What is an incursion in Marvel?
An incursion is Marvel’s term for two universes colliding, which destroys one or both. Jonathan Hickman created the idea in his Avengers and New Avengers comics (about 2012 to 2015). The heroes fail to stop it, and the multiverse ends in Secret Wars. Kevin Feige says Avengers: Doomsday is inspired by that comic run.
Spoiler note: this covers plot points from Jonathan Hickman’s comics and from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It has no Avengers: Doomsday plot spoilers.
Quick facts
| Item | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Two universes collide, destroying one or both | Confirmed (comics and MCU dialogue) |
| Comic origin | Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers, first seen in New Avengers #1 | Confirmed |
| Cause in the comics | The Beyonders, who used Molecule Men to trigger them | Confirmed (comics) |
| MCU debut | Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) | Confirmed |
| Doomsday link | Feige says the film is inspired by the comic run; he has named “Time Runs Out” and “Secret Wars” | Reported (EW via Den of Geek; ComicBookMovie.com) |
| Doomsday plot | Marvel’s synopsis says three universes are on a collision course | Confirmed (Marvel synopsis) |
What is an incursion in Marvel Comics?
It’s a collision, and it’s physical. Two Earths from different universes drift into the same space, and one world has to die or both do. In the comics, the overlap zone is called an incursion point, and outside it everything looks normal.
Where do incursions begin in the comics?
In New Avengers #1, penciled by Steve Epting. A rhinoceros comes through a portal in Wakanda, and T’Challa follows it to find a second Earth hanging overhead and moving closer. A group led by an alabaster woman called Black Swan blows up the approaching Earth, which ends the incursion.
T’Challa has just watched a whole world die. He rebuilds the Illuminati: Reed Richards, Iron Man, Beast, Black Bolt, Namor, Doctor Strange and himself. Namor is his sworn enemy, and T’Challa works with him anyway.
Why do incursions happen?
The first explanation is grim. Black Swan says an entire universe was destroyed long ago, and that pushed the neighboring universes toward each other. Hickman’s later reveal is worse: the Beyonders, beings who sit outside the multiverse, designed the incursions. In Avengers #44 and New Avengers #33, the incursions are an experiment, with an endless supply of Molecule Men used to set them off.
Can the heroes stop an incursion?
No, and that’s the point of the run. The Illuminati try solution after solution and fail. The one fix that works is ugly: destroy the other Earth before the collision destroys yours.
Early incursions get resolved with outside help. Then the team is forced to blow up an empty Earth, in an incursion that happens in Latveria. The real test is Earth-4290001, home to the Great Society, a Justice League-style team that wants to find a peaceful way out. In the New Avengers story “A Perfect World” (#18 to 23), T’Challa offers to trigger the bomb and falters. Namor does it for him.
Steve Rogers finds out later. Captain America sends the Avengers after the Illuminati, and Tony Stark has Doctor Strange mind-wipe Steve of the whole thing.
How do incursions end in Secret Wars (2015)?
Hickman and Esad Ribić’s Secret Wars picks up after Time Runs Out. The last incursion pairs Earth-616 with Earth-1610, the Ultimate Universe, and neither survives. Doctor Doom takes the Beyonders’ power and builds Battleworld from what’s left, ruling it as God Emperor Doom.
How did the MCU introduce incursions?
In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). On Earth-838, Reed Richards, played by John Krasinski, tells Strange an incursion is when “the boundary between two universes erodes, and they collide” (as quoted by Popverse). In the mid-credits scene, Clea tells Strange he has caused one.
The MCU’s version is different. In the comics, incursions are a built-in weapon of the Beyonders. In the film, they follow from Strange’s multiversal meddling; Den of Geek ties it to his use of the Darkhold.
What does Avengers: Doomsday take from the incursion story?
Feige told Entertainment Weekly at CinemaCon that the film’s story is inspired by a famous comic run in which universes collide. In July, ComicBookMovie.com reported him saying Doomsday and Secret Wars are largely inspired by “Time Runs Out” and “Secret Wars”, and that three different Earths are literally colliding. Marvel’s official synopsis says the same thing in plainer words: heroes from three distinct universes on a deadly collision course.
Marvel hasn’t named the three universes. Dark Horizons reads them as the main MCU, the Fantastic Four’s and the X-Men’s, which fits the cast.
Speculation: I’d watch for the dilemma at the heart of the comics. Do you destroy the other world to save yours? Doomsday may not use it, but it’s the version of the story that has real stakes.
Comics vs MCU vs Doomsday
| Comics | MCU so far | Doomsday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What causes it | The Beyonders and their Molecule Men | Strange’s multiversal actions (Darkhold) | Not stated |
| First seen | New Avengers #1, Wakanda | Multiverse of Madness (2022) | Opens Dec 18, 2026 |
| Can it be stopped? | Not by the Illuminati | Not resolved | Not stated |
| Ending | Secret Wars (2015) | Open | Feige links it to Secret Wars |
How does an incursion play out?
What should I read to understand incursions?
Start with Hickman’s New Avengers and Avengers, then Secret Wars (2015). Time Runs Out is collected as a Marvel Premier Collection with a foreword by the Russo brothers. Marvel is also publishing five Incursions one-shots, starting with X-Men: Incursions #1 on November 18, 2026, written by Alex Paknadel with art by Jim Towe. Our comic roadmap lays out the full order.
Incursion FAQ
What is an incursion in Marvel? A collision of two universes that destroys one or both.
Who created incursions? Jonathan Hickman, in his Avengers and New Avengers run.
Can an incursion be stopped? Not in the comics. The Illuminati find no fix beyond destroying the other Earth.
Is Avengers: Doomsday an incursion story? Feige says the film is inspired by the comic run about colliding universes. Marvel hasn’t published a plot.
Do I need to read the comics? No. Doomsday’s own synopsis is enough, but the comics show where the idea came from.
Updated October 23, 2026
Related reading
- Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast and trailer hub
- Avengers: Doomsday to Secret Wars: the comic roadmap
- MCU multiverse rules explained
- Doctor Strange broke the multiverse
- Doctor Strange and the MCU multiverse threat
- Doctor Doom complete guide
- MCU Secret Wars reset characters
- Why Kang the Conqueror failed in the MCU