The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree - for a film with a title involving multiverses, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sure explores its fair share of different realities. The majority of universes appear in the brief scene where Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) tumble through the multiverse, with major hints of possible universes to be visited in the future.
The teasers of this scene experiment with elasticity and teasing realms that can possibly connect to Marvel Comics characters that haven’t been seen in the MCU yet: some, in particular, stand out.
The Stark Drone Universe
Similarly to Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home, we are given a mysterious universe in the sequence that features the same Stark drones. The mystery of these drones captivates and evokes curiosity about their actual purpose.
Nothing else is seen in this universe besides these drones, suggesting that this may be the only creation in the universe. Another possibility is their connection to Tony Stark, but regardless - much remains unknown.
The Universe Between Universes
A universe that we have a prolonged scene with is the universe that exists between all of the different realities in the multiverse. The Book of Vishanti lives in this realm, making it key to the MCU’s multiverse and highly significant as the center of all the different universes.
The Book of Vishanti is the MacGuffin in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, with America and Doctor Strange racing to reach it - especially alongside the chaos caused by the Book of the Damned. It ranks among the most powerful weapons in Marvel Comics, making this universe a significant one indeed.
The Ancient Ruins Universe
When tumbling through multiple universes, a key one in the sequences resembles ancient ruins floating through a broken space. This seems similar to the Olympus shown in Thor: Love and Thunder.
As Olympus may suffer at the hands of Gorr the God Butcher, this is definitely one of the more captivating universes. The ancient ruins glimpsed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness could be a dark projection of the future, where Gorr the God Butcher kills gods from every pantheon in the MCU.
The Sinister Strange Universe
This universe resembles the What If..? episode starring Doctor Strange’s alternate reality. This Doctor Strange resides in this reality, seeming to be completely alone, sinister, and possibly hinting at the fate of Earth-616.
This universe proceeds to crumble to nothing, particularly because of the incursion that Earth-838 Doctor Strange created. At the end of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, after overcoming Chton, the Creator of the Darkhold, Earth-616 Strange discovers he’s also created an incursion - another hint of what could be yet to come for the MCU.
The Bone Universe
Another universe that simultaneously is both intriguing and frightening is the Bone Universe, which sails past as Doctor Strange and America Chavez tumble through the multiverse. The hellish landscape seems to be constructed entirely of human bones, hinting at the existence of Mephisto.
In Marvel Comics, Mephisto ranks among one of the most powerful. Fans often discuss when his MCU debut will be, and this tease of a demonic dimension could be a suspenseful clue to his eventual arrival in the universe.
The Paint Universe
Slightly more on the unfathomable and somewhat absurdist side is the paint universe, which mainly exploits the vast possibilities of the multiverse. Doctor Strange and America, in all the chaos, fall into this world where they become globs of wet paint in a universe entirely made from paint.
While this is a quick universe, it appears to have little structure, and not much can be discerned from it. While this universe doesn’t hold much significance, it’s a great way to demonstrate the endless capabilities of the multiverse.
The Cubic Universe
This universe is much more disturbing, at least for any visitors—as Doctor Strange and America fall into a universe where everything seems to be organized into cubic shapes, even Doctor Strange and America fragmenting into cubes.
The city itself matches this cubic nature, suggesting that everything and everyone in this universe is manifested into cubes. This reality is quick in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness but could make for an interesting premise for season 2 of What If..?
The Animated Universe
For a brief moment, Doctor Strange and America Chavez transform into animated versions of themselves. This animation is reminiscent of the art style seen in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
This animated style is different from other Marvel animated shows and isn’t an exact match to any of them, but it resembles them nonetheless. It’s a creative way to show the endless possibilities of the multiverse again while reminiscing on older Marvel content that die-hard fans will appreciate.
The Living Tribunal’s Realm
This universe appears at the beginning of the tumble through the multiverse, as Doctor Strange and America fly past the floating heads of who seems to be The Living Tribunal - arguably the most powerful Marvel Comics cosmic being.
The Living Tribunal first appears in Marvel Comics in a key Doctor Strange adventure, with a statue of him appearing in Loki. Seeing this universe in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an exciting hint of what is yet to come for the cosmic being, including an official introduction to the MCU.
Earth-838
This last multiverse becomes a large part of where the film takes place, containing significant MCU cameos like the franchise debuts of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
This universe provides fans with insane clues to how the multiverse function, the concept of incursion, and future MCU films. The idea of the incursion was explored in the 2015 Secret Wars comic book event, and it seems likely that this is a storyline that will be adopted by the MCU sooner rather than later.