Why The MCU's Multiverse May Be Different Than You Think

Doctor Strange 2 will focus on the Multiverse - but it might not be what you think. Multiverses are all the rage right now, with countless franchises exploring the idea. It's not hard to see why it is attractive; the idea of alternate timelines offers unlimited potential for creativity and reinvention. To Warner Bros., the Multiverse offers an opportunity to create a shared Multiverse cosmos everything from the DCEU to Robert Pattinson's Batman; it means they can have their cake and eat it. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer has a Multiverse, the perfect way to reboot without invalidating the old timeline.

For all that's the case, though, Elizabeth Olsen said she didn't know what the Multiverse was until she began filming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. "I didn’t understand the larger plan of the multiverse until I started working on 'Multiverse,' or whatever our movie’s called," she said, "The “Doctor Strange” sequel." The comment has been treated with bemusement and disdain by many fans, who seem surprised at the idea a prominent Marvel actress wouldn't know about her franchise's overarching direction.

And yet, for all that's the case, fans would be wise not to assume they've figured it out quite so well. Marvel's version of the Multiverse has actually already been introduced - and it isn't what fans think.

The Multiverse Is More Than Just Alternate Timelines

Doctor Strange Sorcerer Supreme 21 Multiverse

Everyone assumes the Multiverse is just a matter of alternate timelines, of the kind created as a result of time travel in Avengers: Endgame. But Doctor Strange director Scott Derickson shared a tweet pointing to the inspiration for the MCU's Multiverse, referencing Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #21. This contained a feature by Roy Thomas, R.J.M. Lofficier, and Lee Weeks that explained the Multiverse ahead of a major Doctor Strange epic. The feature envisions Earth at the center of an infinite sea of possibility; alternate timelines are just one swim-stroke away from the center, but the further away you go, the more the laws of nature change, and there are pocket dimensions like Odin's Asgard and Mephisto's Hell.

This is the concept of the Multiverse subtly introduced in the Thor movies, and it was brought to the forefront in 2016's Doctor Strange. It reveals sorcerers draw their power from the Multiverse, using energy from other planes of existence "to cast spells, conjure shields and weapons to make magic." In one key scene, the Ancient One blasted Stephen Strange's astral form on a so-called "Magical Mystery Tour" through the Multiverse, projecting him through dimensions as diverse as the Quantum Realm and the Dark Dimension. Finally, at the end of the film, Strange confronted the Dread Dormammu at the heart of the Dark Dimension, and he used that plane's timelessness against it by wielding the Time Stone to save the day.

How This Affects Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

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This has profound implications for Doctor Strange 2, which has been given the title "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." That is almost certain to involve alternate timelines; it includes Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, a character who originates from one such timeline. But the MCU's Multiverse is far greater than that, and instead involves a wider range of dimensions - and potentially extradimensional entities as well. Most Marvel fans have forgotten this, focused on the idea of other Earths - the kind of Multiverse exploited by DC in its "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event - and so they are likely far more confused than Elizabeth Olsen.

This wider definition of the Multiverse fits perfectly with the setup in WandaVision, with Scarlet Witch learning she wields a powerful force called Chaos Magic - which, in the comics, is closely linked to an extradimensional entity called Chthon. The show also introduced a forbidden book of dark magic called the Darkhold, another link to Chthon, that in the comics allowed supernatural energy to leak through from other dimensions to the Earth. Chthon could well be the cause of the Multiverse of Madness, the monstrous being who is responsible for the chaos that needs to be put right. Many have been so completely distracted by questions about whether Evan Peters' Quicksilver would bring their own imagined version of the Multiverse into the MCU that they've missed the explicit setup - which may allow Doctor Strange 2 to be even more surprising to audiences.

More: Theory: Scarlet Witch's Chaos Magic Sets Up Doctor Strange 2's Villain