Why multiverses might be the solution to the ever-expanding MCU

It’s a good problem to have, but Marvel will soon find themselves stuck between The Thing and a hard place. Yep, Fox’s Marvel characters are now back under the Marvel movie umbrella – but how on earth are they going to integrate them into the MCU? Sorry, that should say how on earths – because Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, might have (accidentally) spilled the multiverse beans.

Speaking on Thor: Ragnarok’s home release feature (H/T CinemaBlend) Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years - The Evolution of Heroes, Cumberbatch opened up about, well, the universe opening up...

“What we’ve seen happen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe is this ever-expanding couture of superheroes,” Cumberbatch explains. “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.”

Wow. Where to start? Firstly, of course Cumberbatch drops a casual ‘couture’ in there, the clever clogs. Secondly (and more importantly), what about these other dimensions?

Marvel – and comic book properties in general – have often used multiverses to explore other stories away from their main timelines. Now, though, it looks to work as the perfect opportunity for X-Men, Deadpool, etc to segue into the MCU.

It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to completely separate Fox’s properties from Marvel’s current batch via the hand-waving magic of explaining it away through multiverses. However, if Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers 4 intends for Thanos to rip a hole through space and time, it seems far more likely that multiverses will collide and bring much-loved characters together.

After all, we don’t want a billion Fox origin stories, and, yet, we can’t have Wolverine just show up out of nowhere and be all like ‘Hey’ when, for example, S.H.I.E.L.D has known about Black Panther for nearly a decade. Benedict Cumberbatch clearly chose his words very carefully and, still, he may have just revealed a little too much. Here’s hoping anyway.

That’s one glimpse into the future, here’s another: Every upcoming MCU movie until 2020

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.