WARNING: Very mild spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Spider-Man: Far From Home has a brand new name for Thanos' snap, and it's a perfect response to all the drama and tragedy the MCU has recently experienced. In 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, the heroes of the MCU finally came face-to-face against Thanos and, in stunning fashion, they lost. As the credits rolled, audiences were left reeling after watching Thanos complete his Infinity Gauntlet and wipe out half of all life in the universe, including heroes such as Spider-Man, Black Panther and Scarlet Witch.
Shortly after Avengers: Infinity War's theatrical run came to an end, Marvel Studios announced that Thanos' snap was officially called the "Decimation" - a perfectly appropriate, weighty title for this monumental and devastating event. Of course, the Avengers finally managed to defeat Thanos and reverse the Decimation in Avengers: Endgame. After collecting the Infinity Stones from the past, Hulk made a snap of his own, bringing back everyone and everything that was lost previously. The world is seen reuniting with its loved ones, including the students of Peter Parker's high school.
The impact of the Decimation has yet to be explored outside of the Avengers movies, with both Ant-Man & The Wasp and Captain Marvel taking place elsewhere in the MCU's timeline and, as such, Spider-Man: Far From Home offers the first wider glimpse at how the universe is handling Thanos' snap and the sudden return of everyone who was killed by it. A name change is the first order of business, and Spider-Man: Far From Home reveals that the Decimation has now been downgraded and will henceforth be known as "the Blip."
This is such an inherently silly name for something so serious, but it's that sense of irony that makes "the Blip" a perfect name for Thanos' snap and everyone's subsequent return as the MCU moves forward. Firstly, the new title neatly fits into the lighter tone of Spider-Man: Far From Home. As widely acclaimed as the past two Avengers movies were, both were emotionally heavy and, at times, even depressing, as the Russo brothers sought to convey the worldwide impact of Thanos' actions. After such intensity, the more upbeat tones of Spider-Man are a welcome refresher, and "the Blip" perfectly encapsulates this not-so-serious attitude.
Replacing "Decimation" with a less ominous sounding label also allows the MCU to mentally move on from the events of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The practical ramifications of those two movies will no doubt continue to be felt for many movies to come, and Spider-Man: Far From Home deals with the implications of people coming back to life after five years, such as finding new occupants in your home. However, the franchise can't afford to dwell in the same intense gloom that was seen in the first hour of Avengers: Endgame and must make way for new stories with new emotions.
Referring to the period following Thanos' snap as "the Blip" is a perfectly inane way of achieving this, as it provides a point of reference for the event, while also intentionally underselling it. The MCU's Infinity Saga is now over, and Marvel Studios will be only too aware of how difficult it'll be to raise the stakes with their next major villain. However, the first step to achieving this is allowing the fictional world of the MCU to move on, and using a name so blissfully inconsequential as "the Blip" in Spider-Man: Far From Home does exactly that.
