Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is the long-awaited sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange origin film, and is the 28th film in the MCU. Multiverse of Madness follows Doctor Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) who teams up with America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) as they travel across the Multiverse to prevent the Scarlet Witch from obtaining America’s universe-hopping powers. The film features a record number of cameo appearances from actors including John Krasinski and Bruce Campbell. Multiverse of Madness currently holds the title as the second-highest-grossing film of 2022 and has been subject to a great deal of praise, particularly for Sam Raimi’s direction.
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has brought a great deal of new canonical content into the MCU. One such aspect introduced in the film is the concepts of incursions, something that had never before been mentioned in the MCU. While the Doctor Strange films are full of magic and powerful sorcery, incursions are a new addition to the MCU. Incursions do receive an explanation in Multiverse of Madness, considering the great threat that they pose to Multiversal peace, as outlined by CBR. For the most part, however, incursions are still unknown as they have only been introduced in Multiverse of Madness. So, based on what’s been revealed to us, what exactly is an incursion?
What is an Incursion?
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An incursion occurs when boundaries between universes corrode and eventually end up colliding with one another. The collision course of an incursion can lead to the destruction of one or both corroding universes and usually results in the heroes of each universe fighting for the survival of their own universe and the people within. In Multiverse of Madness, the incursions lead the audience to experience many versions of many heroes throughout the Multiverse. This includes John Krasinski as Reed Richards, who explains the gravity of messing with the Multiverse and potential catastrophic consequences of incursions.
Rules of Incursions
When Stephen Strange meets with The Illuminati, Reed Richards proceeds to explain how exactly incursions work to him. Reed explains that his presence in an alternate universe that is not his own confuses the universe and destabilizes reality. As a result, the more evidence Strange leaves behind of his presence in an alternate universe, the more damage he will do. That being said, one does not need to be physically present in other universes to cause an incursion, proven by Strange Supreme using dreamwalking to travel through universes to find a way to defeat Thanos. This caused a chain reaction of events that led to an incursion, which resulted in one of the universes being erased from existence altogether. Dreamwalking in and of itself can cause incursions to occur as it creates a large footprint for Strange in many universes through the physical and non-physical presence of Strange.
Who Can Cause Incursions?
So far, it may seem like Stephen Strange, as one of the most powerful magic-users in the world, is the only one powerful enough to cause an incursion, but that is not true. Considering that Wanda Maximoff AKA The Scarlet Witch is arguably more powerful than Doctor Strange as she dreamwalked to find America Chavez and is the only being that can portal into alternate realities, she leaves a large footprint whenever traveling between universes. Wanda even proves her power by killing five of the members of the Illuminati in a different reality, leaving an even bigger impression outside of her own universe. It’s arguable that the Spider-Man reunion between Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could have been enough to trigger an incursion, but it’s impossible to be sure as not all the rules of incursions are clear at this moment. That being said, the mid-credits scene of Multiverse of Madness introduced Charlize Theron as Clea, who enlists Doctor Strange’s help to fix the incursion he caused. As such, it’s likely we’ll learn more the next time Stephen returns to our screens.
