MCU Multiverse Dream Rule Impacts Wonder Man Series

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Benedict Cumberbatch's Stephen Strange looks focused in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Published Feb 5, 2026, 10:00 PM EST

Since 2019, Kevin Erdmann has been one of Screen Rant's Senior Staff Writers, covering all kinds of Superhero and Star Wars media with Easter egg breakdowns, theory pieces, breaking news, and more. A huge Star Wars & MCU fan, Kevin also loves Batman (because he's Batman), but could talk for hours about why Nightwing is DC's greatest hero.

With 8 years of total experience covering entertainment and pop culture, Kevin has gotten the chance to interview top creatives and talent, and has also attended major media events like Disney's D23 convention.

Majoring in Cinema Studies with a minor in Comics and Cartoon Studies from the UofO, Kevin lives in Oregon with his wonderful wife, adorable dog, and sinister cat who is no doubt currently plotting his demise.

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel's Wonder Man

The interconnectivity of the MCU is one of its greatest appeals across multiple movies and shows. However, it can result in some weirder moments, as evidenced by one of Doctor Strange 2's weirdest multiverse rules inadvertently having an effect on Marvel's most recent release.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was one of the MCU's first major post-Endgame films to cover the concepts and rules of Marvel's Multiverse, confirming the existence of other realities and timelines beyond the primary Earth-616 (The Sacred Timeline).

Since Doctor Strange 2's release, I've always found one multiverse rule to be quite strange, especially now that it's had a surprising effect on a show as grounded as Marvel's new Wonder Man series.

Doctor Strange 2 Revealed Dreams Are Glimpses Of The Multiverse

Wanda looking up in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness

In 2022's Multiverse of Madness, it was established that dreams aren’t merely random thoughts and ideas created by one's subconscious, but instead windows into another reality where one's variant is actively living through those moments being dreamed.

It was this revelation that supported Wanda Maximoff's ability to "dream-walk", effectively hijacking one of her variants who still had her twin boys. This rule also supported America Chavez's existence as a multiversal anomaly, with her inability to dream connected to her lack of variants.

Now, the MCU's multiverse-dreaming rule has had a weird consequence when it comes to Wonder Man, a brilliant and far more grounded MCU series about a struggling actor named Simon Williams trying to land the role of a lifetime while hiding secret superpowers.

Canonically, Wonder Man's Most Shocking MCU Scene Actually Happened

Simon Williams Punching Actor in Wonder Man

As seen in Wonder Man episode 6 where Simon, Trevor Slattery, and more actors audition for director Von Kovak, Simon becomes emotional and loses control of his ionic powers during a scene. This results in Simon punching through the head of a fellow actor to the shock of everyone else in the room (and viewers).

However, this brutal Wonder Man scene was immediately revealed to be nothing more than a dream, as Simon had fallen asleep.

This would normally be written off as a nightmare symbolizing Simon's fear, shame, and the pressure he's facing (as was likely intended). That said, Doctor Strange 2 suggests this dream sequence actually happened in another timeline. Somewhere in the Marvel Multiverse, there is indeed a variant of Simon Williams who really did lose it.

The result makes the scene unintentionally far darker, and I know I can't be the only longtime MCU fan who likely went down this same logic path. It's also the perfect example of why the MCU's dream-variant rule has never been my favorite for Marvel's Multiverse.

All episodes of Wonder Man are now streaming on Disney+.