MCU: Why Doctor Strange's Multiverse Is Key To The X-Men & Fantastic Four

4. The Trigger Event?

Ever since Disney started to look into the Fox deal that would see the X-Men and the Fantastic Four (among lots of other characters) come under Marvel Studio's control, we've been told to expect to see those characters joining the current timeline, rather than it being rebooted.

Given the enormity of the idea of there being such big characters hidden somewhere in an existing timeline, rumours quickly turned to filling the gaps. Surely, the only way to get around the contrivance of mutants just being around and nobody talking about them or the Fantastic Four being in hiding despite the prominence of Reed Richards was to have some sort of trigger event that would bring them into the MCU from outside?

Over the years since then, we've seen a fair few theories on where they'd come from, ranging from the Reality Stone's influence to Thanos' snap to Scarlet Witch having a House Of M moment to the Multiverse being torn open. And that last one might be the most prescient.

Maybe Mysterio got something right and tampering with the fabric of existence WOULD have huge ramifications. It's not like there hasn't been precedent in Mordo's warning at the way Sorcerors meddle with the true balance of things. How better to expand on that story than to show that he was, in fact, right?

Perhaps whatever brings Vision back or whatever it is that Strange is forced to do within one of the realms governed by the human conscious ends up pulling apart existence as we've known it in the MCU. And what if that's the key to the arrival of mutants?

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