Doctor Strange and soon-to-be Avengers: Infinity War actor Benedict Cumberbatch has strongly hinted that the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe lies in the Multiverse, a collective, catch-all term for all parallel dimensions ever to exist under the Marvel umbrella.
Buried in the Thor: Ragnarok extras (and beyond that surprise appearance from Yondu) is an MCU featurette entitled, ‘Marvel Studios: The First Ten Years – The Evolution of Heroes.’ It’s all part of Marvel’s ongoing celebrations as the MCU nears its 10th anniversary – for the record, Iron Man got the ball rolling in quite some style all the way back in May of 2008 – though it did include one particularly intriguing comment from the Sorcerer Supreme, Benedict Cumberbatch.
As spotted by Cinema Blend, the British thesp suggests that Marvel’s superhero franchise will begin to “explode into other dimensions” as we move into Phase 4 and beyond.
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.
Couple this with the inevitable addition of Fox’s X-Men roster and you have all the makings of a crowded mega-franchise the likes of which we’ve never seen before – you know, providing the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t fall prey to superhero fatigue.
Multiverse or not, we’ll begin to get a better read on the MCU’s future once Avengers: Infinity War touches down on May 4th. Beyond that? The back-to-back release of Ant-Man and the Wasp and the long-anticipated Captain Marvel movie, which will presumably act as a springboard for Carol Danvers and her journey into the so-far untitled Avengers 4. Expect that one to bow on May 3rd, 2019.
