As the Marvel Cinematic Universe heads towards the end of Phase 3, Benedict Cumberbatch reveals that the Marvel Comics Multiverse could be coming to the movies.

Over the past 10 years of the MCU, we've seen the various superheroes and villains battle for control of Earth and beyond. However, comic book fans will know that "our" Earth is only one of several and is officially referred to as Earth-616 in the comics. So, as we head into the unknown with the next 20 MCU movies after Avengers 4, could we see the studio's cinematic slate branch out even further?

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Speaking during the"Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - The Evolution of Heroes", which appears as the bonus features of Thor: Ragnarok (via Cinema Blend), the Doctor Strange star hinted at a much bigger MCU:

"What we've seen happen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is this ever-expanding couture of superheroes. And I think now we're at the stage where this universe, even within our world, has gotten quite crowded and it's just about to explode into other dimensions."

First introduced back in 1983, the Multiverse was established as a way to differentiate between the various versions of Brian Braddock's Captain Britain. Similar to DC's Elseworlds, Marvel's Multiverse offers up plenty of interesting prospects that could warrant their own movies, but also ideas that will presumably never make it to our screens. Alongside the likes of and the Ultimates, Old Man Logan, and ravenous zombies,  there are also time-traveling entities like Hope Summers and Cable. Interestingly, the MCU universe is technically classed as Earth-199999, making it its own entity away from Earth-616.

We've already seen hints of more than just one reality as 2015's Ant-Man discussed the Quantum Realm, where we know Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne is currently trapped. Interestingly, Cumberbatch's Strange also went further than most in his own movie as he visited the Dark Dimension where Dormammu was lurking. While it still looks like the MCU has been set in one singular universe, who knows what the arrival of Thanos and his quest for the Infinity Gauntlet could do the home we call Earth-199999. Fans already know that Disney is building toward a Cosmic MCU as well as a possible all-female line-up of movies, so what else are the bosses working on behind-the-scenes?

That being said, given that the MCU is lighter in tone than its darker and more violent comic counterpart, don't expect anything too radical to come from Cumberbatch's words. Feige has already shut down the idea of a Marvel zombie movie in the past, and although R-rated MCU movies aren't out of the question, most of the Multiverse ideas are just too confusing. Plus, even if the House of Mouse soon owns the rights to violent franchises like Deadpool and New Mutants, the brand as a whole won't be losing its wholesome image. Either way, if the Multiverse is heading our way, it is an exciting prospect for the future of the world's highest-grossing franchise.

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Source: Cinema Blend