Warning: Spoilers for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness secretly set up the MCU’s very own Tarzan character. Ka-Zar, who has numerous similarities to Tarzan, is one of several major Marvel Comics superheroes who has yet to appear in any live-action show or movie. However, he does have the potential to show up at some point in the future.
In light of everything that happened in Doctor Strange 2, the movie is obviously integral to the MCU’s future. In addition to providing glimpses into various corners of the multiverse, Doctor Strange 2 set up three major superhero teams by introducing multiverse variants of Mr. Fantastic, Black Bolt, and Professor Xavier. This was the first step toward the long-awaited, official MCU debuts of the Fantastic Four and the X-Men. Plus, it was a sign that a version of the Inhumans could be out there as well. All this setup is just an example of Doctor Strange 2’s overall importance to what comes next for the MCU.
There so was so much about the movie that is likely to be relevant later on. The characters associated with the MCU’s Illuminati team, America Chavez, Chthon, Mount Wundagore, and Clea could all be brought up again in future Marvel movies and Disney+ shows. The same goes for some of the universes that were briefly visited by Doctor Strange and America during the events of the film. Here’s how one particular locale in Doctor Strange 2 – the Savage Land – laid the groundwork for the MCU to adapt its own take on the classic Tarzan story via Ka-Zar and Zabu.
Ka-Zar & The Savage Land In Marvel Comics Explained
Published in 1965, X-Men #10 introduced a location to the Marvel Universe that has since defined hundreds of stories. In the landmark comic, the X-Men traveled to Antarctica and discovered a mysterious jungle populated by dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures that had somehow survived the extinction of their respective species. There they met Ka-Zar, a human warrior accompanied by a sabretooth tiger named Zabu. Apparently, Ka-Zar had years of experience in dealing with the dangerous denizens of the Savage Land.
Ka-Zar has a backstory in Marvel Comics that essentially makes him its version of Tarzan, the jungle hero and pop culture icon from Edgar Rice Burrough’s novels. Like Tarzan, the Savage Land's Ka-Zar a.k.a Kevin Plunder was the orphaned son of British aristocrats and a human who spent all of his childhood and early adulthood with animals instead of members of his own kind. And in the same vein as Tarzan, Ka-Zar grew into a fearsome fighter and the self-appointed protector of his primitive environment. What separates the two characters is that Tarzan never had to fight actual dinosaurs. Living in a unique prehistoric world has invited a multitude of challenges for Ka-Zar to overcome.
Joined by Zabu, Ka-Zar has fought dozens of Marvel Comics villains. His adventures have pitted him against a wide variety of threats including Kraven the Hunter, Doctor Doom, Magneto, a clone of Thanos, and more. Some of these battles have taken place in his own comics, while others were products of team-ups with other Marvel Comics superheroes, such as Spider-Man, Captain America, X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Daredevil. A large number of his escapades have revolved around villains looking to exploit Savage Land for nefarious purposes, while others have been fish-out-of-water stories that send Ka-Zar to a more urban setting.
Savage Land Exists In The MCU (& How It May Be Different)
Though it was only for an instant, Doctor Strange and America Chavez went to the Savage Land in Doctor Strange 2. The prehistoric backdrop in the scene where the two were falling through the multiverse is a confirmed Savage Land Easter egg. Doctor Strange 2 VFX artist VFX Alexis Wajsbrot said that after planning to adapt a jungle environment for one of its alternate universes, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige suggested they use the Savage Land. And since the Savage Land is finally MCU canon, it’s become a possibility that Ka-Zar and Zabu are around too.
The Savage Land’s debut in Doctor Strange 2 ends speculation that Ka-Zar’s corner of the Marvel Universe is real in the MCU, but raises a whole new question about its existence: is there a Savage Land on Earth-616? In the comics, the X-Men and the Avengers didn’t have to cross universes to pay Ka-Zar a visit. As noted above, the Savage Land is located in Antarctica in the comic books. However, the tease in Doctor Strange 2 indicates that the MCU’s interpretation of the concept may be a bit different. It could be that instead of being a hidden jungle in Antarctica, the MCU’s Savage Land is a separate reality where dinosaurs and prehistoric animals like Zabu are still very much alive in the modern era. Going with this approach could allow Marvel to distance the Savage Land from the ideas depicted in the Jurassic Park franchise.
When Ka-Zar Could Appear In The MCU
Regardless of whether or not there’s a Savage Land in the main timeline, the door is now open for Ka-Zar and Zabu to join the MCU in a big way. Like their comic counterparts, the two characters could appear as protagonists or as allies to established MCU heroes in future storylines. The problem, though, is that there isn’t an obvious place for them in Phase 4. Perhaps the project with the best chance of using him is Loki season 2. As a show about the multiverse and time travel, it could theoretically do an episode that sends Tom Hiddleston’s character to Ka-Zar’s world. But even that may be a longshot, considering that the movie may not have room for such a huge addition to the MCU mythos.
After all, a character like Ka-Zar would be difficult to work into a movie or show that doesn’t hinge on the Savage Land. For this reason, proper introductions for Kevin Plunder and his sabretooth tiger companion may have to wait for a story centered on the Savage Land. Given how unique Ka-Zar’s comics are to all other stories in the MCU, it’s not hard to imagine the hero headlining his own MCU show on Disney+ sometime in Phase 5. A story set in an alternate universe full of dinosaurs could offer a fun journey that stands apart from the rest of the MCU, while a series that explores an Earth-616 version of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Savage Land could come with plenty of crossover potential.
