‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ saved the last of its many supersecret cameos for the first of two post-credits scenes.
[SPOILERS] In her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Charlize Theron shows up as a character (rumoured to be Clea from the comics) who calls out to Doctor Strange and warns him that he has caused an “incursion.” That word is a big clue as to the future of Marvel Studios’ ongoing connected adventures.
Incursions, as revealed during ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ are when two universes collide. The destruction and loss of life is rampant and only one universe is left standing.
Incursions were a part of Secret Wars, a Marvel comic book event from the ‘80s and, most recently, 2015. A new Secret Wars could be the next big MCU event, with the same scope and impact of ‘Infinity War’ and ‘Endgame.’
One of the key themes of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ is traveling through alternate universes, thanks to the introduction of America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), whose power is her ability to do exactly that. But walking into a universe that is not your own has consequences, and those consequences are, you guessed it: incursions.
Theron’s character literally slices a hole in the fabric of the reality around Doctor Strange, revealing another universe on the other side. She says there’s work to be done if Strange doesn’t want the incursion to destroy everything around him, and they dive into the other universe together.
Not nearly as dramatic is the second post-credits scene, featuring the comedic chops of Bruce Campbell. He has frequently made cameos in Sam Raimi’s films after starring in the director’s ‘Evil Dead’ franchise (remember when he was the ring announcer in the first ‘Spider-Man’ movie?), and appears at the beginning of ‘Multiverse of Madness’ as the Pizza Papa after Doctor Strange and America Chavez land in a universe that’s not their own. In that scene, after a confrontation, Doctor Strange uses a little sorcery to make Campbell’s character begin punching his own face repeatedly.
When America Chavez asks how long the Pizza Papa will keep punching himself, Strange says it could be quite a while. Weeks, maybe.
As the second post-credits scene begins, we see Campbell’s self-inflicting punches finally stop. He looks directly into the camera and says, “It’s over.” A nod to the end of his self-punishment and to the end of ‘Multiverse of Madness.’
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‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ is out in UAE cinemas
