Marvel Finally Explains What Infinity War & Endgame's Soul World Really Is

Warning! SPOILERS for Moon Knight.

Marvel Studios finally explains how Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame's Soul World actually works. The MCU is in its rebuilding period after the Infinity Saga culminated. Thanks to its interconnected storytelling, unclear details from the past can be explained through current projects, which is exactly what Moon Knight did regarding the Soul World.

Disney+'s sixth Marvel Studios series introduced a brand new hero into the MCU in Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight. His arrival also opens up a pocket of the franchise with the further exploration of the concept of gods. In Moon Knight, Marc Spector gains superpowers from the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu. It also expands on what's known about the afterlife in the franchise with the introduction of Duat. As explained by the hippo goddess Taweret, it is "an afterlife. Not the afterlife" and is among the "many intersectional planes of untethered consciousness exist.”

Moon Knight referenced the Ancestral Plane from Black Panther as another version of afterlife in the MCU. Essentially, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame's Soul World works the same way. Marvel Studios never actually named the yellow-tinged realm that Thanos (Josh Brolin) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) separately found themselves in after their respective snaps. Marvel Studios simply referred to it as "the waystation." It's essentially a place of introspection, allowing people visitors, whether dead or on the cusp of dying, to look back at their lives and the major events that shaped them. That's exactly what Duat was in Moon Knight, as Marc Spector and Steve Grant were forced to reconcile some of the most traumatic moments in their shared life.

It's unclear how many more versions of afterlife there are in the MCU. What's certain, however, is that each one of them is distinct from one another. So far, Duat, the Ancestral Plane, and the Soul World have their respective looks to them. They also have varied rules. For example, Wakandans can reconnect with their ancestors in the Ancestral plan while Duat has Taweret which serves as an usher to anyone who finds themselves there. For Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Soul World seemingly offers its visitors the chance to come to terms with their regrets. For what it's worth, despite being an established race in the franchise for a decade now, Thor's Asgardian Valhalla has yet to be fully explored. It has been referenced before in past Thor films, but it has never appeared on the screen. With Duat properly explaining its function, it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Valhalla will eventually be shown in future Marvel Studios projects.

Making vastly different versions of the afterlife in the MCU allows Marvel Studios to be more creative with their storytelling approach when utilizing this particular concept. For Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame's Soul World, chances are that it's something accessed when one uses the power of the Infinity Stones. With the magical gems no longer in existence in the Sacred Timeline, it's curious if the yellow-tinged realm will ever appear again in the franchise.

More: Moon Knight Episode 5 Easter Eggs & Marvel References Explained

Moon Knight airs new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+.