Doctor Strange 2’s Multiverse Perfectly Sets Up The MCU’s Avengers Vs X-Men

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness looks set to bring mutants into the MCU, and this provides the perfect opportunity for the franchise to adapt the Avengers Vs X-Men comic books. Following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the coming Doctor Strange film will see the ex-sorcerer supreme dealing with the repercussions of his spell which opened the multiverse to a host of characters from other superhero franchises. This collision of universes could see the MCU introduction of some of its long-awaited properties including the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

The trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness teased such a reveal, with a hint that the sorcerer will come face to face with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X and The Illuminati. Stewart’s unmistakable voice can be heard saying the line “we should tell him the truth,” as Strange stands in front of a council seemingly set on deciding his punishment for the desecration of reality. The presence of Professor X in the MCU suggests that the introduction of more mutants is on the horizon.

This multiversal collision could be the catalyst for the MCU adapting Avengers Vs X-Men, one of Marvel’s most popular comic book arcs. Although it is unlikely that the cinematic universe would faithfully adapt the source material – given the recent failure of Fox’s attempts to adapt the Phoenix storyline – there is certainly scope for the Avengers and the X-Men to go toe-to-toe. Like Captain America: Civil War, this storyline could see the MCU taking the title and key events of the comic book series and applying them to an original storyline.

2012’s Avengers Vs X-Men saw the Phoenix Force approaching Earth, with Hope Summers—the adopted daughter of Cable and granddaughter of Cyclops—assumed to be the energy’s focus. The two superhero groups are divided on how to deal with the situation. The X-Men see the arrival of the Phoenix as a sign of the rebirth of Mutantkind, whereas the Avengers believe that it will bring an end to all life on Earth. This leads to a great war, in which the two opposing sides fight over the custody of Hope and the control of the Phoenix Force.

If Doctor Strange is to assume the role as the new leader of the Avengers, then his previous experience with inhabitants of other universes would provide the necessary hostility for the comic to be adapted to the big screen. Spider-Man: No Way Home showed the biggest threat of opening the multiverse to be the arrival of villains from other universes into the MCU. It is therefore likely that the appearance of Mutants could lead to a similar level of hostility that Strange showed to the host of Spider-Man villains–instantly assuming that they are a threat to Earth which must be stopped. This would establish the Avengers and the X-Men as two opposing teams and could lead to some of the epic battles that run throughout the comic book.

Much like Civil War, it is safe to assume that this conflict would soon be settled to avoid presenting the X-Men as the MCU’s next main villains. The end of the comic sees the remaining members of the two teams coming together to form a new Avengers—chronicled in the 2012 comic book series Uncanny Avengers—featuring Captain America, Havok, Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, and Thor as its inaugural members. The films may take a similar approach with the initial hostility between the two sides being replaced by a common goal to defeat a shared foe. The prospect of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness nonetheless poses a mass expansion of the MCU, suggesting that the Avengers’ next conflict could be against another of Marvel’s superhero groups.