We might want to think about renaming Marvel Phase 4 the "Multiverse Phase". That’s because the upcoming slate of MCU movies (and Disney Plus shows) could be heavily influenced by the multiverse, a concept introduced in Doctor Strange and further expanded upon in Avengers: Endgame. Speaking at Brazil’s Comic Con Experience, president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige revealed which 2021 movie will affect the entire MCU in a big way and how the multiverse ties into that.

During an interview with Brazilian outlet Omelete, Feige outlined how important the multiverse – the idea that there are infinite universes, ones that could potentially cross over – to the MCU: “The multiverse is the next step in the evolution of the MCU and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is going to crack it wide open in ways that will have repercussions.”

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going to crack it wide open in ways that will have repercussions for the Disney+ shows before it (that’s not WandaVision) and for movies after it.”Kevin Feige on how the Multiverse is the next step in the EVOLUTION of the MCU. pic.twitter.com/otoB9iDivmDecember 8, 2019

Feige adds that it will directly influence “Disney Plus shows just before it (that’s not WandaVision) and movies just after it in a big, fun way… fans of the MCU telling us we want to see more, we want to go to new places, we want to see new things, has made us be bold enough to go crazy with the multiverse.”

Any guesses as to where the multiverse will crop up next? It was already teased (and later debunked) as Mysterio’s origin in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but it’s interesting to note that Loki is the only Disney Plus series, other than WandaVision, that arrives just before the Doctor Strange sequel on May 7, 2021. As for what comes after: Thor: Love and Thunder arrives on November 5, 2021 and features a female Thor, seemingly plucked from nowhere. Just saying.

Quick, try and memorise the Marvel timeline before the multiverse makes things *even more* confusing