The ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe is increasingly relying on the multiverse to support its storyline. The most recent addition to the franchise, Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, continues to dive into the mind-bending world where our own observable universe is only one of endless possible realities. But unlike billionaire inventors and genetically enhanced super soldiers teaming up with Norse gods and angry green hulks to battle intergalactic threats to earth, the multiverse is not just the stuff of comic books.

On the contrary, though not yet widely accepted, the multiverse is a theory that had gained some traction in the discipline theoretical physics. One of the reasons for this is that it helps scientists constrained by a naturalistic worldview to solve the problem of our surprisingly habitable world.

The undeniable fact is that our universe is uniquely suited and even fine tuned to support life. The statistical odds of this occurring randomly is a mind-boggling mathematical improbability so great it is simply impossible to imagine it occurring independently. But rather than follow the evidence for an intelligent designer, secular science eliminates the supernatural from the outset, meaning that other and sometimes outlandish alternatives must be proposed, even if those answers fit better in comic books than science books . . . enter the multiverse.

The biggest piece of evidence for the multiverse is that life exists, particularly intelligent life capable of making cosmological observations. Certain aspects of our universe seem special and important for supporting life, such as the longevity of stars, the abundance of carbon, the availability of light for photosynthesis and the stability of complex nuclei, said McCullen Sandora, an affiliate research scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. But “all these features are typically not the case if you get handed a random universe,” Sandora told Live Science in an email. “The multiverse offers one explanation for why all these features are favorable in our universe, which is that other universes exist as well, but we observe this one because it’s capable of supporting complex life,” Sandora said.

McCullen Sandora, What is Multiverse Theory, Livescience.com August 2021

The above quote illustrates the hardness of the human heart and how it has turned in rebellion against its Creator. In the face of overwhelming evidence people still reject God. Dr. Sandora recognizes God’s hand in creation, but then he must reach beyond the bounds of our observable universe for some means of suppressing that truth.

With regards to superhero movies, my goal is not to be overly harsh. I have enjoyed many of the Marvel movies over the years. My point is that on a certain level, these films and the production companies behind them (Disney) seek not only to entertain, but to influence. Media serves as a gateway to the mind and that is why producers almost always promote an agenda within their creative works like environmental, LGBTQ, or in this case naturalistic science worldviews. As a society, we marinate in these humanistic worldviews to the point where they become mainstream and easily incorporated into the way we think. The more it is seen and heard, ideas like the multiverse move from ridiculous to reality in minds that are more than willing to explain away God.

Our goal as Christians is to be discerning, and if our conscience allows us to consume mainstream entertainment, to use it not only as a fun escape from the daily grind, but also as a springboard for comparing and contrasting worldviews – an exercise that can ultimately strengthen our faith and our witness to others.