energy – a power that, if misused, could destroy the universe – the MCU’s prior handling of comic storylines suggests that the franchise may take a different approach to the battle’s origins. Therefore, while the multiverse sets up Avengers Versus X-Men, it could be Strange’s incursion event that stands as the core of the rivalry.

With powerful mutants such as Professor X and Emma Frost facing off against Thor and Captain Marvel, a battle between the two groups could prove destructive to the entire world. Thanos’ plan in Avengers: Endgame was all about restoring balance – wiping out half of the universe’s population to lessen the demand on resources – but an all-out war between two supergroups such as The Avengers and X-Men could result in far greater casualties. Throw in the fact that the originating incursion event would have resulted in the destruction of an entire universe and the prospect of the inter-supergroup battle drastically overshadows that of Avengers: Endgame.

Doctor Strange 2’s ending left many questions concerning the future of the MCU and what the incursion event may set up. With the franchise poised to introduce both the X-Men and the Fantastic Four over the next Phase, it seems clear that the multiverse will have a large part to play in bringing these teams face to face with the heroes that have dominated Phases One to Three. An incursion event from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would mean that these introductions may not be as civil as was assumed, potentially hinting at an MCU adaptation of Avengers Versus X-Men in the future.