The upcoming films Doctor Strange 2 and Moon Knight suggest that the MCU is about to enter a new era of conflict. It will be a departure from the first three phases, which were largely based in reality and on Earth, with a few notable exceptions, in this new phase. In light of the increasing prominence of the multiverse in several MCU shows and films, a new conflict may be on the horizon that is unlike anything seen during the Infinity Saga.
A Magical War In The MCU
As the latest avatar of Khonshu, the Egyptian god of the moon, Marc Spector is transformed into the vigilante Moon Knight. Marc has a second personality known as Steven Grant, who works at a museum gift shop in London, as a result of his dissociative identity disorder. Sword and sorcery are two other MCU magic that can be found. Doctor Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme and Master of the Mystic Arts, is the most obvious magic-user. Eldritch magic and the multiverse are taught to him by the Ancient One. Scarlet Witch’s WandaVision Chaos magic and Loki and Sylvie’s Asgardian magic are examples of other types of magic in the MCU.
Is the MCU about to be engulfed in a magical war? Since Kenneth Branagh’s Thor in 2011, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has explored the concept of magic. With the absence of technology-focused heroes like Iron Man and Captain America, magical heroes appear to be taking center stage in the series. Doctor Strange and Scarlet Witch could take on leadership roles in the Avengers’ new line-up, indicating that the combination of different types of magic will be critical in the future.
How Will This Affect The Multiverse?
WandaVision’s Agatha Harkness, Thor: Love and Thunder, as well as Moon Knight’s introduction to the MCU’s multiverse, all hint that magic will play an important role in the MCU’s future. Heroes and villains may have to work together in order to save the world from a threat from multiple universes. In order to combat a threat from outside the known universe, the MCU will need every magic-user it has, as Spider-Man: No Way Home demonstrated how much power is required to open a tear in the multiverse.
There is a strong possibility that the MCU’s Phase 4 will focus on magic and technology, especially if Kang the Conqueror emerges as the overarching villain. If in Phase 3, a team of most technologically advanced heroes like Iron Man and the Guardians of the Galaxy faced off against Thanos and his magical Infinity Gauntlet, an alien, in Phase 4, a most magical team faces off against a powerful, technologically advanced threat, things could go the other way around. Moon Knight, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and several other future works with magic-powered leads have yet to reveal the scope of the danger to the multiverse and how powerful the Avengers’ magic users will become.
