Summary
Marvel Studios' upcomingAvengers: Secret Warsis expected to see the heroes of theMCUband together to save the multiverse, but they won’t be the first to accomplish this impressive achievement. The concept of the multiverse was first teased in the MCU back in 2016’sDoctor Strange, and was later investigated further during the Time Heist in 2019’sAvengers: Endgame. However, it wasn’t until Phase 4’sLoki, part of theMCU’s Multiverse Saga, that the idea was fully explored, and it’s only grown since then.
Themultiverse has already proven to be a complex and dangerous conceptfor many heroes in the MCU’s recent installments. The multiverse’s importance, however, has led to many heroes putting their lives on the line to save it, though it seems the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Marvelsand more will have a greater impact in the MCU’s future.Phase 6 will reveal the true savior of the multiverse, but a number of heroes have had a hand in protecting it already.
Every Universe In The MCU Confirmed (So Far)
Since the beginning of the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, many alternate universes have been introduced into Marvel Studios' live-action and animated stories.
10Peter Parker’s Spider-Man
Spider-Man Saved The Multiverse In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Despite being one of the MCU’s youngest heroes, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man has had a pivotal role in saving the entire multiverse. 2021’sSpider-Man: No Way HomesawParker almost destroy the multiverse after botching Doctor Strange’s memory wipe spell, which ended up bringing several multiversal variants into the MCU’s Earth-616. Parker teamed up with two other versions of Spider-Man, played byTobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, to cure their respective villains, but the multiverse wasn’t yet saved.
Nicolas Cage
Spider-Noir(TBD)
To save the multiverse completely,Tom Holland’s Peter Parker urged Doctor Strange to complete his memory wipe spell, making everyone forget his human identity, which would send everyone back to their respective realities. This marked a colossal sacrifice for Parker, who ended up losing everybody, becoming an anonymous superhero once again.Peter Parker’s Spider-Man is expected to returninAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars, perhaps helping to save the multiverse once again.
9Guardians Of The Multiverse
The Guardians Of The Multiverse Saved The Multiverse In What If…? Season 1 (2021)
Throughout Marvel Animation’sWhat If…?season 1, several multiversal variants of some of the MCU’s most notable and powerful heroes were introduced. Some of these heroes were brought together by the Watcher in the season finale, “What If… the Watcher Broke His Oath?“Captain Carter, Strange Supreme, T’Challa’s Star-Lord, Killmonger’s Black Panther, Party Thor and a variant of Gamora joined forces with a hardened Black Widowas theGuardians of the Multiverse, hoping to stop Infinity Ultron from destroying all creation.
Marvel Studios has confirmed that the animatedWhat If…?series will come to an end after its upcoming third season, leaving the future of these variant heroes uncertain.
Together, the Guardians of the Multiverse battled Infinity Ultron, eventually defeating him with the help of the Arnim Zola artificial intelligence that was uploaded into one of the late Hawkeye’s arrows. Strange Supreme then stopped the new Arnim Zola andKillmonger’s Black Panther, both of whom tried to claim the Infinity Stones for themselves.Infinity Ultron could have destroyed the entire multiverse very easily, so the Guardians of the Multiverse proved themselves to be some of the most formidable heroesin history.
8Doctor Stephen Strange
Doctor Strange Saved The Multiverse In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) & Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Following his experience with Peter Parker inSpider-Man: No Way Home, which saw him save the multiverse by making everyone forget the wall-crawler’s real identity, Doctor Strange found himself thrust into another multiversal adventure. InDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it wasWanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch who threatened the stability of the multiverse, as she planned to steal America Chavez’s universe-hopping power to reunite with her children.Doctor Strange’s multiversal journeydidn’t end there, however.
While Doctor Strange ultimately had a hand in saving the multiverse from the Scarlet Witch’s rampage, he may have also caused a great deal of damage.Strange’s journey to Earth-838 brought the Scarlet Witch there, too, which culminated in the massacre of the Illuminati team. This will surely have a huge impact on the multiverse, as will Strange killing his more villainous variant in a universe already ravaged by an incursion. Clea appeared inDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’post-credits sceneswarning of a new incursion, so Strange will surely return to try and save the multiverse again.
7Wanda Maximoff’s Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch Saved The Multiverse In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
Wanda Maximoff was featured as the villain ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with her actions actively putting the stability of the multiverse in real danger. However,her change of heart in the movie’s final moments actually saw her attempt to save the multiverse more than any other MCU hero. Not only did theScarlet Witch’s sacrifice during the destruction of Mount Wundagorestop her from continuing her conquest across the multiverse, but she also destroyed every copy of the Darkhold in existence.
The elimination of the Darkhold in every reality means that it will be much harder for anybody else to dream-walk in the same way that theScarlet Witch and Doctor Strangedid. This will ensure the protection of the multiverse for at least a little while longer, proving that the Scarlet Witch’s final act was one of sheer heroism.Elizabeth Olsen has been teased to return to the MCU, despite Wanda’s demise, and this could see her save the multiverse once againinAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars.
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6Scott Lang’s Ant-Man & Hope Van Dyne’s Wasp
Ant-Man & The Wasp Saved The Multiverse In Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)
Ant-Man and the Wasp saved the multiverse at the beginning of the MCU’s Phase 5 during their adventure in the Quantum Realm. Scott Lang was more than prepared to sacrifice his own life to stopKang the Conqueror from escaping the Quantum Realm, as this would have allowed the powerful villain to continue with the destruction of various timelines. However,Ant-Man didn’t stop the multiversal villain alone, as he was joined by Hope van Dyne’s Wasp at the last second, saving his life, and damning Kang.
Marvel Studios is expected to move on entirely from Kang’s storyline in the MCU, instead introducing Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, the new antagonist of Phase 6’sAvengersmovies.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniaquickly became one of the MCU’s most divisive projects, and it heavily featuredJonathan Majors, who has since been fired by Marvel Studiosfollowing his 2023 conviction. Because of this, it’s unclear how much ofQuantumaniawill be addressed in the MCU’s future, so it’s possible that Ant-Man and the Wasp saving the multiverse in their own way may have very little impact. Even so,it’s important to remember that even these size-changing heroes, who were once considered some of the MCU’s weakest, are actually hugely important and capable.
5Monica Rambeau
Monica Rambeau Saved The Multiverse In The Marvels (2023)
Monica Rambeau got the chance to put her new light-based abilities to the test in 2023’sThe Marvels, as she teamed up withCarol Danvers' Captain Marvel and Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvelto stop Kree villain Dar-Benn.The Marvelsdidn’t initially present itself as a multiversal project, but Dar-Benn’s final act saw her create a hole in the fabric of the universe that could have caused a destructive incursion event.This was thankfully thwarted by Monica Rambeau, but her sealing of this hole trapped her seemingly permanently on the other side.
The potential with Monica Rambeau’s future MCU stories is very exciting, as she has found herself trapped in a universe inhabited by the X-Men, including a variant of her own mother. Rather than the Captain Marvel ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,The Marvels’Maria Rambeau is Binary, who fought alongside the X-Men in Marvel Comics.Monica Rambeau saving the multiverse in Phase 5 may have created the opportunity for some of Marvel’s biggest and most exciting characters to appear in the MCU’s future.
4Captain Peggy Carter (& Kahhori)
Captain Carter Saved The Multiverse In What If…? Season 2 (2023)
Of course, Captain Carter was a key figure among the Guardians of the Multiverse inWhat If…?season 1. However,What If…?season 2 saw the super soldier branch out on her own and save the multiverse again - several times. After fighting the HYDRA Stomper at home,Captain Carter found herself thrust into an alternate 1602, where she successfully singled out Steve Rogers as the “Forerunner,” the time-displaced individual possibly causing an incursion. Carter then joined forces with theTesseract-powered hero Kahhorito take on an even greater threat.
Kahhori was created especially for Marvel Animation’sWhat If…?series, with no Marvel Comics counterpart, so the opportunities for her future in the MCU are endless.
In Strange Supreme’s Sanctum Infinitum, Captain Carter realizes the hero-turned-villain has been capturing variants from across the multiverse to feed to the Forge, a device capable of resurrecting his own destroyed universe.Captain Carter and Kahhoriacquire a huge number of significant weapons and tools, including the Infinity Stones, Mjolnir and Hela’s helmet, which help them take down Strange Supreme.It would be fantastic to see this powerful female duo return, perhaps in the live-actionAvengers: Secret Wars, to once again save the multiverse.
3Loki
Loki Saved The Multiverse In Loki Season 2 (2023)
WhileTom Hiddleston’s Loki started his MCU career back in Phase 1 as the spiteful brother of Thor and the first villain for the original Avengers team, he has recently become the most important figure in the multiverse, and its current ultimate savior. The events ofLokion Disney+ saw the God of Mischief uncover the truth behind the Time Variance Authority, deal withKang variant He Who Remains, and fight to protect the multiverse after the Sacred Timeline’s destruction. This leads to his greatest sacrifice, and biggest act of heroism ever.
While he spent most ofLokiseason 2 trying to work out a way to fix the Temporal Loom to stop the multiverse’s destruction, Loki soon realized there was only one way this could be accomplished.Loki destroyed the Temporal Loomand gathered the branches of the multiverse himself, taking his position on his new throne and using his magic to stand guard over all creation for eternity. Of course,this likely won’t be for all eternity, as Loki is heavily speculated to have a huge role inAvengers: Secret Wars.
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2The Time Variance Authority
The TVA Continue To Protect The Multiverse After Loki Season 2 (2023)
While they were under the leadership of He Who Remains, theTime Variance Authoritydid everything in its power to stop the possibility of the multiverse from even existing. The TVA used to capture variants and prune entire timelines, ensuring only the Sacred Timeline continued safely. However,Lokiseason 2 marked a huge change for the organization, as Loki took control, and stressed the protection of every branch of the multiverse. This transformed the TVA into a force for good, rather than a group to be feared.
There have been some teething problems with this transition, as the likes ofGeneral Dox and Mr. Paradox have expressed distaste at the TVA’s new mission to protect the multiverse. Both have gone rogue in attempts to get back to the old way of doing things, but Loki and his found-family in the TVA, including Mobius, B-15 and Ouroboros, have snuffed out these rebellions quickly. The TVA will surely have a crucial role in the protection of the multiverse in theMCU’s upcomingAvengers: Secret Wars.
1Wade Wilson’s Deadpool & James “Logan” Howlett’s Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine Saved The Multiverse In Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
Marvel Studios' most recent feature film introduced two more heroes who managed to protect the stability of the multiverse by defeatingEmma Corrin’s terrifying Cassandra Nova. Deadpool and Wolverine banded together in the eponymousDeadpool & Wolverineto save Earth-10005, the official designation of Fox’s X-Men Universe.This world was at threat of being destroyed by both Mr. Paradox, with his Time Ripper, and Cassandra Nova, who wanted to absorb the Time Ripper’s energyand use it to spaghettify the entire multiverse.
Deadpool & Wolverinehas become one of the MCU’s most successful projects ever, crossing the $1 billion mark in only three weekends.
InDeadpool & Wolverine’sfinal moments, Wade Wilson and a shirtless Logan stop Cassandra Nova, seemingly eliminating the villain, and stopping Earth-10005’s imminent destruction by the Time Ripper.Loki’sB-15 makes an appearance to inform the pair that their actions mysteriously stopped Earth-10005 from deteriorating after the loss of its Anchor Being, meaning Deadpool and Wolverine fully spared this branch of the MCU’s multiverse. This is expected to be a temporary measure, however, as Deadpool and Wolverine are both rumored to show up inAvengers: Secret Wars, perhaps following an incursion betweenEarth-10005 and the MCU’s Earth-616.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Cast
Avengers: Secret Wars is an anticipated installment in Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, serving as the finale of The Multiverse Saga. Scheduled for release in December 2027, the film’s plot remains under wraps, fueling curiosity about its role in the expansive Marvel narrative.
