The conversation has been brought back up amongst fans since the release of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The film states that the main universe that the Avengers and our favorite heroes live in on screen is Earth-616. This can be confusing for moviegoers and comicbook readers alike, as the main Marvel comicbook universe is also Earth-616. So the question stands, what is the correct universe or Earth number for the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Originally, the MCU was stated to be Earth-199999 by the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z, Vol. 5 in 2008. This comes after Marvel Studios’ first film in the MCU, Iron Man. As well as the second film of Phase 1, The Incredible Hulk. Iron Man was released in May of 2008 and The Incredible Hulk was released in June of the same year, while the Official Handbook was released later that year in October.
Earth-199999 was thought to be the official Earth number until 2013 when Thor: The Dark World was released, where “616 Universe” was written on the board of Dr. Selvig who is played by Stellan Skarsgård. Without explanation this small detail can be viewed as an homage to the main comicbook universe or this could be a universe within the MCU. Unfortunately, any answer fans would want for clarification wouldn’t come until much later throughout the movies.
In 2016, Doctor Strange gave us our first glimpse into the multiverse of the MCU. The film gives visual queues but also has dialogue that suggests the existence of different universes. The Ancient One played by Tilda Swinton lectures Doctor Strange played by Benedict Cumberbatch pondering the questions, “You think you know how the world works? You think that this material universe is all there is?” as well as “Who are you in this vast multiverse, Mr. Strange?” She also explains how the sorcerers use magic by utilizing the multiverse, “We harness energy drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse to cast spells to conjure shields and weapons. To make magic.” Knowing this, it makes sense that Doctor Strange’s sequel film dives further into the multiverse and gives more details such as officially numbering the universes.
In the sequel film, we see new characters like the Inhuman Black Bolt played by Anson Mount. Mount previously played the character on ABC’s Inhumans show. We also get to see a live-action look at Captain Carter from What If? played by Hayley Atwell who has previously voiced the character but also appeared as a different version of Peggy Carter throughout the MCU. Both characters are introduced amongst other new characters as a part of the Illuminati and are from Earth-838. This shows how vast and different the multiverse truly is.
The multiverse and time travel have been mentioned in many other films and Disney+ series between the two Doctor Strange films from 2016 to 2022. Some of these previous mentions come from films like Infinity War released in 2018, Endgame released in 2019, and Far From Home released the same year. While the shows that refer to the multiverse and time travel are Loki released in 2021 and What If? released the same year. With all the recent mentions of time travel and the multiverse within the MCU, fans have started to debate whether it is Earth-616 or Earth-199999.
The controversy has even been mentioned by actress Iman Vellani who plays Ms. Marvel in the Disney+ series of the same name. Recently, in her podcast interview with Deadline, Iman says, “I have this argument with Kevin every time I meet him in person. It’s not all (Earth) 616, the MCU is definitely 199999. You can’t take it from the Marvel comics canon, that was the main comics canon where all the main events took place. In that canon, Kamala is an Inhuman, there’s Lockjaw, House of M took place with X-Men. Where’s all that with MCU if it’s 616? I rest my case. Why was Mysterio in the MCU right about the 616 he mentioned? Why would he know anything? He’s an actor.”
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She’s even doubled down on her comments with Deadline stating, “I like to say that’s 616, I don’t think the MCU is 616. As much as Kevin Feige would have us believe it’s 616, it’s 199999.” Iman makes a lot of valid points and as an actress apart of the franchise, it’s good to see someone who has this knowledge. Her comments have also rallied fans to support her across many social media platforms.
While the MCU has many similarities to the comicbooks they’re adapting, they have even more differences amongst them. As Iman has stated some of the main events don’t take place in the MCU, but also some of the main events that do exist in the MCU are completely different from their comic counterparts. Civil War, Infinity War, and Endgame are some examples of major events that were adapted completely different from their comic run. Characters have also been changed to fit the bigger part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some of these characters are Taskmaster from Black Widow, Ajak from the Eternals, and most recently Ms. Marvel from her self-titled show.
The list of differences between comicbook events, characters, and the MCU will continue to grow, but it’s important for comicbook fans & moviegoers alike to understand those differences. The cohesiveness of the MCU is something that has never been done before in a franchise this large and not everything will be like the source material. Regardless of what Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness states, the fact remains that it is an adaptation and not Earth-616, but Earth-199999.
how Does the MCU General Public know so much?
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