When Iron Man came out in 2008, no one expected that the greatest cinematic universe would be born from that superhero film. What followed was years of setting up different films that cleverly connected to each other, giving fans an experience they've never had in theaters. Marvel's efforts culminated in Avengers: Endgame, delivering one of the most satisfying conclusions in movie history. Now, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going through the same process as it sets the stage for what will soon come.

We take a deep dive below to see what the latest Doctor Strange film has set up and what it means to the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Doctor Strange and Incursions

Doctor Strange, Multiverse of Madness, Marvel, Entertainment

What started out as a simple premise of protecting America Chavez from an unseen foe quickly changed into a complicated matter for Doctor Strange. As the film revealed Wanda Maximoff as its primary antagonist, the conflict was set up to be a fight between the forces of Kamar-Taj and the Scarlet Witch.

What followed was the MCU's first large-scale battle involving magic with Wanda on one end and a host of sorcerers led by Strange and Wong on the other. But while the latter had the advantage of numbers, it was the former Avenger who came out on top. This development led America to panic, leading her to escape to a portal with Strange.

What followed was a momentary journey through various universes as they fell through the portal America created until they ended up in one that's both familiar and jarringly bizarre. It's at this point where both Strange and Chavez are locked up with the former Sorceror Supreme appearing not before Earth's mightiest heroes of that alternate reality, but a more dangerous collective in the comics – the Illuminati.

In the comics, the Illuminati are comprised of Marvel characters that hold a lot of power and influence within their respective spheres. Iron Man and Mister Fantastic represented the general superhero community, Doctor Strange provided insight as Earth's Sorceror Supreme, Professor Charles Xavier was the face of mutants, while Namor and Black Bolt acted with the interests of Atlantis and Inhumans respectively. The factor that sets this group apart is they acted without any oversight from their peers and made massive decisions in secret.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gave Marvel fans a glimpse of that dynamic when they discreetly executed their Sorceror Supreme after learning of his atrocities and made up a false narrative for the public. This, in turn, was explained to the MCU's Doctor Strange and the repercussions of his variant's actions – incursions.

In the film, Mister Fantastic explains that when a person dreamwalks, or inhabits the body of his or her variant in another universe, one or both realities may be destroyed because of the forbidden act. Due to its effect, the Illuminati decided to execute their Stephen Strange.

Of course, Marvel doesn't just lay a ton of exposition down in the middle of a movie without bearing fruit down the road. This small explanation about incursions can only lead to the studio's next big event – Secret Wars.

How Multiverse of Madness sets up Secret Wars

In the comics, there have been two iterations of Secret Wars. The first one involved a god-like being called the Beyonder, who then gathered different heroes and villains to fight each other in a location called Battleworld.

While that premise seemed simple enough, the second Secret Wars event in the comics was a more complex one. It involved the end of everything when realities started colliding with each other, or incursions as the incident was known. Reality was only saved when Doctor Doom possessed the powers of the Beyonders and created a new world that was composed of all the remaining universes left.

The concept of incursions in both the MCU and the comic universe is eerily the same with both realities set to die or one of them will be saved. And since Marvel is known for planting seeds early on in their films, it only stands to reason that Secret Wars will be the culmination of Phases Four, Five, and Six, much like how Endgame was for the first three phases.

Fans can expect the MCU to not only introduce important characters, like the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, but double-down on the Multiverse and all the variants of their characters. As proven by Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, there will always be room for exciting new takes on different Marvel characters to come alive on the big screen.

With the conflict slowly being set up and the necessary characters about to make their debut in upcoming projects, the promise of Secret Wars becoming even greater than the Infinity Saga is looking very good. Keep an eye out for more of the seeds being planted in Phase Four and beyond because they'll surely bear fruit in the coming years.