While the Multiverse is still a foreign concept to most of the greater MCU, a select group of characters is aware of the existence of other universes. Officially named the Multiverse Saga at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, Phases 4-6 of the MCU have barely scratched the surface of what lies beyond the boundaries of Earth-616.
However, this will change over the next couple of years with films like the next two Avengers movies, breaking down those barriers as heroes and villains from alternate realities meet one another. Thus far, less than a handful of MCU movies have used the Multiverse as a plot point, leading to only certain characters being aware of what lies beyond their world.
Every MCU Hero Who Knows the Multiverse Exists
Spider-Man
One of the first characters to learn about the Multiverse's existence was Tom Holland's Spider-Man, which came to light in Spider-Man: No Way Home. After the concept was teased in Spider-Man: Far From Home, it was fully realized in Holland's third MCU solo movie.
Follow the capture of the first two of No Way Home's five Multiversal villains, Peter Parker exclaimed, "the Multiverse is real?" as he learned the Lizard and Doctor Octopus were not from his universe. Later, he teamed up to stop those antagonists with Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men, recognizing that other realities exist and that alternate versions of himself are alive and well.
Moving forward, even though Holland's world has forgotten about his existence, he should not be too shocked when new universes come into play during the next two Avengers films and more.
Doctor Strange
Known as one of the foremost sorcerers in the world, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Stephen Strange arguably has more knowledge of the Multiverse than anyone in the MCU. The idea was initially teased in his first solo movie, 2016's Doctor Strange, but expanded further from there.
Along with teaching Peter Parker about the concept in No Way Home, 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness fully opened Strange's eyes to what existed outside of his world. He traveled to Earth-838, met the Illuminati (consisting of five Multiversal heroes), and had to stop Wanda Maximoff from destroying the fabric of reality.
Moving forward, the Master of the New York Sanctum is expected to be someone of authority on the Multiverse, which ties back to his expertise with the mystic arts. Cumberbatch should be a focal point in the next two Avengers movies, allowing him plenty of leeway to educate his cohorts on everything they need to know about what's coming.
Wong
In the same vein as Strange, another master sorcerer innately familiar with the Multiverse is Benedict Wong's Wong, the new Sorcerer Supreme. Seen across the Multiverse Saga after his debut in Doctor Strange, Wong is now one of the most influential magic users in the known MCU.
While Wong has not traveled to other universes like Strange (as far as fans know), he has a vast wealth of knowledge on the Multiverse from his collection of texts at Kamar-Taj.
Alongside Strange, Wong will be a key source of information for what to expect from alternate universes and how they could eventually impact his own home world.
America Chavez
Xochitl Gomez was first introduced to MCU fans as America Chavez in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, becoming one of the franchise's youngest heroines. On top of that, America quickly became one of the MCU's most important characters due to her never-before-seen abilities.
Most notable about America is that she is one of the only beings in the MCU who can travel across the Multiverse, which she does via star-shaped portals she can punch into existence. She and others can physically move between dimensions.
Currently, she is staying at Kamar-Taj to hone and control her powers so that she can open portals to where she wishes at any time. While it is unclear when she will return, many expect these powers to be more than useful as alternate dimensions are brought into the MCU madness.
Clea
Doctor Strange 2's mid-credits scene brought in Charlize Theron's Clea as the South African Oscar-winner made her long-awaited MCU debut. Best known as arguably Doctor Strange's most popular love interest from the comics, Clea also has her own level of expertise with Multiversal events.
Immediately upon her arrival, she told Doctor Strange, "You caused an Incursion, and we're gonna fix it" before ripping a hole in the fabric of reality into the Dark Dimension.
Although her future in the MCU is unclear, her mention of Incursions indicates an expertise with the Multiverse and a knowledge that other worlds exist outside of Earth-616. Looking ahead, viewers are sure to pay attention to where Clea's story goes as she and Strange dive into both the Dark Dimension and other unexplored universes.
Beast
2023's The Marvels used its post-credits scene to bring the return of Kelsey Grammer's Dr. Hank McCoy, far better known as Beast from the X-Men. This marked his third time playing the character after 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand and 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past, but this latest appearance comes with the highest of stakes.
As he stood in a lab with Monica and Maria Rambeau, Hank explained to Maria that she had "crossed through a tear in spacetime" when she tore through reality. While he admitted that what she did was "impossible," he seemed to be aware of the idea of Multiversal travel.
Monica Rambeau
Following her debut as a child in Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris' Maria Rambeau has been heavily featured in the Multiverse Saga with appearances in WandaVision and The Marvels. After getting her powers in WandaVision, Monica quickly learned about the Multiverse's existence.
The Marvels concluded with Monica going through the aforementioned tear between realities and ending up in a hospital bed next to Beast and an alternate version of her mother, Maria Rambeau. Here, she learns of the existence of multiple universes, starting her education on the matter before her expected return in later projects.
While this marks her first experience with other universes, she is sure to learn more about the worlds beyond her own as she works with Beast to get back home.
Maria Rambeau
Standing with Beast in the post-credits scene from The Marvels was Lashana Lynch's Maria Rambeau, the third version of the character she has played. Along with the original Maria in Captain Marvel and her Captain Marvel-ed take in Doctor Strange 2, this movie allows her to embrace the Binary persona.
This version of Maria likely knows close to as much about the Multiverse as Beast, as they are seen together helping Earth-616's Monica Rambeau adjust to her new surroundings.
Following this scene, she will likely learn much more about alternate realities from Beast and Monica, including the upcoming Incursions that will surely put the Multiverse in danger of falling apart.
Loki
Almost no character is more closely tied to the Multiverse than Tom Hiddleston's Loki, who became a fan-favorite MCU character after his 2011 debut in Thor. After making appearances in seven MCU movies and two seasons of his own Disney+ show, the former God of Mischief (now the God of Stories) knows what lies beyond his universe.
Particularly in the Loki series, Hiddleston learned about other universes and timelines through his work with (and against) the TVA after he was removed from the timeline in Avengers: Endgame.
Now, Loki sits on a throne as the God of Stories, holding countless threads of the Sacred Timeline together in order to save all of existence from collapsing. He will play a pivotal role moving forward in the Multiverse Saga, with major threats coming to undo his hard work to keep all life intact.
Deadpool
Although Deadpool only entered the MCU in 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine, due to 20th Century Fox's long-standing ownership of him, he started his run in a different universe. Even upon his MCU debut, Wade Wilson still exists in the confines of his own universe, but he is vastly aware of worlds outside of his own.
Deadpool's recent threequel officially opened the doors to other universes, quickly informing Wade of the worlds that exist away from Earth-10005, including the Sacred Timeline. He bounced around from universe to universe in search of a new Wolverine and even made a pit stop to Earth-616 in an attempt to join the Avengers.
Due to his experience in this movie, along with his ability to break the fourth wall, Wade Wilson knows all too well about how many universes exist in the greater Marvel story. The big question now is how he will explore them, all while poking fun at the Multiverse trend gaining steam in the MCU.
Wolverine
Coming in right next to Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine was, of course, Wolverine, who was played once again by Marvel legend Hugh Jackman. Although the original James "Logan" Howlett met his end in Logan, the MCU's first Deadpool movie reintroduced fans to a new Variant who learned all about the Multiverse.
While Logan is not inherently aware of the Multiverse on his own, Deadpool taught him about the Variant he previously knew as they journeyed through The Void together. He also met Variants of other characters from multiple universes, showing him how vast the greater Multiverse is.
Looking to Deadpool's future, Logan will unquestionably be one of the more well-versed characters when it comes to alternate realities.
Which Other MCU Characters Know About the Multiverse?
Outside of these core leading characters, more than a handful of other supporting heroes from the MCU will be vital in terms of their knowledge of the Multiverse.
From the Loki show, characters like Sylvie, Mobius, Judge B-15, and OB know all about the dangers of alternate universes from their experience with the TVA. Mobius and B-15 have a responsibility to manage those alternate timelines/universes, but they will all be important in helping newcomers understand what's coming.
Additionally, Doctor Strange 2 showed Wanda Maximoff's knowledge of the concept as she became the film's main villain. While fans are still waiting to see if or when she will come back, that film proved her to be more than knowledgeable on the Multiverse subject.
Further in the MCU are the characters from What If...?, who have only been used in an animated setting thus far (outside of Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter). Rumors hint that these heroes may be seen in live-action at some point, and almost all of them are sure to know what to expect from other worlds when the time comes.
With Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars set to explore the Multiverse, the MCU's biggest names need to know all they can going into the end of the Multiverse Saga.
