MCU's Man-Thing Can Fix A Forgotten Phase 4 Plotline

One forgotten plotline from Phase 4 can be paid off now that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced Man-Thing during Marvel Studios' Werewolf By Night Special Presentation. Man-Thing is more commonly called "Ted" in Werewolf By Night in reference to the creature's former human self, Dr. Theodore "Ted" Sallis. Though no backstory was given for Man-Thing in Werewolf By Night, the creature's comic counterpart became the Man-Thing after Sallis injected himself with his version of the super-soldier serum before crashing his car into a Florida swamp where mystical forces were at play, causing him to transform into a huge, sentient mass of swamp flora.

The idea of the MCU's Nexus has already been hinted at during previous Marvel Studios projects including WandaVision and Loki. Despite the important concept being introduced early on in Phase 4, any storylines involving Nexuses, Nexus beings, or Nexus events have been all but forgotten since the Loki season finale with even Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness never actually mentioning them by name. With Phase 5 on the horizon and the Multiverse Saga in full swing, Man-Thing's MCU debut has come at the perfect time to reintroduce the idea of Nexuses, specifically the Nexus of All Realities, which is bound to become a major factor in the multiversal battle against Kang the Conqueror.

WandaVision & Loki Set Up Different Nexus Concepts

In Marvel Comics, each plane of reality throughout the universe has a Nexus being, an individual who has the ability to affect probability and therefore the future, meaning they can alter the flow of the Universal Time Stream. Wanda Maximoff, AKA the Scarlet Witch, is the Nexus being for Marvel Comics' Earth-616, and so supposedly also the Nexus being for the 616 universe in the MCU. Even though this hasn't been confirmed, there were several hints throughout WandaVision that pointed to the idea of Wanda being a Nexus being, specifically during commercial breaks that included many Easter eggs from Wanda's time in the MCU and a product called Nexus. These subtle hints suggested that the idea of Nexus beings in the MCU would become hugely important, but this plot line is yet to be followed up on.

Hot on the heels of Marvel Studios' first Disney+ series', WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki season 1 introduced the idea of Nexus events in the MCU. A Nexus event occurs when an individual makes a choice that goes against what He Who Remains and the TVA have determined, causing them to veer from the Sacred Timeline and become a variant, with the TVA capturing them and pruning their branched reality. Loki finds himself causing a Nexus event after stealing the Tesseract during the time heist in Avengers: Endgame, and again when he and Sylvie realize their connection on Lamentis-1. The explicit introduction of Nexus events in Loki expands the idea of Nexus concepts in the MCU after WandaVision, with each series providing new information, building the idea up to mean something hugely important. Despite this, neither storyline has been paid off since, with the idea of Nexuses being swept under the rug.

Man-Thing's Role As The Guardian Of The Nexus Of All Realities Explained

Werewolf By Night revealed very little about Man-Thing, despite the creature being a memorable Marvel Comics characters. After Sallis' transformation into Man-Thing, the creature became the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities that was housed within the swamp where he crashed. In Marvel Comics, the Nexus of All Realities is a rift that runs through every reality in the multiverse, acting as a cross-dimensional gateway allowing an individual to travel from one reality to the next with ease. Each Nexus of All Realities has its own guardian, with Man-Thing being physiologically tied to his Nexus, as it was the mystical energies from the Nexus that aided his initial transformation.

The fact that Man-Thing is referred to as "Ted" in Werewolf By Night suggests that the MCU version of the character shares the same backstory as its comic counterpart. Iron Man 3 featured hints to Man-Thing's existence in the MCU, since the comic version of the character was in a relationship with Ellen Brandt, who previously appeared as an Extremis test-subject and had dealings with AIM, the primary antagonists of Iron Man 3. This suggests that Man-Thing has been around in the background of the MCU for several years, perhaps along with the Nexus of All Realities. These new introductions will only become more important in the future due to the build up of multiversal storylines leading into Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

Man-Thing Can Make MCU Phase 4's Dropped Nexus Plot Matter

There's been no mention of the Nexus plotline set up during WandaVision and Loki in the rest of the MCU's Phase 4, but since the current Phase is coming to an end with the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the important story arc will probably become much more prominent in the MCU's Phase 5 and beyond. Man-Thing's MCU debut in Werewolf By Night certainly implies that the Nexus of All Realities will be playing a role in the multiversal antics that will unfold, although it's unclear where the character and Everglade setting will appear next. Even so, further development of the Nexus of All Realities in the MCU can also tie up any loose ends left by Loki and WandaVision, perhaps even confirming the Scarlet Witch's identity as a Nexus being. It's likely that this story can also be continued in Loki season 2, since the season 1 finale saw Loki and Sylvie take down He Who Remains and shatter the Sacred Timeline and the multiverse, creating thousands of Nexus events which could perhaps lead to their discovery of the Nexus of All Realities.

Man-Thing's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, since Werewolf By Night was produced as a standalone feature with no direct links to the wider MCU, aside from a few Easter eggs. However, since it seems the mention of the Nexus of All Realities could be just around the corner, it's likely that the creature will make his return to the MCU at some point before the climactic Avengers films at the end of Phase 6. There is still a dangling plot line from both WandaVision and Loki that needs to be paid off, but with two whole Phases left before the end of the MCU's Multiverse Saga, it's possible that viewers may have to wait awhile. Hopefully the multiverse-guarding Man-Thing can provide some answers when he eventually makes his triumphant return.

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