The MCU’s multiverse is no longer the purview of only sorcerers and a handful of characters and movies. Though Avengers: Endgame‘s Time Heist might have saved the universe, it also set the MCU on a much more complex path. Infinite paths actually, to infinite dimensions and parallel worlds. And these branching timelines are changing the face of the entire franchise for every Marvel Cinematic Universe hero and villain. Both new and (very) old.
Marvel’s multiverse can be a lot to keep track of… even for those creating it. All those roads can be confusing, but they are important. Especially as fans eagerly anticipate upcoming films like Spiderman: No Way Home, releasing December 21, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, releasing March 25, 2022. Fortunately, we’re here to help break down the multiverse’s beings, storylines, and many paths. From Doctor Strange’s dimensions to the Quantum Realm, from Loki‘s variants to the possibilities of WandaVision‘s Darkhold, and more, here’s everything you need to know about the MCU’s multiverse.
What Is The MCU’s Multiverse?
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As laid out by the Ancient One in Doctor Strange and confirmed by He Who Remains (who fans believe to be Kang the Conqueror) in Loki, the MCU exists in a world “without end.” In short, how big is the MCU’s multiverse? The MCU’s multiverse is infinite. Vastly different parallel worlds, along with vastly different realms of existence, all exist. Anything and everything can happen with them. And they can cause utter destruction to one another. There are differences between other dimensions and parallel worlds, though.
Another dimension is an entirely different plane of existence. It’s possible to be in one while still observing another. However, if you travel the multiverse and go into a parallel world, you will only perceive the world you currently reside in. If that’s confusing, here are a couple of analogies.
According to the MCU’s multiverse theory, being in another dimension is akin to being a ghost. If you become a ghost, you exist in a different plane of reality, but you can still see the world you left behind.
Meanwhile, visiting a parallel world is more like walking through a portal into a new destination. Imagine if you walked into a world identical to our world, except the sky is purple instead of blue. In the purple world, you would no longer see the blue sky of home. Your actions in the purple world would impact everyone there instead.
In the MCU, other dimensions sometimes have no ability to impact each other. Even when one can be perceived within another, but both parallel worlds and other dimensions sometimes post existential threats to other planes in the multiverse.
Marvel’s Multiverse Explained By Dimension, Realm, and Property
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Countless dimensions and realities (a.k.a. parallel worlds) also mean countless sinister dimensions and threats too. The Ancient One explained that to Stephen Strange when he first arrived at Kamar-Taj during the events of Doctor Strange.
“This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end. Some benevolent and life giving. Others filled with malice and hunger. Dark places where powers older than time lie ravenous…and waiting.”
The “infinite dangers” the former Sorcerer Supreme warned of have already been seen in many dimensions and parallel worlds within the MCU. But so have other less nefarious places. These are the most important ones—good and in-between—to appear in the MCU so far. (Please note, this article deals only with the MCU, not Marvel Comics.)
The Many Dimensions of Doctor Strange
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Stephen Strange first saw the true scope of existence when his soul traveled through many dimensions. Some beautiful, others nightmarish. His journey took him through wonderfully named planes like the Mandelibus, Actiniaria, Flowering Incense, and Grass Jelly Dimensions. These are all visual marvels worth exploring for any sorcerer-in-training. But thus far, these dimensions have been unimportant to the MCU. The film did introduce three vital dimensions to the franchise, though.
Astral Dimension
The Astral Dimension, sometimes called the Astral Plane, is “a place where the soul exists apart from the body.” Masters of the Mystic Arts can leave their physical bodies behind and enter the Astral Dimension. There they exist as pure energy. They still look like ghostly versions of themselves, though. Sorcerers can also push other souls into this plane. The Ancient One did this multiple times in the MCU. In addition to her encounters with Stephen Strange, she also pushed Bruce Banner’s soul out of Professor Hulk in Avengers: Endgame. Strange is seen doing this to Spider-Man in the No Way Home trailer. Perhaps we will see more of this part of the MCU’s multiverse in the upcoming Spider-Man movie.
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Marvel’s Astral Plane exists around and next to the physical Earth Realm. Souls in the Astral Dimension float through the physical world, but the two are not the same place. They are different and independent planes of existence. What happens in the Astral Dimension does not affect the physical world. An astral projection can reveal itself to a physical being, though, as Stephen Strange did to Dr. Christine Palmer.
Time also works differently within the Astral Dimension. For example, a single moment can be stretched out so that a dying Sorcerer Supreme can have a long conversation with the next one. In Doctor Strange, we see this talk that starts and ends before a bolt of lightning hits the ground.
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This plane of existence also lets those who access it multitask. A body can sleep or enjoy a mug of tea in the physical realm while the soul reads a book in the Astral Dimension. Doctor Strange made use of the Astral Realm while studying the Mystic Arts. In WandaVision, Wanda Romanoff also used this aspect of the multiverse to studying Darkhold. Finally, it was also within the Astral Plane where Wanda heard the voices of her sons, Billy and Tommy. Though what dimension they currently exist in is yet unknown.
Non-sorcerers can access the Astral Plane. And they have done so at other points in the franchise. However, depending on the MCU property, this dimension goes by other names and appears differently. The Astral dimension’s presence in Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity Way, and Avengers: Endgame and its overall importance to the MCU’s multiverse are discussed later in the article.
Mirror Dimension
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Sorcerers also frequently access the Mirror Dimension. This dimension is an exact copy of the physical world it parallels. “Ever present but undetected,” the Ancient One said. “The real world isn’t affected by what happens here.” It’s why Masters of the Mystic Arts use it “to train, surveil, and sometimes to contain threats.”
A sorcerer working to save the physical world can lock an enemy within the Mirror world. If that foe does not have a Sling Ring, which sorcerers use to access the realm, they have no way to get out. A Mystic Arts master might also learn new skills in the Mirror Dimension that they can then use against an unsuspecting and unprepared enemy. It’s the ultimate secret training ground.
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The Mirror Dimension is not invulnerable, though. Doctor Strange attempted to use it in his fight with Thanos on Titan in Infinity War. But Thanos used the Power Stone to shatter the Mirror Dimension and turn it against Strange. And while it can be used for good, the Mirror Dimension can also be used for sinister purposes. Those who practice darker magic can hide within it, train, and jail foes inside too. Their willingness to access another dimension’s terrible power also gives them additional strength within the Mirror world.
Dark Dimension
You don’t get a name like the Dark Dimension because you’re full of sunshine and rainbows. You get that moniker because you belong to the Cosmic Conqueror, Dormammu—an interdimensional monster. This dimension is also known by the equally pleasant moniker, the Hell Dimension. (Though this could be an exaggeration, one has to wonder if perhaps it contains the much-awaited satan Mephisto somewhere inside of it.) What it definitely contains, though, are all of the worlds consumed by Dormammu.
This fate awaited the Earth, but Doctor Strange struck a bargain with the MCU’s Eater of Worlds.
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Earth almost became part of the unnatural Dark Dimension because a former Master of the Mystic Arts, Kaecilius, and his followers fell prey to its promise. The Dark Dimension is “a world beyond time” and therefore a world beyond death. It’s so strong it’s possible to draw power from it to extend your life in other dimensions. Sorcerers who do harness this dark energy, known as the Dark Force, become more powerful inside the Mirror Dimension.
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But it’s not just misguided magic users who sometimes draw from the Dark Dimension. The Earth-born Ancient One used the Dark Dimension to live for hundreds of years, violating the natural order. Messing with Dark Force is a dangerous game for everyone and every dimension. That’s equally true for the Scarlet Witch, who ended her time on WandaVision learning the secrets of the Darkhold. This sinister book of dangerous magic is made from the dark energy of the Dark Dimension. Fans speculate we may yet see more of this dark part of the MCU’s multiverse in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Both the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Strange will appear together in the upcoming Doctor Strange film.
Black Panther‘s Ancestral Plane
The Astral Plane is not simply the domain of sorcerers. Even though they both look different, the Astral Dimension of Doctor Strange is the very same dimension as the Ancestral Plane of Black Panther. It’s the realm where the soul goes after the body dies. And just like with the souls of the very-much-alive Strange and Bruce Banner, it’s a place the living can visit.
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T’Challa and Killmonger each journeyed to the Ancestral Plane after being named King of Wakanda. They consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb and were then buried in order to get there. Each man met and spoke with their respective deceased fathers in the Ancestral Plane. This ethereal world appeared differently to each of them. T’Challa went to lands similar to his homeworld, but it was a world of un-Earthly bio fluorescence and beauty. And Killmonger went to the home he grew up in with his father in Oakland. When each man woke, far less time had passed on Earth than he had experienced in the Ancestral Plane because time moves much slower there.
And yet, this is not the only other version of the Astral Plane the MCU has shown.
Infinity War‘s Soul Stone and Soulworld
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When someone uses the Soul Stone, they enter a separate dimension inside the magic space rock. Thanos went there after his Snap in Infinity War. In the Soul World, he met his daughter Gamora as a small child. Professor Hulk visited that plane too, though we didn’t see what he encountered there. And Tony Stark, before he died, saw his young daughter as a grown woman in an Endgame deleted scene.
The Soul World is not only where people go when they use the Soul Stone. It’s where souls go when they die. Soul World is the Astral and Ancestral Plane by a different name. In the MCU, a world beyond life exists. It has many names and takes many forms, and it can be accessed in many ways. But it’s all one place, hidden in Marvel’s multiverse.
Ant-Man‘s Quantum Realm
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The Quantum Realm is so important to the MCU we wrote an extensive primer on it before Avengers: Endgame, especially since Scott Lang realized it could be used as a portal through time. You’ll definitely want to read that breakdown too. It explains why the Quantum Realm is not merely a smaller-scale version of Earth’s realm. It is actually an entirely different dimension. If you shrink your physical form down enough, you leave your own plane of existence and cross over into another one. So the MCU’s Quantum Realm is a unique dimension, just as the Astral or Mirror dimensions are. But seemingly more important than both combined.
The Quantum Realm already reshaped the MCU by undoing the Snap. But its potential to totally upend the MCU going forward might very well extend beyond time travel. Especially if it exists beyond the end of time itself, where, as we saw in Loki‘s finale, a dusty old Citadel resides.
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The castle of He Who Remains exists in a dimension outside and independent of time itself. Where that Citadel is exactly is still unknown. But its surreal, swirling environment full of color looked a lot like the Quantum Realm. Considering the Quantum Realm can be used to hop in and out of a timeline, it’s the best candidate for where the Citadel exists. Thus, he Who Remains and the staff of the TVA are essentially time travelers.
(We have to wait to see more, but it must be noted that Doctor Strange and Spider-Man seemingly go into an identical-looking plane when Strange’s spell breaks in the Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer at the 1:54 mark.)
Loki‘s Variants and Parallel Worlds
Loki’s six-episode run on Disney+ took everything we knew about the MCU and flipped it on its head. Then it twisted and spun the entire franchise and its history all around, so we have no idea which way is up. Because as soon as He Who Remains gave us answers to monumental questions, Sylvie created even bigger ones when she killed him. (The show also left some important topics open to interpretation rather than explicitly addressing them.) Some valuable lessons Loki taught us about the MCU’s multiverse remain true, though.
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The dimension where the Avengers live has an infinite number of parallel universes “stacked” on top of it. Many of those parallel worlds look very similar to each other. We know that because of Variants and the many versions of He Who Remains who fought a Multiversal War. Some Variants look like exact copies of each other, and their worlds have similar histories. But even those can have significant differences. Loki can, for instance, lose the Battle of the New York in one part of Marvel’s multiverse but win in another.
While we have yet to see it outside of Loki, the rules of infinite parallel worlds have major ramifications. For example, Tony Stark is dead in the universe we know. But an infinite number of Tony Starks will still live in parallel worlds. In some, he could be evil. In others, he didn’t defeat Thanos with the Snap; another Avenger did. Other Variant Tonys never even became Iron Man. Instead, they died in that cave. Or lived the easy life of a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist. The same holds true for every character, living or dead, in the main timeline.
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Marvel’s What If…? series shows a slow of these alternate realities. On What If…?, Peggy Carter stays in a room instead of leaving it, and because of that, she ends up a Super Soldier instead of Steve Rogers, thus changing history forever. Those alternate realities/parallel worlds can co-exist in peace. It’s even possible to travel between them and share knowledge and technology. So long as multidimensional travelers avoid two potentially catastrophic pitfalls. 1) don’t fight with each other and 2) don’t cause branches to the Sacred Timeline that keeps every parallel world contained.
Multiversal War and the Sacred Timeline
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He Who Remains won a Multiversal War against his own Variants. (Possibly/likely not the first such war, and definitely not the last.) Once he and his Variants learned inter-dimensional travel between parallel worlds, some versions of He Who Remains sought to conquer the others. That battle threatened to destroy all of reality. It was nearly the end “of everything and everyone” in every universe and dimension. To prevent a potential multiverse apocalypse from happening again, He Who Remains organized all of those parallel worlds into one Sacred Timeline. Thus, variants and alternate realities co-exist on top of and next to one another in a single loop of time. He Who Remains created the TVA to make sure it stayed that way.
If a Variant causes a Nexus Event, which results in a branch from the Sacred Timeline, they are ripped from their reality and sent to the Void at the end of time. Those branches must be pruned lest they result in another all-out war between dimensions.
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The TVA is the MCU’s most Machiavellian creation. It sacrifices the lives of some to protect the lives of everyone. It’s neither inherently good nor bad, and even similar Variants disagree on its merits. Loki ultimately decided the TVA was a necessary evil, a form of control that kept the worst outcomes at bay. Sylvie did not. She believed the universe and its infinite dimensions want to break free from control. Results be damned.
How one world can be so different, to the point Variants can be entirely different species (looking at you—from a safe distance—Alligator Loki), yet not constantly cause branches to the Sacred Timeline is hard to fathom. But that’s how powerful a Nexus Event is.
Non-MCU Marvel Movies and the Multiverse
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Because of real-world machinations, the parallel worlds of the MCU are no longer limited to only the universes and dimensions created within the MCU. Some non-Disney Marvel movies are now a part of the MCU’s multiverse too. For example, Alfred Molina of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies and Jamie Foxx of the Andrew Garfield webbed-slinger series will appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home. They’re just two past Spider-Man movie characters and actors we know for certain will show up. Others will certainly be joining them. Including possibly, we hope, those iterations Peter Parkers. And that’s just the start of the crossovers. Kevin Feige has already promised Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool will join the MCU.
That opens the (parallel worlds) door to any and all Marvel movies ever made, being canonically folded into the MCU. It’s why Chris Evans could return to the MCU not as Steve Rogers or one of his Variants, but as Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. As could another former Johnny Storm, Black Panther‘s Killmonger himself, Michael B. Jordan. The Netflix Marvel shows and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, which no longer seemingly exist in the same universe as the MCU, might make their way back to official status. Someone like Wesley Snipes’ Blade could one day help Mahershala Ali’s upcoming MCU version of the character fight vampires from across the multiverse.
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And, of course, any and all members of Fox’s X-Men franchise might now make their way into the MCU. This might have already started. Right now, Evan Peters’s Quicksilver on WandaVision stands as a bit of stunt casting. But that might not be the case much longer. We could soon learn Ralph Bohner’s resemblance to the X-Men character was not a mere coincidence. Ralph might be a Variant of the cinematic X-Men‘s Quicksilver.
Thanks to the multiverse, it’s now possible to consider anyone who has ever played a Marvel character in film and TV for any studio to be part of the MCU.
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The Future of the MCU’s Multiverse
Doctor Strange gave us a taste of what the multiverse is all about, both good and bad. The Ant-Man movies showed us how another dimension could upend the world as we know it. And Avengers: Endgame made good on that promise by manipulating time and reality to save the universe. Now WandaVision and Loki have expanded the multiverse in ways that have fundamentally changed the MCU. In ways, we don’t even fully appreciate or know just yet. And that’s just the start.
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Marvel’s multiverse will only bring more chaos and villains to (this) Earth’s mightiest heroes as the MCU goes forward. From Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Loki season two, the MCU is diving headfirst into infinite possibilities. And each step the franchise takes down that road, the more complex the path gets. But knowing where it’s coming from will help keep the road clear moving forward.
…We think. It’s not always easy to keep track of infinite dimensions and worlds. Even He Who Remains needed the TVA to do that.
Mikey Walsh is a staff writer at Nerdist. You can follow him on Twitter at @burgermike, and also anywhere someone is ranking the Targaryen kings.
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