Doctor Strange not only introduced the element of magic and mysticism to the MCU, it also re- introduced the concept of the Marvel multiverse. Stephen Strange, once a brilliant doctor has to rethink everything he thought to be factual and re-imagine the world as he knows it to be just a small part of a bigger world.It was crucial, as the villain Dormammu was outside of the world we know.In his training, the Ancient One exposes Strange to the different realms of the multiverse, one of which has already been featured in another Marvel film.
Scott Derrickson confirmed that the Quantum Realm was indeed included in Doctor Strange in the director’s commentary for the Marvel movie’s home release.The director stated that it was an intentional execution that joined together the multiverse:
“This image here is obviously a nod to Ant-Man and the Quantum Realm, acknowledging that as one of the mysterious realms of existence.”
Ant-Man had introduced the world of the Quantum Realm, a universe that is microscopic but virtually as diverse as any other part of the multiverse.This small easter egg (pun intended)might be Marvel’s way to announce to fans that the Doctor and Ant-Man might team up in the future. Strange is already travelling the multiverse, in his quest to help the Asgardian God of Thunder Thor.
Since Ant-Man and The Wasp will soon start production, it may be more than likely that Strange would pop up for a cameo or even another supporting role, given the fact that he is one of the few characters in MCU who can travel through space and time easily.
The importance of the Marvel multiverse has not really been explored yet, but the addition of Doctor Strange may soon lead to the possibility of other superheroes being more inter-connected to one another, even without The Avengers. Since Phase 3 is only starting, we will have to keep a lookout of how much importance the multiverse really plays to the characters at large.
