Summary
- Absolute points are key events in each reality in the multiverse that cannot change without catastrophic consequences.
- Incursions are collisions of realities in the multiverse, a probable growing danger as the MCU heads for Avengers: Secret Wars.
- The MCU has teased Nexus beings who possess the power to impact probabilities and the future within their respective universes, like the Scarlet Witch.
- Anchor beings like Wolverine are essential for the stability of their realities and can be replaced by variants from other timelines.
Recent years have seen the MCU establish a variety of different terms and concepts regarding its greater multiverse. Beginning with Phase 4 which began with Black Widow, the bulk of the MCU’s projects have been focused on stories involving alternate realities and variants of known heroes and villains from other timelines beyond the primary MCU reality designated Earth-616. To that end, some of these new terms will likely become even more important as the current “Multiverse Saga” reaches its conclusion in the next few years.
Some of the most important MCU projects to truly understand the multiverse include shows such as Marvel’s WandaVision, Loki, and Marvel’s What If…? Core multiverse movies include films such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, as well as the more recent Deadpool & Wolverine. To that end, here are some of the biggest and most important MCU multiverse terms to know going forward, as well as what may still be confusing about them ahead of the Multiverse Saga’s culminating crossovers, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
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7 Absolute Points
Marvel’s What If…?
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In the first season of Marvel’s What If…?, a key episode explored a timeline in which Doctor Strange lost his love Christine Palmer instead of damaging his hands. Still coming to learn the mystic arts, Strange was hellbent on gaining the power to rewrite history and save Christine, regardless of the damage he inflicted upon himself and his timeline. Eventually, it was revealed by the Ancient One that Palmer’s death was known as an absolute point, an event in which nothing could change its occurrence lest the entire reality be destroyed, as was the case when this version of Strange still kept trying.
Keeping this episode in mind, it follows that each reality in the multiverse holds its own unique and immutable absolute points in its respective timeline. This would most likely be the origins of heroes, or major events such as the Battle of New York that first assembled the Avengers. Furthermore, the concept of absolute points in the MCU may have some overlap with other terms that have been established in subsequent Marvel projects since this first season of Marvel’sWhat If…?
WandaVision 
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WandaVision, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first TV show on Disney+, first aired in 2021. The series kicked off the MCU’s Phase 4 and brought back Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision. WandaVision strayed away from Marvel’s typical formula, this time formatting itself more like a classic sitcom as Wanda struggles to cope with the death of Vision.
Cast Paul Bettany , Elizabeth Olsen , Kathryn Hahn , Teyonah Parris , Randall Park , Kat Dennings , Debra Jo Rupp , Evan Peters Release Date January 15, 2021 Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Writers Jac Schaeffer Directors Matt Shakman Showrunner Jac Schaeffer Expand
6 Nexus Beings
WandaVision
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The term “Nexus Being” from the original Marvel Comics has yet to officially be said in the MCU. However, the concept has certainly been teased, beginning with WandaVision’s “commercial” promoting a medication called “Nexus”, one that “works to anchor you back to your reality, or the reality of your choice”. In the comics, nexus beings are unique individuals in their universe who possess the ability to greatly affect probabilities and the future. As the nexus being of the comics’ Marvel Universe, it makes sense that the MCU’s version would be teased as well.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ America Chavez was also teased as a nexus being, given her ability to travel realities at will. However, she may be more unique given her status as an apparent singularity in the multiverse, having no other variants as most do. While Wanda is the nexus being of the comics’ Earth-616, other known alt-reality nexus beings include Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman’s son Franklin Richards, as well as Kang the Conqueror (who could also be nexus beings in the MCU as well).
WandaVision 3.5 AdventureDramaActionSuperhero
WandaVision, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first TV show on Disney+, first aired in 2021. The series kicked off the MCU’s Phase 4 and brought back Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, aka the Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision. WandaVision strayed away from Marvel’s typical formula, this time formatting itself more like a classic sitcom as Wanda struggles to cope with the death of Vision.
Cast Paul Bettany , Elizabeth Olsen , Kathryn Hahn , Teyonah Parris , Randall Park , Kat Dennings , Debra Jo Rupp , Evan Peters Release Date January 15, 2021 Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Writers Jac Schaeffer Directors Matt Shakman Showrunner Jac Schaeffer Expand
5 Nexus Events
Loki
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While “nexus being” is a more ambiguous term in the MCU, “nexus events” were more clearly defined in Marvel’s Loki. Nexus events are any moment or decision that can create alternate branches in the timeline. A prime example is Loki in 2012 using the Tesseract to escape the Avengers as seen in Avengers:Endgame, when he was supposed to be taken back to Asgard for imprisonment, or when Loki held hands with his fellow variant Sylvie.
Other examples include Peggy Carter taking the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers as seen in What If…?, as well as the biggest known nexus event in the MCU where Sylvie killed He Who Remains. This resulted in major multiversal growth with several new branching timelines, spreading beyond the collection of timelines the Kang variant had specifically cultivated using the Time Variance Authority, having shaped the multiverse as he saw fit.
4 Incursions
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness
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As was first revealed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and was somewhat fleshed out in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, “incursions” are a major threat to the stability of the MCU multiverse. Essentially a collision of realities, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness confirms that incursions can happen due to prolonged multiversal travel which can result in the demise of one or more realities. However, it does seem as though there may be more than one exception to the rule, such as if you have no other variants in the multiverse (like America Chavez who now lives on Earth-616).
It also seems likely that prolonged multiversal travel won’t be the only way to trigger an incursion in the MCU. As the Multiverse Saga heads for Secret Wars, something or someone will more than likely trigger numerous incursions at all once, resulting in the creation of Battleworld as seen in the comics version of Secret Wars, a collection of realities held together as one realm to prevent their destruction. At any rate, the threat of incursions in the MCU will likely get bigger within the next couple of years.
Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness 3.0 PG-13HorrorFantasyActionSuperhero
In Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU takes a deeper dive into the Multiverse and the unknown, introducing variants of Strange and other familiar friends and foes – including The Illuminati – and offers a new perspective on how it works and connects. The story follows Stephen Strange, now post-blip and no longer the Sorcerer Supreme. When a terrifying monster rampages through New York seeking to capture a young girl from another multiverse named America Chavez, Strange finds himself as her newfound protector. Unfortunately, his new foe is a former ally, Wanda Maximoff. To protect Chavez and stop Wanda’s rampage, Strange travels the Multiverse looking for answers – and encounters engrossing and terrifying realities that expand the Marvel Universe in a whole new way.
Director Sam Raimi Release Date May 6, 2022 Studio(s) Marvel Distributor(s) Disney Writers Michael Waldron Cast Elizabeth Olsen , Michael Stuhlbarg , Benedict Wong , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Xochitl Gomez , Benedict Cumberbatch , Rachel McAdams , Bruce Campbell , John Krasinski , Patrick Stewart , Hayley Atwell , Lashana Lynch , Anson Mount Runtime 126 minutes Franchise(s) Doctor Strange , Marvel Cinematic Universe Sequel(s) Doctor Strange 3 prequel(s) Doctor Strange Budget $172–200 million Expand
3 Sacred Timeline
Loki
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Originally, the Sacred Timeline was the work of the Kang variant He Who Remains. Focused on the MCU’s primary Earth-616 timeline, the Sacred Timeline was a framework for a constrained multiverse, one that wasn’t allowed to create any of He Who Remains’ more dangerous variants (like Kang). Any branching timelines that deviated from his designs were pruned and deleted by the Time Variance Authority. The Sacred Timeline was essentially a looped rope made of multiple realities He Who Remains deemed acceptable, effectively removing free will from the multiverse.
However, the Sacred Timeline has since been transformed in the wake of He Who Remains’ death. Due to its failsafe, the device known as the Temporal Loom used to weave the Sacred Timeline together was meant to destroy both the TVA and the rapid influx of new branch timelines that had formed. However, Loki steps in to save and reshape the entire Sacred Timeline going forward.
At the end of Loki season 2, the former God of Mischief becomes a living Temporal Loom using Asgardian magic. Keeping the new timelines alive and reforming the Sacred Timeline from a contained rope into a large multiversal tree not unlike Yggdrasil, Loki allows new branches to grow with stability, while also effectively giving free will back to those living within them. The Sacred Timeline is also a widely accepted term for the primary events of the MCU proper on Earth-616.
Loki 3.5 AdventureActionFantasySuperhero
Having escaped from a different timeline, Loki stars in his own titular series, where he learns about the life of his predecessor and discovers the truth of time and space. In the show, Loki reluctantly becomes a part of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), an interdimensional governing body that keeps time in order. On the chopping block, Loki is given a chance to save himself by helping the TVA hunt down someone more dangerous than himself – another Loki.
Cast Tom Hiddleston , Richard E. Grant , Erika Coleman , Gugu Mbatha-Raw , Sophia Di Martino , Owen Wilson , Wunmi Mosaku , Sasha Lane Release Date June 11, 2021 Seasons 2 Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe Writers Michael Waldron , Eric Martin Directors Kate Herron Showrunner Michael Waldron Expand
2 Canon Events
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
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Despite being a Marvel film from Sony, the multiversal concepts introduced in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse do have some bearing on the greater MCU multiverse. After all, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Men are all either shown or at least referenced in the animated movie, and they were all featured in the MCU with Spider-Man: No Way Home. To that end, it does seem as though “Canon Events” have their place in the greater MCU multiverse.
In Across the Spider-Verse, the realities featuring a Spider are referenced by Spider-Man 2099 as a collective “Great Web of Life and Destiny”. However, this is likely just an alternate visual framework for the multiverse as it specifically relates to Spider heroes, rather than on a wider scale as it’s been shown in the MCU with shows like Loki. Similarly, “canon events” are moments in every Spider-Man’s story that have to happen for said reality to remain stable.
Major “canon events” for Spider-Men include significant deaths like Uncle Ben or Captain Stacy. If they don’t happen, their reality is in danger of erosion and is often destroyed. As such, “canon events” certainly seem to be the Spider-Verse version of absolute points by another name (though “canon events” certainly seems like the better name of the two). That said, it remains to be seen if “canon events” can be rewritten without reality falling apart.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 4.5 PGSuperheroAnimationActionAdventure
Miles Morales returns in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. With his identity still safe but “grounded” by his parents, Miles Morales is visited by his friend from another dimension, Gwen Stacy. Inviting him on a new adventure, Miles jumps at the opportunity but is seemingly accosted by an unknown assailant on his journey. Miles and Gwen will unite with new and old Spider-Heroes to face a villain of immeasurable power.
Director Joaquim Dos Santos , Kemp Powers , Justin K. Thompson Release Date June 2, 2023 Studio(s) Sony , Marvel , Columbia Pictures Distributor(s) Sony Writers Dave Callaham , Phil Lord , Christopher Miller Cast Shameik Moore , Hailee Steinfeld , Oscar Isaac , Jake Johnson Runtime 140 Minutes Franchise(s) Spider-Verse , Spider-Man Sequel(s) Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse prequel(s) Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse Budget $100 Million Main Genre Animation Expand
1 Anchor Beings
Deadpool & Wolverine
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“Anchor Being” is the newest multiverse term in the MCU, courtesy of Deadpool & Wolverine. Told by the TVA’s Mister Paradox that his reality was dying, Deadpool seeks to save his reality of Earth-10005 (the Fox Marvel universe). This is done by Wade finding a variant of Wolverine from another reality to replace the Wolverine who died in Logan. This is because Wolverine was confirmed to be the “anchor being” of Earth-10005, an individual so crucial to their reality that it gradually begins to decay once they’re gone.
Sharing a lot in common with “Nexus Beings” who also serve as anchors for their realities in the comics, it’s already been teased by Marvel’s Kevin Feige that they may be two names for the same concept. Likewise, anchor beings might be another exception to the incursion rule regarding multiversal travel, seeing as how they can be replaced by variants from other realities (assuming they weren’t the anchor of their original reality). That said, it’s a little foggy if Deadpool’s anchor replacement plan actually worked or if Earth-1005 was instead stabilized due to the combined matter and anti-matter energy following the destruction of Paradox’s Time Ripper.
Deadpool & Wolverine also implies that it might not be a problem if someone moves to another reality if their original reality has been destroyed. After all, the TVA initially gave Deadpool the chance to leave his reality to its fate and instead make a permanent move to Earth-616. At any rate, it does seem likely that anchor beings will continue to be a recurring concept as the MCU’s Multiverse Saga continues.
Deadpool & Wolverine 4.0 RAction Sci-FiComedySuperhero
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Director Shawn Levy Release Date July 26, 2024 Studio(s) Marvel , Maximum Effort Distributor(s) Disney Writers Rhett Reese , Paul Wernick , Shawn Levy , Ryan Reynolds , Zeb Wells , Rob Liefeld , Fabian Nicieza Cast Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney Character(s) Deadpool , Wolverine , Cassandra Nova , Vanessa Carlysle , Peter , Blind Al , Dopinder , Mr. Paradox , Negasonic Teenage Warhead , Pinkie Pie , Colossus , Shatterstar , Buck , Elektra Natchios , Pyro , Russian , Bar Patron , Thor , TVA Minuteman Runtime 127 Minutes Franchise(s) Deadpool , Marvel Cinematic Universe prequel(s) Deadpool , Deadpool 2 Main Genre Action Expand
Upcoming MCU Movies
- Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025
- Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025
- The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025
- Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025
- Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027