Summary
TheMCUhas done a very good job of bringing movie fans a shared cinematic universe of superheroes since the release ofIron Manin 2008. This franchise of movies has slowly become one of the biggest series in movie history, and that is mostly due to the studios' ability to tie in an overarching narrative to all the films. The first overarching story that took place during the first ten years in the MCU was the Infinity Saga, and this journey of Thanos trying to gather and use the Infinity Stones culminated in 2019withAvengers: Endgame.Many movies have premiered since then, as well as TV shows, and the head of Marvel has also decided to name this new collection of moviesthe Multiverse Saga.
Rather than open the MCU up to the multiverse directly, though, the writers and producers have explored several different ways this new threat could emerge as of this current writing. While the multiverse is a simple concept in comics, some of these multiverse openings have left some viewers scratching their heads, assix different methods of multiverse travelhave been established so far.
6The Quantum Tunnel
Used To Bring The Infinity Stones To The Future
The main plot of the fourthAvengersmovie,Avengers: Endgame, saw the original group of superheroes working to reverse Thanos' snap, which wiped out half of life in the universe. Their solution was to use a Quantum Tunnel to travel through time and gather the Infinity Stones from the past before Thanos could use them. This was a fun and logical way to finish the story surrounding the Infinity Stones, but it also left the door open to the multiverse.
In a conversation with The Ancient One in the past,Bruce Banner receives a lessonon how their actions will affect the multiverse. The sorcerer supreme explains that by acting in the past, The Avengers aren’t changing the future, but merely creating a new timeline that will run adjacent to their own. As a result, the superhero team creates several new timelines during their heist by removing the stones from their place in that universe. The end of the movie does attempt to fix this mistake by having Captain America return the stones, but these new timelines still exist in the multiverse.
5The TVA
A Group That Controls Time & Timelines
Lokiisthe firstDisney+ showto address the notion of a multiverse in the main MCU timeline. After Loki steals the Tesseract/Space Stone InAvengers: Endgame,he is quickly abducted by a team of soldiers and arrested. These soldiers are part of an organization called the TVA, and it is their job to destroy any new timelines in the universe that occur by mistake and maintain one sacred timeline and continuity.
The first season ofLokiexplores who the TVA are and where they come from, and it seemed that this organization would be the main method that the series would use to travel the multiverse. This notion was furthered when Kang/He Who Remains was introduced in the final episode of season one.
4Kang
Countless Versions Of Kang Exist Throughout The Multiverse
Much like Thanos in the Infinity Saga, Marvel seemed to be pushing Kang asthe next big villainof the Multiverse Saga. This villain showed up at the end of season one ofLokias a man called He Who Remains. The episode dives into why he created the TVA and how he can travel the multiverse. Kang began as a scientist who wanted to prove the existence of multiversal travel, but his variants in other universes were intent on ruling these new realities and becoming conquerors. As a result, He Who Remains created one sacred timeline to keep these evil alterations at bay.
As with the TVA, it seemed that Kang would end up being the main antagonist in this multiversal war. However, the post-credit scene inAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumaniarevealed that there are millions of versions of Kang that all have their own methods of traversing the multiverse. Sadly, real-world complications with the actor who plays Kang have made his role in the saga uncertain, so it is unclear if these other methods of traversing the multiverse will be explored.
3Doctor Strange’s Magic
A Poorly Performed Spell Summoned Several Multiverse Threats
Since the end of season one ofLokiconcluded with his variant, Sylvie, opening up the multiverse by killing He Who Remains, many MCU fans assumed the events ofSpider-Man: No Way Homewould be a direct result of these actions. The trailers and marketing materials for the movie showed that otherSpider-Manvillains from other universes would be appearing in the film, and rumors were wild that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield would be reprising their roles as Spider-Men. While all this came true, the way it happened wasn’t how fans expected it.
Instead of these characters from other franchises appearing as the result of the events seen inLoki, they all break through the multiverse because of aspell cast by Doctor Strange. This spell was cast as a mistake and is rectified by the end of the movie. However, this method of breaking the multiverse seems to be something the MCU is only interested in using once.
2America Chavez
Can Travel To Different Realities Using Star-Shaped Portals
The secondDoctor Strangemovie in the MCU is another film in this saga that promises big things to come regarding the multiverse. The trailers showed some familiar characters from other Marvel franchises, and the title of the movie suggested that the titular hero would be going on an adventure through the multiverse. As such, fans expected the events ofLokiandSpider-Man: No Way Hometo have an impact on the events ofDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
However, the reason for the multiversal travel displayed in this movie is revealed to be because of the powerset ofa new character, America Chavez. In the film, America is on the run from Wanda Maximoff, as she has magic abilities that allow her to travel between universes. The origin of these powers is left vague, and the character ends the movie practicing more magical abilities alongside other sorcerers in the MCU. As of writing, it is unclear when fans will see Chavez again or if her innate multiverse travel ability will have an effect on events in the future.
1Breaking The Jump Points
Connecting The MCU To The X-Men Franchise
The hexagonal network shown in space was first debuted inGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.They are established as a series of jump points to allow people to travel across space, and they have been a consistent method of space travel in the MCU ever since.The Marvelsthen decided to make these jump points a main part of its narrative.
The movie sees the titular team trying to stop a villainous Kree from using these jump points to transport vital elements from other planets, and the end of the movie shows a network of jump points shattering. Fortunately, Monica Rambeau is able to use her powers to repair the network, but it leaves her stranded on the other side. The post-credit scene reveals that Monica is now alive in a new reality,one where the mutants exist. Since one of the people who greets Monica in this reality is a variant of her mother, it seems that the MCU may explore this universe again. Also, the jump points in the main universe are now established as a boundary between timelines.
