Being a fan is no easy gig! It seems like every time you turn around, there’s a new version of events unfolding in Marvel comics or Marvel movies or Marvel TV series that seem to contradict themselves. The Marvel Universe, which includes beloved characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, Loki, Spider-Man, and many (many!) more, first began with the Marvel comics series, created by Stan Lee in 1961. Since then, the Marvel franchise has expanded rapidly to include the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which depicts your favorite superheroes on screen. While many of their stories are inspired by comics series or story arcs, some go their own way—which explains why the comics and cinematic universes are sometimes viewed separately. And with the popularity of the comics and the movies and TV shows, plus so many crossover events, the Marvel universe has expanded into the Marvel multiverse!
Warning: The following article contains spoilers for the Marvel franchise.
What is the Marvel multiverse?
Put simply, the multiverse is an endless collection of universes full of possibility. Therefore, each Marvel universe is just a single instance in the larger Marvel multiverse. Most events that we are familiar with in Marvel comics, movies, and TV shows occur on Earth 616, which bears a close resemblance to our own planet. The countries and history are pretty much the same with a few notable variations, such the existence of the country Wakanda and, oh, the supernatural elements. The most popular heroes and villains of the Marvel franchise call Earth 616 their home, and alien races such as the Kree are also a part of the Earth 616 universe. Other versions of Earth have official designations and are identified in various stories, such as Earth-1610, which is the home Earth of Miles Morales. According to the Marvel Multiverse, we ordinary humans live on Earth 1218: the version of Earth without any superheroes or supernatural forces.
When was the multiverse introduced in the MCU?
The concept of the multiverse was officially introduced in 2016 in the first movie, when Dr. Stephen Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) witnesses a multitude of realities playing out. However, many hints that the multiverse exists can be found in previous films. For example, in Thor: The Dark World (2013), a scene with an astrophysicist makes mention of many other worlds and references a nexus in the Florida Everglades where all the worlds converge. Then, in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), the villain Mysterio is introduced, claiming to come from another universe. Finally, (2019) blows the multiverse wide open for the characters we know and love with the introduction of time travel. We learn then that each instance of time travel for the characters causes a splinter universe to appear—so, for instance, there is a world where Captain America remains in the 1940s and marries Peggy Carter.
