11

Which earth does the Marvel Cinematic Universe belong to? I remember in Thor: The Dark World, it was referred to as 616 by Erik Selvig:

Thor: The Dark World screenshot of scene described above

But I remember lots of sources claiming it to be Earth-199999, even a few stating it to be official, and lots of fandoms still call it that. But again, Mysterio called it 616, who is not really a reliable narrator.

So who is right? Which earth is the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

1

3 Answers 3

8

According to the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (A to Z)

  • Earth-616 is the "Mainstream reality".

enter image description here

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol.1 #2 (Glossary)

  • Earth-199999 is the universe in which Iron Man (and hence the rest of the MCU) takes place.

enter image description here

Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol.1 #5 (Glossary)

7
  • A link to this book with a quote would be perfect Dec 21, 2019 at 19:14
  • 5
    It's a physical book .. under copyright .. it may not be possible to link to the quote.
    – iandotkelly
    Dec 21, 2019 at 19:16
  • What about Erik and Mysterio?
    – Ankit Sharma
    Dec 22, 2019 at 3:57
  • 2
    @AnkitSharma Maybe in universe they call it 616, but in other universes it’s 199999?
    – DonielF
    Dec 22, 2019 at 4:21
  • @DonielF that make it more weird if true
    – Ankit Sharma
    Dec 22, 2019 at 7:58
7

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has confirmed that "616" is the designated number for the MCU Prime universe.

Christine 2: Our universe is 838. And we've designated yours 616.

Strange: Oh. You guys sure must know a lot about the Multiverse. You got someone going around naming realities.

Marvel producer Nate Moore, during interviews publicizing the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, called the universe that the films of the MCU takes place in “the MCU 616 universe” but this doesn’t appear to be any sort of official statement.

"You will not see T'Challa in the MCU 616 Universe. We couldn't do it. I will say that when Chad [Boseman] passed, it was a real conversation that we had with [Ryan] Coogler about 'what do we do'? And, it was a fast conversation. It wasn't weeks, it was minutes of 'we have to figure out how to move this franchise on without that character'. I think we all feel that so much of T'Challa in the MCU, not in comics, is tied to Chadwick's performance, is what he brought to that role both on and offscreen, I would argue."

2
  • I'm not sure why you feel that two independent sources saying the same thing make your argument that it's "unsettled". Are there other sources saying other things?
    – Valorum
    Nov 2 at 21:02
  • 1
    @Valorum mostly just the answer above. The quote I linked to was just an off-the-cuff remark made by a producer as part of an unrelated question. If they had been asked specifically about the universe number I'd have given it more credence. But it looks like there's another reference in Loki, so your edit to make it more definitive seems appropriate.
    – miken32
    Nov 2 at 23:06
2

It's “616” or the “Sacred Timeline”, officially.

According to the official book Marvel Studios’ The Marvel Cinematic Universe: An Official Timeline, the main MCU universe is designated as “616” or the “Sacred Timeline”. In-universe, it is the Time Variance Authority (TVA), via Miss Minutes (both introduced in the Loki TV series), that gave these designations to the main MCU universe.

image of the page where the quote below came from

INTRODUCTION

Hey Y'all! I'm Miss Minutes, and welcome to the guidebook on the beings and events that make up the universe known as 616, also known as the Sacred Timeline. Here at the Time Variance Authority, our job is to keep tabs and protect the countless timelines that weave together our Multiverse. Some of these have small differences, like altered lunar cycles or events happening at slightly different times, or big ones—like everybody being made out of paint! Now, 616 may be just one thread in this vast Multiverse, but trust me, it's a wild one!

As to how Mysterio learned of the "616" designation, you can check out this question: "How did Mysterio (Quentin Beck) know about the multiverse?"

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .