Could Incursions Be The Next Big Threat for the MCU?
****Spoiler Warning for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness****
We have seen these multiversal phenomena in What If...?, heard them mentioned, and visited a universe ravaged by one Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but what are incursions, and are they the next significant threat that Earth's Mightiest Heroes must face?
Since the introduction of the Multiverse in Loki, we have been exposed to more and more multiversal madness over the last year in films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as the Multiverse hopping television show What If...?. With all of the strange and wonderful universes and characters we have been introduced to, we are left wondering if we haven't been introduced to the deadliest threat as well; incursions. Having already killed off the comic book universe of Earth-616 (or caused a soft reboot in writing terms), could we see them do the same for the MCU Earth-616 and the rest of the Multiverse?
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The idea of incursions was introduced in Johnathan Hickman's Secret Wars, which outlined that incursions were the collisions of two or more universes, resulting in the destruction of all life and matter. Rather than being a physical entity or villain, incursions would be a natural phenomenon that would become the Avenger's greatest villain, much more dangerous than Thanos or even Kang. Due to it being a natural occurrence, the Avengers and the rest of the Multiverse had to fight against nature itself.
Every universe is connected through one event, person, or object in the comics. This means that each universe can impact another, with major or minor impacts. For example, in the comics, it is discovered that one universe was destroyed by the Fantastic Four villain Molecule Man. Because of this destruction, the rest of the Multiverse sees a chain reaction rage through it, destroying more and more universes. However, it was revealed that these incursions could be stopped during the eight-hour time window where both universes are visible to each other. The incursions' focal point in every reality was always Earth, leaving the Earth's Mightiest Heroes and other superhero teams to devise a solution.
One solution that became increasingly controversial was the idea of destroying the other Earth that was on a collision course with Earth-616. This would, in theory, as the Illuminati believed, save both universes and one Earth rather than allowing both Earths to perish. This, of course, would cause the death of billions on the other Earth, something many of our golden-hearted heroes might be unwilling to do. Another solution in one instance was found by the Avengers, who used the Infinity Gauntlet to successfully push the other Earth back away from a potential collision. However, this brief respite from the threat of multiversal destruction came at a cost with the destruction of several of the Infinity Stones.
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there are numerous mentions of incursions. On Earth-838, Strange is put on trial by the Illuminati for being a danger to Earth-616 and for the crimes of his 838-counterpart. In this universe, it is revealed that the Illuminati deemed Strange too dangerous to be left alive after he used the Darkhold to try and find a way to defeat Thanos. During his use of the Darkhold, he 'dream-walked,' the new term Marvel has created to describe an individual taking control of a multiversal counterpart's body. This dream-walk resulted in an incursion that caused that universe to be enveloped by the incursion. This resulted in the deaths of trillions of souls. The fact that the Illuminati put 838-Strange to death for his crime and the risk he posed shows the serious level of threat the incursion posed.
We've actually seen incursions occur on two different occasions already. In the Multiverse of Madness, Strange visits a universe ravaged by an incursion. There appears to be no one left alive apart from the corrupted Strange, as the world around him disintegrates into nothing. As the corrupted strange explains, this universe was in the midst of an incursion caused by the collision with another universe. One was utterly destroyed, whilst another was left in a decomposing state. He hints that, within a short period, there will be nothing left of this universe.
In What If?, we have seen that through Strange Supreme's actions, the universe has been broken in a way very similar to that of corrupted Strange's. We see the same disintegrating black void overtaking the various buildings and individuals, blaming Strange Supreme's actions through meddling with the timeline. A paradox is blamed for the decimation of this universe. However, is an incursion not an overarching label for natural destructions of reality? If this is the case, then we have already seen not one but two examples of incursions, with a third one rapidly incoming, judging from the post-credits scene of Multiverse of Madness. Clea is undoubtedly focused on helping our 616 Strange stop an incursion he apparently caused.
What's certain is that these incursions are incredibly dangerous events. But, as I said before, they're natural phenomena, not a villain with a physical body with weaknesses that can be punched or destroyed. Sacrifice is the only way these incursions can be stopped, at the cost of billions of lives. I wonder whether the Avengers or current heroes of the MCU have the stomach to make the tough decisions if it comes to it. For the sake of our heroes, let's just hope that Strange, sooner or later, starts to think about an Earth-616 version of the Illuminati to make the hard calls.
If these incursions continue to appear, it may be that they, not Kang are the next significant Endgame level threat. Or, more likely, I believe that Kang will cause the chain reaction of incursions that result in a reset of the MCU. What better way to keep it fresh and entertain for another 15 years than resetting and opening new storytelling opportunities.
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Source(s): Marvel Wiki , Collider