Incursions have become a defining part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although some MCU directors have described them as a daunting creative challenge, the collapsing of realities is expected to play a major role in “Avengers: Doomsday.” Watch Looper’s video above for a complete explanation.
The concept first appeared during Marvel’s “Secret Wars” comic storyline, in which a race called the Beyonders set out to destroy the multiverse. Because the Beyonders do not exist in the MCU, the films have reworked the idea. As revealed in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” an incursion happens when the boundary separating two realities weakens, causing the worlds to crash into each other. Dreamwalking — possessing a version of oneself in another universe — prolonged travel across realities, and remaining in a universe where one does not belong can all trigger that deterioration.
In “Multiverse of Madness,” the Doctor Strange of Earth-838, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, destroyed an entire reality after using dreamwalking to search for a way to defeat Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin. The film’s conclusion introduces another looming threat: Clea, played by Charlize Theron, recruits the Doctor Strange of the Sacred Timeline to help stop an incursion caused by his own interference across the multiverse.
Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors, also discusses incursions in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” while describing a multiversal conflict involving countless Kangs. Those incursions were ultimately contained by He Who Remains. The MCU has already shown the consequences of these collisions, but “Avengers: Doomsday” appears poised to expand the concept on a much larger scale.
How will incursions factor into Avengers: Doomsday?
Much about “Avengers: Doomsday” remains secret, as the film is not scheduled to reach theaters until December 18. However, additional footage shown in “Avengers: Endgame Encore” confirms that incursions will factor into the story in some form. One post-credits sequence shows the Time Variance Authority, first introduced in “Loki,” responding as thousands of worlds collide and are destroyed.
Something within the multiverse appears to have set off these incursions at the same time, and Steve Rogers’ actions may provide the key. At the conclusion of “Avengers: Endgame,” Steve returns the Infinity Stones to their proper places before choosing to remain in the past with Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell. A separate “Encore” post-credits scene shows Steve dancing with Peggy until Loki, portrayed by Tom Hiddleston, arrives to visit him.
The most likely explanation is that Steve’s decision to stay in the past created a new timeline and destabilized the multiverse. A person existing in the wrong reality is one established cause of incursions. When that is combined with the MCU’s many other disruptions to the multiverse, the damage may now be occurring everywhere at once. Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr., is gathering heroes to restore reality according to his own vision. For a deeper look at how incursions work, watch Looper’s video above.
