The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a media franchise created by Marvel Comics. The first MCU film was Iron Man (2008) and this movie helped kickstart the franchise’s success. Four years later, Marvel released the first Avengers film which was well received by audiences. The storyline now known as the Infinity Saga culminated in a two-part finale: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019). Some describe this Saga as “peak Marvel.” Even though Endgame gave viewers somewhat of a satisfying ending, Marvel did not stop making movies. The next step was to build the Multiverse Saga.
The Disney Plus show WandaVision was deemed the start of the multiverse. However, the show Loki is arguably what truly launched the idea of exploring the multiverse. This show delved deeper into the risks of travelling through time as well as the vastness of the different realms/timelines in the multiverse. This show also established that changing the past creates an alternate reality that deviates from the main timeline which was named Earth-616. Additionally, travelling from one timeline to another can potentially lead to the destruction of one or both timelines. This event is called an incursion and happens when the border between one timeline and another erodes and collides into each other.
This idea was further explored in the film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). Viewers see Doctor Strange travelling throughout the multiverse and arriving at different timelines. However, tampering with time and the multiverse comes at a cost. At the end of the movie, Doctor Strange was confronted about causing an incursion. This problem acts as one of the main conflicts in the Multiverse Saga. Furthermore, the Multiverse Saga revolves around the questions of: What exists outside Earth-616 and what are the consequences of traveling in the grand calculus of the multiverse?
The much anticipated movie The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be coming out on July 25, 2025. This film may provide Marvel fans with a baseline of the main villain in the Multiverse Saga, as well as key characters with important roles to play in the future of the MCU. As of 2025, the beloved villain Dr. Doom is thought of to be the main antagonist of this saga. Fans assume this as Marvel brought back Robert Downey Jr. who previously played Iron Man to be the actor for Dr. Doom. Victor von Doom has acquired the skill of weidling powerful abilities such as electrokinesis as well as being a master at dark magic. In the comics, Dr. Doom was one of the most powerful characters ever. If fan’s expectations appear to be true, he will easily be the MCU’s most powerful villain yet. Ultimately, Marvel’s is shaping up its new endgame: Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Both of these movies are highly anticipated and viewers can expect a crossover event between many present and past MCU characters.