Doctor Strange 2 Easter Egg Confirms Thanos' Best Replacement Theory

An Easter egg in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirms that Thanos’ replacement as the next significant threat in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is coming. Marvel has confirmed that the technology used by Reed Richards (John Krasinski) during his appearance in the film is in fact the time platform used by Victor Von Doom, a.k.a. Doctor Doom, taken straight from the pages of the comics. With Doctor Strange 2 offering fans a first look at the leader of the Fantastic Four, and a film focusing on the First Family of Marvel coming in the next few years, it seems Doctor Doom is being slowly introduced as the new Thanos-level villain.

Reed Richards makes his long-awaited entrance into the MCU during Doctor Strange 2 as a member of Earth-838’s Illuminati, using a shimmering blue square as his form of transportation into the Illuminati chamber. In Marvel comics, the time platform is invented by Victor Von Doom, the archenemy of the Fantastic Four. The device is often used as a weapon against the team, but also as a means for Doctor Doom to travel back in time and learn as much as he can about the mystic arts. At one point, the time platform is acquired by Richards, who studies it in the Baxter Building, perhaps pointing to why Richards has the device in Doctor Strange 2.

It’s unknown whether the time platform shown in Doctor Strange 2 has the same time-travel properties as its comic counterpart, but its appearance in the MCU strongly suggests that Doctor Doom is right around the corner. Since Thanos’ defeat in Avengers: Endgame, fans have been wondering who will take the Mad Titan's place as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's next long-term villain. MCU Phase 4 so far has been lacking an overarching storyline beyond the multiverse, but just as Marvel teased Thanos slowly during Phases 1, 2, and 3, the same could be happening with Doctor Doom, as this isn’t the first Easter egg pointing to the Marvel supervillain.

During Moon Knight episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem”, Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) wakes up in a small village in the Alps that looks like Latveria, an Eastern European nation that, in the comics, is the birthplace of Doctor Doom and the region over which he ends up ruling as monarch. Orange-roofed houses and a looming castle bear a striking resemblance to the Latveria seen in Marvel comics, giving avid viewers a tease of the iconic masked villain. With the potential appearance of Latveria in Moon Knight and the reveal of the time platform in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it seems that Marvel is slowly beginning to lay the groundwork for Doctor Doom’s introduction into the MCU, with a possible arrival in the upcoming Fantastic Four film or beyond. Fans have been waiting for years for a movie adaptation of Doctor Doom that does the character justice, with multiple previous Fantastic Four films missing the mark.

Moon Knight and Doctor Strange 2 Easter eggs teasing Doom’s introduction are exciting for the franchise's future, especially since it seems that Marvel may be building him up to be Thanos’ replacement as the next long-running villain. Doctor Doom is among the most famous and important villains in comic book history, dating back to his 1962 debut in Stan Lee's The Fantastic Four #5. Given the character's status, it is unlikely Marvel Studios would simply introduce Victor Von Doom as a one-note villain, making him arguably the best candidate to fill the Mad Titan's shoes in the MCU going forward. A potential sighting of Latveria and the reveal of Doom’s time platform via Reed Richards in Doctor Strange 2 are surely just the first two teases for the supremely powerful villain, with Fantastic Four on the horizon and no sign of Marvel slowing down, it hopefully won’t be long until Doctor Doom is finally brought into the MCU.

Spider-Man's Symbol Has Officially Become The Opposite of Superman's

Marvel's Spider-Man has a symbol that stands for the complete opposite of Superman's own, as the image of Miles Morales has been corrupted and twisted in a dark, dystopian future. The symbol has come to mean many different things in Marvel's New York: triumph for citizens and arrogance for the press, namely J Jonah Jameson. Now in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #39, the spider symbol stands for fear and oppression - for some very tragic reasons.

In previous issues, Miles Morales successfully defeated his doppelgängers in a Clone Saga of his very own. Unlike Peter Parker's infamous Clone Saga in the 90s, Miles was forced to contend with three: leader Selim, psychic Mindspinner and the impossibly-strong Shift. Miles eventually swayed Shift to his side and subsequently dispatched Mindspinner and Selim - or so he thought. Traveling to a dark future timeline, Miles and Shift were shocked to see Selim as the new ruler of Brooklyn, known now as the Empire of the Spider.

In Miles Morales: Spider-Man #39, written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Alberto Foche, Miles and Shift link up with the small resistance movement that fights back against Selim and his troops. Ganke, now a much older resistance leader, tells Miles about his younger sister Billie, now a fighter herself. "All that evil crap Selim did...he did it under that spider symbol" says Ganke. Billie grew up around the oppression of the Empire of the Spider - and learned to hate the symbol, along with everyone else.

This is in sharp contrast to the emblem of Superman, which stands as a symbol for hope in the DC Universe (in some continuities, the symbol is the Kryptonian symbol for hope as well as the House of El family crest). Miles Morales has always been a hopeful character, and despite his age, often makes more mature decisions than Peter Parker. Unfortunately Selim has accomplished what no other clone has before: drag Spider-Man's name through the mud and teach citizens to fear even the possibility of his presence.

This could very well be a deceitful tactic on Selim's part. If Miles were ever to threaten the Empire, Selim has made absolutely sure that Miles' costume and powers would fail utterly to inspire the people. Miles, who has a generally good relationship with the people of New York, would fall into despair. But giving up in the face of overwhelming odds is not Miles Morales' style, nor is it Superman's - and thus despite his symbol being used against him, this Spider-Man is still as much of a hero as the Man of Steel.

Spider-Man Swings Over To Disney Plus, But It's Missing No Way Home

Spider-Man is the world’s most popular superhero, and that means the battle for his film rights never wears down. This is especially true now that it’s been confirmed that 5 Spider-Man films will be making their way to Disney Plus UK, although No Way Home and a few other Peter Parker cinematic adventures won’t be joining them anytime soon.

Despite extending its corporate grasp over to Fox and its X-Men, Deadpool, and Fantastic Four properties, Disney and Marvel Studios are unlikely to ever ascertain the same control over Spider-Man, a perpetual Sony property as long as the studio continues making a new Spidey flick every five years or so. Thus, because Sony lacks its own streaming service, Spider-Man fans have often had to scramble through several platforms in order to rewatch the films starring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Still, that won’t stop Disney Plus UK from adding some Spider-Man movies to its own collection. Starting June 17, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man: Homecoming will accompany the service’s vast MCU library. Noticeably missing from that list are Spider-Man 3, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and perhaps most crucially, Spider-Man: No Way Home, since the latter is expected to land on Starz over the coming months.

As it often happens, the streaming rights landscape varies greatly depending on the specific region, and this split only accounts for the state of Spider-Man in the United States. For example, in most of Latin America, Netflix is the current home to all three of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Homecoming. However, it does not house the sequels to the latter two, nor Into The Spider-Verse and its iconic comic book world.

For most, Disney Plus would seem like the most logical home for all Spidey content, especially since Spider-Man: The Animated Series from the '90s and all other animated productions are already there. No Way Home in particular would be a prized asset for Disney Plus since, after all, the movie’s earnings easily outclassed that of any other Marvel Studios movie from the past year, with only Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness coming somewhat close, though without reaching the billion-dollar mark at this time.

Regarding No Way Home, there is some very interesting news surrounding the film. It was recently announced that the Spider-Man: No Way Home - More Fun Stuff cut would be released later this year, thus fueling theories that some more Charlie Cox moments might be on the way.

Fortnite Launches New Avengers Endgame Mode

Thanos isn’t alone this time. Epic Games and Marvel have once again joined forces to create a new mode for Fortnite Battle Royale in celebration of Avengers: Endgame‘s debut in theaters. Following its previous collaboration, Thanos returns to Fortnite but this time alongside his army of Chitauri warriors.

“Endgame Mode” sees players fight against Thanos and his forces as The Avengers team by keeping him from collecting the Infinity Stones and ending the world. Those on the side of Thanos control the Chitauri equipped with laser rifles.
The first player to find an Infinity Stone will transform into Thanos, allowing him to super jump, use beam attacks, and more. If players collect them all, respawning is disabled for the Avengers team. The Avengers players can pick up iconic Avengers weapons like Captain America’s shield and Iron Man’s Repulsors in chests scattered throughout the map. In other entertainment news, Avengers: Endgame has no post-credit scene.