MCU Theory: Captain Marvel Is In An Alternate Timeline

Captain Marvel's casting announcement has revealed some key details about the plot and key characters in the movie, and in doing so may be providing hints that the Earth-cosmic mashup will be more than just a period entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain Marvel could be unfolding in an alternate timeline of the MCU.

Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is bringing back a lot of key MCU figures in a younger guise. A two-eyed Nick Fury was confirmed back at SDCC 2017, and the start of filming has brought with it confirmation that Clark Gregg, Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou are all returning. It's not been explicitly confirmed, but it's widely assumed the trio will be reprising the roles of Agent Phil Coulson, Ronan and Korath respectively. This revealed an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.-ignoring return for Gregg and hints Captain Marvel is a stealth Guardians of the Galaxy prequel, but the balance may say more.

In a broad sense, it makes sense for these characters to appear. They're all alive and active in the timeline, and as we're dealing with Fury's first brush with the "bigger universe" and the Kree-Skrull war, every one fits by themselves. But all of them together poses big questions.

This Page: Does Captain Marvel's Casting Create A Timeline Problem?

Does SHIELD's Involvement In The Kree-Skrull War Create A Plot Hole?

The 1990s setting for Captain Marvel may feel recent, but it's relatively untouched by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ant-Man's pre-logo opening showed older S.H.I.E.L.D. creators in the late-1980s, then Captain America: Civil War detailed the Winter Soldier's murder of Howard and Maria Stark in 1991 and Black Panther the stranding of Erik Killmonger in 1992. After that, the next event seen in the movies chronologically is New Year's Eve 1999 in Iron Man 3, where a now-adult and very successful Tony Stark shafts Aldrich Killian. Most events later center on the late-2000s when Phase 1 begins.

There's a gap here, specifically in how S.H.I.E.L.D.'s understanding of the world changes and it evolves into its modern guise. By the end of Iron Man, Nick Fury's teasing to Tony Stark that he's "become part of a bigger universe, you just don't know it yet", indicating some understanding of the cosmic side that is becoming key to the franchise. Context for that is surely coming in Captain Marvel, but the manner of which now raises some questions; how much knowledge is too much? By The Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D. (under control of Hydra) is just starting to play with Tesseract energy for weapons, which seems ignorant of alien contact decades before.

Before going too deep, it's worth clarifying the situation with Marvel plot holes. When you're dealing with a movie franchise this big - Black Panther was the eighteenth entry - some contradictions and slight retcons are only to be expected (and this is before addressing the various TV shows and other spinoffs, which aren't typically taken with the same rigidity of canon). What makes the MCU impressive is how coherent it is for the most part. The biggest flubs tend to come from the placement of movies in the timeline (see Spider-Man: Homecoming saying it was eight years after The Avengers when all signs point to it being only four) rather than actual plot holes. The scant cases of this - such Tony Stark's unclear relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. in Phase 1 or the Infinity Gauntlet in Odin's vault - are usually explained via cheeky in-universe tweaks (in the cited cases, One-Shot The Consultant and Thor: Ragnarok's dismissal of the golden glove respectively). Essentially, Marvel is aware of making sure overall cohesion works.

So we're left asking how S.H.I.E.L.D. can be involved, at the very least indirectly, with the Kree-Skrull war that forms the backdrop to Captain Marvel's origin story. Even with a firm delineation and Carol Danvers as the bridge between worlds, there's a greater sense of understanding there that would seem to bring in a far greater cosmic knowledge than we expect Fury and co. to have at that point. Essentially, we have the potential groundwork for a more advanced past. And, while that could all be carefully handled in the film, it opens up potential for a plot hole - and a very interesting possibility.

Ant-Man and Doctor Strange with Thanos and the Time Stone in Avengers 4

The MCU Is Starting To Play With Multiple Dimensions

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a period of flux. Avengers: Infinity War ties together every movie so far, while direct follow-up Avengers 4 is being billed as the "culmination" of the entire 22-movie arc. What that means - beyond the likely death of some Avengers - is unclear but what details we have suggests the very fabric of the MCU will begin to alter.

By all accounts, Avengers 4 is dealing with some form of time travel or, perhaps more accurately, alternate dimensions: set photos have shown the cast revisiting the events of previous films with some key variations - Ant-Man during the Battle of New York from The Avengers and a blond, S.H.I.E.L.D. badge-wearing Tony Stark - suggesting that we'll see different versions of the MCU we know. This has been further teased by Benedict Cumberbatch, who said the MCU is "just about to explode into other dimensions"; he could have been referring more to how all-out the cosmic and magic sides of the franchise will be going forward, but it may be an indication multiple dimensions are going to be bigger than just the plot of one film. It's already been theorized that Avengers 4 will consolidate or otherwise reset the timeline, but splitting things outwards is equally economical.

Whatever the case, dimensions will be important than before. Indeed, the Quantum Realm, first seen in Ant-Man, will be returned to in sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp as the titular heroes try to save Janet van Dyne. It's also said to be factoring in - somehow - to Captain Marvel. Some have theorized it may be the manner by which Carol Danvers comes to the present, but taking into account everything we've discussed, another intriguing possibility is revealed...

Is Captain Marvel From An Alternate Dimension?

Could S.H.I.E.L.D.'s knowledge of the Kree not be a timeline-stretching excuse to bring back some MCU favorites but actually evidence that Captain Marvel is unfolding in a different timeline to the main Marvel Cinematic Universe?

We know Captain Marvel isn't in Avengers: Infinity War despite earlier suggestions to the contrary, but will be making her team-up debut in Avengers 4, just a few months after her own movie. There are many ways Carol Danvers could be introduced, but as that movie's going to be heavily dealing with time travel, it's not an extreme suggestion she comes into the fold from one of the alternate dimensions. That confusion of her presence in Avengers 3 may be itself a clue here - clearly something changed in the plans to the point she couldn't appear. There's always the chance it's that Marvel simply didn't want to debut its new hero in an already heavily stuffed ensemble, but it may be that her existence alongside the Avengers at all is infeasible until they start jumping around in time (a shift only made once the cast was confirmed).

It's crazy, yet fits very well. This theory explains how she can be introduced to the world despite a 20+ year absence and gives director Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck complete freedom with the Captain Marvel movie itself to go all-in on the zany, cosmic side without sacrificing anything to the period restrictions (think Peggy Carter's absence or that blond Stark). It also allows the Skrulls to be benched for more, OG timeline adventures - possibly the Earth-shattering Secret Invasion that fans have been clamoring for.

Of course, the obvious counter is that it's all come from the connecting of dots that perhaps aren't meant to come together. We have no hard-set evidence, and while the previous handling of plot holes would seem to work in the theory's favor, those were all minor things fans blew out of proportion: with Captain Marvel we're talking the existence of an entire movie, which makes any explanation much more forward and thus potentially overly confusing for audiences. It's probably easier to just handwave the S.H.I.E.L.D.-Kree connection away. That said, it can't distract from how delectable a suggestion it is.

Captain Marvel is a lot more than just Marvel's first female-led solo movie. It's going to be a celebration of the various strands of the MCU so far, headlined by a literal namesake. But could it be more than that, setting the groundwork for Thanos' ultimate defeat in Avengers 4 and establishing a more fluid continuity going forward? We'll have to wait and see.

Next: Captain Marvel: Every Update You Need To Know