The multiverse is officially the centerpiece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's future, so here is a guide to every key term, concept, location, and event. Marvel Studios has dropped teases of the multiverse existing for years, but Phase 4 and beyond is where audiences finally see the possibilities explored. Loki looked at the multiverse through the eyes of Tom Hiddleston's character after he evaded the Avengers' capture in an alternate MCU timeline. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness continued to look at other universes, while Marvel's What If...? explored how the MCU could be very different if certain events unfolded differently.
Speculation about the multiverse's growing importance in the MCU has been prominent for several years. 2016's Doctor Strange mentioned the existence of the multiverse, while there was an expectation for Spider-Man: Far From Home to explore it too through Mysterio. Even the Avengers' time travel missions in Avengers: Endgame had some significant multiversal implications, such as creating a universe where Thanos and his army vanished in 2014. Phase 4 is where Marvel Studios finally began moving beyond the restraints of the main MCU timeline, giving them the opportunity for some big creative swings, such as bringing back Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man, Patrick Stewart's Professor X, and more.
The MCU's multiverse is now confirmed to be a central part of where the story is going, as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars are officially the two-part event Marvel is building towards. Just as how the Infinity Stones and Thanos were integral parts of the Infinity Saga, the multiverse and the overarching villain Kang the Conqueror will be just as important to what comes in Phases 4-6. The multiverse's potential is certainly exciting, but there is also a complexity to it that audiences will now need to understand and remain familiar with. Therefore, here is a complete guide to the MCU multiverse, including the key terms, concepts, locations, and events that are important to know.
Marvel's Multiverse Saga
The overall importance of the multiverse in the MCU's future could not have been more apparent than with Marvel's decision to name Phases 4-6 the Multiverse Saga. The branding follows in the footsteps of Marvel naming everything in Phases 1-3 the Infinity Saga. Marvel's Multiverse Saga officially started in 2021 with WandaVision, and it is confirmed that it ends in 2025 with Avengers: Secret Wars. The five years worth of content is much shorter than the 12 years of movies Marvel Studios pumped out during the Infinity Saga. However, the Multiverse Saga includes more movies per year and has the addition of Disney+ shows to bolster the overall story. But for anyone wondering if an upcoming MCU project is part of the Multiverse Saga, as long as it comes out between WandaVision and Avengers: Secret Wars, the answer is yes - even if the project does not have any direct multiverse connections.
What Is The MCU Multiverse?
Marvel Studios' projects concentrated on a singular universe, known as Earth-616, for the entirety of the Infinity Saga. But, the multiverse is a term meant to describe the existence of an infinite amount of dimensions and realities that are similar to each other. It is unknown how the multiverse was created in the MCU, but the phenomenon is how multiple versions of the same character can exist across different universes. It is believed that the first Sorcerer Supreme, Agamotto, was the first to realize that the multiverse existed. He and other sorcerers have since used the multiverse as a source of their magical powers. While the multiverse was controlled for a long time, it was effectively reborn in Loki when Sylvie killed He Who Remains.
Multiversal War
Loki episode 6 introduced the event known as the Multiversal War. The MCU multiverse event began in the 31st century when variants of Kang the Conqueror discovered the existence of parallel universes, and their desire to rule them began. This led to various versions of Kang from across the multiverse fighting for dominance, even as more friendly versions of Kang united their knowledge and resources to help improve other universes. The war between these different versions of Kang concluded when there was just one left, who became known as He Who Remains. This variant took it upon himself to restore balance to the universe and used the being Alioth to defeat his other variants, thus bringing an end to the Multiversal War.
Sacred Timeline
The aftermath of the Multiversal War saw He Who Remains create what was known as the Sacred Timeline, a collection of parallel realities that always led to He Who Remains's birth instead of other versions of Kang. What is known as the Sacred Timeline in the MCU multiverse encapsulates every Marvel Studios-produced project from Iron Man onward that also takes place in that same reality. Loki and Marvel's What If...? do not count as taking place in the Sacred Timeline. Due to the creation of the Sacred Timeline and the oversight He Who Remains had, it is indisputable that everything that happened in the MCU had to happen that way - including that the Avengers couldn't defeat Thanos in another way. All of the MCU's events were secretly orchestrated by and allowed to happen by He Who Remains.
Branched Timelines
With the Sacred Timeline serving as a guide for what should happen, the MCU multiverse is constantly in flux due to its chaotic nature and the chance of creating branched timelines. A branched timeline is defined as a new timeline that branches off from the Sacred Timeline and is caused by a change in how events are supposed to unfold. The branched timelines are not permanent immediately upon their creation, as their effects can be erased and reversed before too much damage has been done. If a branched timeline is not stopped before it "redlines," it becomes permanent and part of the vast MCU multiverse. There are plenty of confirmed branched timelines, with the Illuminati's Earth-838 timeline from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and even Sony's VenomVerse technically serving as alternate ways the MCU could have played out.
Time Variance Authority
The Time Variance Authority is the organization in charge of protecting the Sacred Timeline and preventing the creation of a multiverse. Loki featured the introduction of this group, with Mobius M. Mobius being one of their top agents and Ravonna Renslayer serving as the TVA's judge. They receive additional help from Analysts, Minutemen, and Hunters. The TVA believes that the mysterious beings known as Time-Keepers created them and the Sacred Timeline, making it their mission to maintain the proper flow of time. In actuality, the powerful He Who Remains created the organization to ensure other versions of himself were not eventually created.
Variants
A variant is any version of an individual who is different from how they are in the main MCU timeline. This can mean slightly or entirely different versions of the same person, depending on the circumstances of their creation. Some confirmed variants in the MCU multiverse include the Earth-838 Illuminati team, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's versions of Spider-Man, and the many versions of Loki. In the cases of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' Captain Carter, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange, and Baron Mordo from the Illuminati, they are variants of the same characters featured in the Sacred Timeline. The movie also introduces variants of Patrick Stewart's Professor X and Anson Mount's Black Bolt, as they played those characters previously in non-MCU projects.
Nexus Events
The MCU multiverse is only possible due to what is known as a Nexus event. Loki explained that a Nexus event is any moment that deviates from He Who Remains' predetermined plan for how the Sacred Timeline should unfold. An example of a Nexus event includes Loki escaping from the Avengers using the Tesseract in 2012, as shown in Avengers: Endgame. Another would be Peggy Carter becoming a super soldier instead of Steve Rogers. A Nexus event is traditionally met with an encounter from the TVA, as this moment, left unchecked, will create a fully formed branched timeline that does not adhere to He Who Remains' plan.
Nexus Beings
Nexus beings have not officially been named in the MCU multiverse, but it is pretty clear that the concept does exist in the multiverse rules Marvel is working with. According to the comics, a Nexus being is someone powerful enough to affect probabilities and change the future due to their extreme powers. Scarlet Witch is identified as a Nexus being, and the Nexus drug reference in WandaVision suggests that the MCU is operating under the same understanding. Wanda Maximoff's incredible power came to fruition in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as she used Chaos Magic and the Darkhold to dream walk across the multiverse. It has also been suggested that the origin of the real Scarlet Witch through Wanda's actions in Westview is a Nexus Event, which could mean that her elevated powers would make her a Nexus being.
Nexus of All Realities
The Nexus of All Realities is another critical location in the MCU multiverse. First mentioned as an Easter egg in Thor: The Dark World, it was not until nearly a decade later that viewers saw the cross-dimensional gateway in What If...? season 1. The Nexus of All Realities provides access to every possible reality across the multiverse. It is observed by Uatu the Watcher, who resides within the location to keep an eye on the multiverse. Only the most powerful beings in existence can access the Nexus of All Realities, with Uatu's protection of it momentarily stopped by an Infinity Stones-powered Ultron. It is otherwise The Watcher's vow to protect the Nexus of All Realities.
Absolute Point
While the multiverse is constantly in a state of flux that can grow as more variants and Nexus Events take place, the idea of absolute points is one of the few rules established in the MCU. An absolute point is something that happens that cannot and must not be altered due to the importance of the event in the MCU timeline. One example given so far came in What If, where the ancient one described Christine Palmer's death as an absolute point, meaning Doctor Strange could not reverse or prevent it no matter what he tried. In terms of the overall MCU multiverse guide, absolute points stand out due to the designation that these are events that can't be changed and create branched timelines. In theory, the original Avengers all have absolute points too. The implication is that each universe within the multiverse can have its own absolute points.
Incursions
Incursions are one of the biggest threats to the MCU multiverse. Introduced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, incursions are a multiversal event where two universes collide. The outcome is guaranteed to be disastrous, as at least one - if not both - of the universes could be destroyed. It is not confirmed what can cause an incursion, but the MCU has implied that there are ways to stop them from destroying both universes. Doctor Strange 2 also included examples of multiple incursions, as Earth-838's Doctor Strange caused an incursion by dream walking that led to the destruction of an entire universe. Sinister Strange's universe provided a look at what the world looks like after an incursion, while Doctor Strange 2's post-credits mentioned Earth-616's Strange inadvertently caused one. In the comics, incursions happen exponentially due to a chain reaction where the multiverse contracts and brings parallel universes into contact.
Citadel At The End of Time
The Citadel at the End of Time is an important location within the MCU multiverse. This is where He Who Remains set up shop to observe the Sacred Timeline, and it is located on an asteroid at the end of time. The Citadel at the End of Time has a direct view of the Sacred Timeline and all of the branched timelines that spring from it. The location includes statues for the fictional Time-Keepers, and so far He Who Remains, Loki, and Sylvie are the only confirmed individuals to visit it. The Citadel at the End of Time has only been shown to be accessible by passing through Alioth.
Pruning
The TVA's task to protect the Sacred Timeline and prevent branched timelines from solidifying is done through the process of pruning. TVA agents have two ways to prune something, as they have Time Sticks that can prune anything it touches, while reset charges can be used to prune a larger area. Whatever is pruned is erased from the timeline, allowing it to be reset and restore the proper flow of time. It was initially believed that pruned individuals died, but the MCU later revealed in Loki that they were transported to the Void instead.
Void
The Void is a multiversal location in the MCU where every pruned person and object goes. It is an amalgamation of different realities, and those who live in the Void after being pruned do not age due to its location at the end of time. Alioth roams freely in the Void to completely destroy anything that the TVA previously pruned. The Void is filled with notable variants - ranging from Throg to multiple versions of Loki - and objects - such as the Thanos-Copter, Mjolnir, the Dark Aster, and a statue of the Living Tribunal's head. The Void is essentially the dumpster of the MCU multiverse.
Key Release Dates
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Release Date:2022-11-11 -
Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania
Release Date:2023-02-17 -
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Release Date:2023-05-05 -
The Marvels
Release Date:2023-11-10 -
Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date:2024-05-03 -
Marvel's Thunderbolts
Release Date:2024-12-20 -
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty
Release Date:2026-05-01 -
Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date:2027-05-01
