Wait, Did 'Avengers: Infinity War' Make A Covert 'Naruto' Nod?

If you hadn't heard, Avengers: Infinity War finally made its long-awaited debut, and the film is wrecking emotions left and right. The blockbuster did not hold back on the angst as Marvel Studios endangered its most powerful heroes as the tried to prevent Thanos from collecting all of the Infinity Stones. Even Doctor Strange had trouble fighting the Mad Titan, but he did manage to confuse Thanos with one attack.

You know, that attack... The one that looks like it was ripped straight from Naruto? Bet you didn't see that coming, huh?

So, this is our obligatory spoilers warning. If you have not seen Avengers: Infinity War yet, do not read below this paragraph. Major spoilers for the film lie below! We repeat: MAJOR spoilers for the movie lie below. You've been warned.

If you have seen Avengers: Infinity War, then you will know the exact move fans are calling out for its Naruto nod. After making it to Titan, Iron Man and Doctor Strange team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to fight Thanos. The over-powered group took a solid beating from the baddie, and Doctor Strange made things real weird when he let his mystical arts loose. The MCU star used whatever magic he could to take on the fighter, and fans about lost it when he made duplicates of himself a la the Kage Bunshin from Naruto.

No, really — Doctor Strange must have some serious chakra because he made enough clones to make Naruto Uzumaki proud.

At one point, Doctor Strange uses a bevy of clones to fight Thanos, and fans were quick to hit social media to ask whether the technique was a nod to Naruto. After all, the iconic shonen series is known for its unique attacks, and its titular lead can famously made clones of himself using the Kage Bunshin jutsu. However, there is a comic precedent for Doctor Strange cloning himself without relying on any anime.

dr strange does shadow clone Jutsu in infinity war in case anyone wanted to be reminded of naruto power lmao

— .. 🦅🕷🦂 .. (@moonxmami) April 30, 2018

infinity war spoilers: i did NOT expect naruto to show up

— dingo (@bekndignum) April 28, 2018

My favourite part of infinity war, was when it straight up ripped off Naruto

— yung soy 🌱 (@Yung_Soy_Boi) April 25, 2018

In the comics, Doctor Strange is able to clone himself. The technique made its magical debut in Strange Tales #123 when the Sorcerer Supreme went up against Loki. The hero used an army of clones to confuse the Trickster God during their skirmish, so it doesn't look like Marvel Studios drew this Avengers scene directly from Japan. However, that will not prevent fans from betting on an ultimate jutsu showdown between Doctor Strange and Naruto.

Did you catch this anime tie-in? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

Marvel Studios' Black Panther is still in theaters, while Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters this weekend. It will be followed by Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6, 2018, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.