When Wizards of the Coast unveiled the 2026 release calendar at MagicCon: Atlanta, there was unsurprisingly a lot to talk about. Four brand new sets were unveiled, including three major Universes Beyond crossovers, which immediately caused controversy. Even the big Magic Multiverse capstone set, Reality Fracture, managed to stir up some trouble of its own.
Fracturing Reality
Thanks to this set’s name, expected story impact, and general multiverse vibes, it didn’t take long for conspiracy theories to arise. First emerging as a rumour, some MTG players suspected this set would merge the Magic Multiverse and Universes Beyond streams. Mercifully, MTG’s Head Designer, Mark Rosewater, was quick to quash this rumor, but that hasn’t stopped the speculation.
Since the set’s announcement, Rosewater has continued to field questions about the Magic Multiverse and Universes Beyond streams crossing over. Now, after three weeks, Rosewater has finally relented, admitting that, yes, it might happen eventually. This might not be the answer that MTG players want to hear, but it’s certainly the one they’ve been fishing for.
“Cracklin-drake: You keep saying there are no plans to merge other IPs into MTG, but we all know: it’s just a matter of time, right? And when that happens and players come here complaining, you’ll just stick to your already known argument: “Our data shows otherwise”. So instead of giving us false hopes, why don’t you openly admit that this is a possibility? It may not be in discussion at the moment, but it’s probably more likely to happen than not, right?
Mark Rosewater: I can only talk about what we’re currently planning to do.
Via: Blogatog
Can things change? Yes.
Do I expect them to change? No, but you are correct that I don’t know with certainty what the future holds.”
Ultimately, this response is entirely unsurprising from Mark Rosewater. For better or worse, no one can predict the future of MTG anymore, barely even Wizards of the Coast. This much is evident from Rosewater’s past promises around Universes Beyond. When the initiative was first envisioned, having Universes Beyond cards in Standard was unthinkable.
As times changed and sets sold, however, having Universes Beyond cards in Standard became the right thing to do. As Cracklin-Drake notes in their question, there’s a chance the same thing could happen to the multiverses crossing over. To that end, it just makes sense that Rosewater acknowledges that future change could happen.
All that said, judging by Rosewater’s answer, it does not look like this change will happen anytime soon. Clearly, given past statements, the crossing of streams won’t be happening with Reality Fracture. Given that Rosewater is currently designing sets in 2029, we can expect it won’t happen until then either.
Not a Bad Idea?
Given all the questions that have been asked of Rosewater, clearly, the topic of crossing the multiversal streams is a contentious one. This isn’t too surprising, especially when you factor in how controversial the rise of Universes beyond sets has been. If Wizards can make Universes Beyond sets with MTG characters, there’d be little need for pure Magic Multiverse sets.
Realistically, this definitely won’t be happening, as Magic Multiverse sets serve an incredibly important purpose. That said, it seems we’re long past being rational, so it’s no wonder that MTG players are concerned. Personally, however, I’m not sure the concern is entirely needed. So long as Wizards of the Coast handles it correctly, mixing the streams could be a good thing.
Provided it’s a one-way street in which only Magic characters visit other franchises, it could make Universes Beyond more palatable. MTG Spider Man looked largely out of place, but with Chandra or Ajani as a point of view character, it might be more agreeable. Beyond just providing a Magic frame of reference, it could allow for genuine storytelling, giving Universes Beyond sets actual flavor.
Sadly, not only is this a best-case scenario for implantation, but it also assumes licensors are willing to greenlight it. Rosewater has already explained that Universes Beyond stories are technically on the table, provided they’re approved. Having Magic Multiverse characters in those stories would add an extra layer of complexity, making things even more difficult.
Ultimately, this makes this idea seem like a bust, as it’s too complex to be sensibly viable. Each set would turn into a war over creative control, and someone is bound to bend the knee. If you think about this happening in the other direction, it’s very easy to get worried.
Will It Happen?
In theory, it’s possible that Wizards could let Universes Beyond characters into main Magic Multiverse sets. We’ve kind of already had this in the reskinned Godzilla cards, but they’ve never truly been incorporated into the lore. Having Batman running around Ravnica would be a hell of a step to take, yet I don’t think it will be taken.
Obviously, I, like Mark Rosewater, can’t predict the future of MTG with any degree of reasonable certainty. That said, having Universes Beyond characters in a Magic Multiverse set sounds like an insane licensing nightmare. There’s obviously the question of how much control would/should licensors have, but beyond that, there are reprints to consider.
It’s no secret that Universes Beyond cards are more difficult to reprint than Magic Multiverse ones. The newly announced MTG Arena Powered Cube is the latest example of this, as the event’s reward packs won’t contain Universes Beyond cards. On MTG Arena, in fact, Universes Beyond sets have a shelf life before they’re discontinued entirely.
Adding these complexities to Magic Multiverse sets sounds like the mother of all headaches. Much like Mark Rosewater, however, I can’t say this won’t ever happen. As the past few years have proven, Magic is capable of surprising rapid development. Due to this, it may only be a matter of time before the licensing quirks are worked out and this happens.
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