How a comic book-like multiverse will play into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Endgame and beyond

I believe that the MCU is going to introduce the concept of the multiverse with Avengers: Endgame.

DC fans will recognise this as a common trope in their comics and recently in Arrowverse TV shows. The multiverse, simply, is the idea that there are numerous parallel universes, each subtly (or sometimes, radically) different from each other, all existing at the same time.

Marvel fans may have heard the phrase ‘Earth-616’ thrown around before – this refers to the main universe in which most Marvel stories take place. A quick google shows that the idea has been floated in the MCU for some time – as early as Thor: The Dark World in 2013 in fact, when Professor Selvig had scribbled ‘616 universe’ against his diagram of the Nine Realms (connected parts of the universe). It has been referenced since in episodes of Agents of SHIELD.

What does it mean for Avengers: Endgame? Well, I theorise that in undoing The Snappening from the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the remaining Avengers will travel through time and also (maybe) the multiverse in order to bolster their depleted ranks, and find a version of reality in which they are able to stop Thanos. Or something along those lines at least. The consequence of this, once Earth-616 is restored to normal, is that the Avengers will become aware of A) the multiverse and B) interdimensional travel.

If you’re yet to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, then this is pretty much all covered in that movie. Also check out a podcast I did with Charlie just after the film’s release where we talk about how the stuff that happens supports our theory.

Thinking more logistically, the result of this would be a near infinite number of possibilities for future films. The MCU as it is has rattled though a lot of Marvel’s biggest characters and events already in the last 10 years, and there is a small risk of audiences losing interest in the franchise as Marvel are forced to pull out some of the more obscure and less relevant heroes from their back catalogue.

DC are introducing their ‘Black Label’ movie imprint to address the issue of telling DC stories without the constraints of (what’s left of) their Justice League canon, but Marvel is uniquely placed to do the same thing, while still contributing to their cash-printing factory that is the MCU.

With a multiverse, you could conceivably do another series of Iron Man films, while keeping the popular Robert Downey Jr. movies still within canon. It also addresses the issues of long-serving actors becoming too expensive, or simply not wanting to play their characters anymore.

For example, a lot of people think Captain America might die in the events of Avengers: Endgame – Chris Evans isn’t interested in acting anymore and Cap’s story has basically been told at this point. But how can you do Marvel without Captain America? Well, say there’s a universe where Bucky Barnes was selected by the army to trial their Super Solider Serum, and he became Cap. He’d be a different Cap, but Cap nonetheless.

Then say Steve Rogers dies in ‘our’ universe (616), at some point he could be replaced by Captain Barnes who, for whatever reason, moves to this universe to takeover the vacant CapAm role. Our universe gets a fresh new Captain America, and Marvel get to make three more movies. Kerching.

It’s also a way to deal with bringing in existing X-Men canon from the Fox acquisition, if they so desire.

It’s also one possible way of dealing with ‘The Snappeing’ – it could well be that instead of 50 percent of the universe’s population being straight up erased, they’re actually transplanted to another dimension – out of sight, out of mind ‘n all. Given that those who remain remember those who were raptured, that actually seems more likely – if they were truly erased, it should be a Marty McFly fading from photos kinda situation. There’s a difference between being erased and killed.

It could also explain the appearance of Ronin.

Basically guys, we’ve nailed it. No need to question it.

We’ve called it. Marvel should hire me (omg please).