If you'd like to read the reddit post, it can be found here: www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/115jm5n/with_quantumanias_release_a_reminder_about_how/ If you'd like to join the discord server, here is a link: discord.gg/aboeMCU. There are over 900 members so far. Love to have you be part of the conversation!

I see it like this: The whole multiverse is a giant forest with each hypothetical tree representing an alternate universe. All the branches are the offshoot alternate histories stemming from a common “sacred” timeline. EDIT: Yep, exactly like I thought

We have to share this video to everyone . Explained everything so well and so easy to digest. Gives so much context to the narrative and universe .

It seems this whole concept fits directly with ownership of intellectual properties. Multi-Verse (Sony, MCU), a separate origin point for each however more importantly, different timelines for the different stories they tell allowing Flex in the story. It allows us not to be fitted towards one continous story.... Basically with Loki, we are now allowed one-shot stories without everyone getting upset in continuity.

This. Makes. So. Much. Sense! To add to this a little bit, I think the reason why incursions happen might be because of the infinity stones, because in this model every separate universe has its own set of infinity stones and therefore it's own physics and whatnot, so if a connecting link between two separate universes is established (like the exiled one shows in quantumania) it results in both of the universes being destroyed since neither can coexist with the other due to their infinity stones, and therefore their whole realities, being different enough that there's no possible chance of assimilation and therefore forces of the 12 infinity stones (6 from one universe and 6 from the other) fighting one another results in both realities coming to an end. and another thing, I think that when a character (say, Doctor strange from 616) initially travels to another universe (818 i think it was?) the link between the two universes doesn't immediately get established, I like to think that the connecting link forms over time and therefore that's why knowledgeable characters are always in such a hurry to get everyone sent back to their respective universes, because if they take too long and the link is fully formed then the differing sets of infinity stones will start clashing and result in an incursion that wipes out both universes. lastly, I think the loom had a dual purpose, of course as HWR said very clearly it was a failsafe to make sure that if too many branches occur then it'd explode and destroy everything but the sacred timeline, but I think that Victor Timely's explanation also fits because it's other purpose was to allow many different timelines to still exist in the 616 universe by turning them from chaotic strands into a tightly woven rope, a rope that looped back around to the "end of time" where alioth destroyed it or converted it back into raw time, and so with the help of the loom as well as the TVA preventing any branches going past the red line (going past the red line indicating that they'd be in danger of coming in contact with another universe) helped ensure that the 616 universe itself could have many different timelines within itself. and, okay this is the real last one, I think Loki's "tree" is the same tightly woven-together rope but now all the strands have been freed apart, and whilst the creators did likely cause a lot of headaches by showing a vertical odd looking tree after having normalized clean blue/white lines, and I think it would be fair to assume that if laid horizontally and with all of the space dust from the loom explosion cleared, it would look something like the "Tree" that we saw in Across the Spiderverse. The only reason why it has gone from single line with stands to a blossoming tree is because Loki is letting it branch out as much as it likes rather than pruning it and stuff like the TVA was doing. chaotic Loki letting the chaotic universe expand in chaotic ways, just as the chaotic universe had wanted since it created so many Lokis to cause chaos. one last last last thing, I wonder if Reed Richards' line about "boundaries between universes" just refers to the empty space and the near complete lack of happenstance of two universes just getting a link established between them, OR if there are other security measures like the 616 loom that other universes have at some points also implemented for safety at some point.

It makes me wonder if the “jurisdiction” of the TVA - at least as we’ve seen it - is only 616. If all Kang has done is to isolate 616 from any alternate universe, then there’s no need for the TVA to control branches from any other alternate universe. To be effective, all the TVA needs to do is keep 616 branches away from branches rooted in another alternate universe, and make sure that no other Kang variant shows up who could connect to another alternate universe. Though the TVA might be aware of them, they only stay in their own 616 universe.

I think there is a difference between completely separate animated universes in MoM that change how the travelers are presented (for example physically turning Dr. Strange into noir and cube) and the different timelines in Across the Spiderverse where characters do not significantly change styles when swapping between universes (Spider-Ham sticks to always being cartoony). The distinction is slight, but in a MoM noir style universe, if a Rubik’s cube would be added from another universe, it would swap to greyscale as opposed to a Spiderverse type noir universe where a cube would retain its properties of color. It could be due to some odd alternate Big Bang shenanigans or it could be due to the different, incomplete travel of the Spiderverse franchise where things glitch as if the foreign people were not “translated” into the correct style. MoM universe travel seems more natural than the technology of the Spiderverse where they essentially put a band-aid on to fix the glitching issue.

16:44 this ties my Fox Branched Timeline theory together perfectly. X 1-3 & The Wolverine were the anchor universe which branched following the events of Origins (thanks to Deadpool retroactively interfering) then branched even crazier maybe into a full on Multiverse thanks to Days of Future Past. Marvel might add XMen 97’ to this multiverse too can’t wait.

Personally, I like to think that Loki will lead into Secret Wars and that he will act kind of like the Molecule Man in the comics

THANK YOU you for making this video it was so nice that everything makes sense and links together! I think that it's not difficult for Marvel to explain it, they just need to explain the concepts, and everything will make sense (and of course put everything together and don't change it in the movies)

So glad that you made this video! I remember asking you to make this video when the season finale came out!

This video was everything I needed and then some. Brilliant job with breaking down and Flowing from topic to topic smoothly. Definitely adding some of the bullet Points to my notes! 📝

I’m really glad you take the time to do these videos cuz I really just want to be able to enjoy discussing these things with everyone on the same page.

This makes so much sense! Especially how you explained What If. Great work!!

Your Videos explain much better than normal Movie/Show Explanation Videos. Learned a lot from this one too!

You're awesome man! I've been trying to figure out the MCU multiverse and it's relation to the wider Marvel multiverse and this makes so much sense. Thanks

Amazing work, great analysis ! :)

Wow man, I’ve just finished watching your last 2 Loki videos and I gotta say, Fantastic theories!!! I was really having trouble listening to my own theories about the finale, before watching your videos because I really thought I was the only one having these complex but yet interesting theories. But I was wrong. And I learned so much more. Just earned a sub.

My first video I've seen of you. Really good stuff. Much more in depth than a lot of other channels.

Honestly these videos are incredibly A-coded but i'm all here for it, I love how in depth you are on your analysis and even give perceived contradictions proper explanations.

Love the breakdowns, you really make it so the convoluted comic rules translate well to the mass movie scene!

This explains everything so well, me and my friend were going back and forth with how the finale made any sense and I think you got it down perfectly. I just wish Marvel was a little more concrete on its definitions

This was brilliantly explained and I appreciate this video! Thanks!! 😃

Love your breakdowns you’re so in tune with marvel

All makes perfect sense :) Love it!

Man i am glad that you made this vid. I had a comment thread in which i stated my postition on this which litteraly had 100s of replies saying i am wrong without actual counter arguments. As i was gettin tired of this i decided to write like 5 paragrapghs or so explaining step by step what happen in the loki series and why it wouldnt make sense for the tree to be the multiverse. But still only comments on how i was "wrong duh". Man people cam be annoying. As said glad you made this vid. You earned your sub.

Incredible job making the MCU Multiverse work. This seems so right. Hopefully it’ll be properly explained on screen at one point. Great work.

I totally agree with you. We've been hung up on the terminology. Disregard the terminology and look at the concept and it gets super clear. Now I want to re-watch the whole show and see if this makes it clearer!

LETS GO!

Man, you do such a great job explaining this. I wish Marvel worked this hard to help their audience.

Finally it all makes sense. Didn't think it was possible. Congrats!

I love this because everytime you release a new video, the logic is even better and it all fits together again. I don't see any flaw now

Thank you so much! I didn’t catch the subtle difference between “branched” and “alternate” at all lol And your explanation is so complete which makes everything very clear!

Very well explained!

The multiverse did exist during the first Doctor Strange film because the Kang of Quantumania was hanging in the quantum realm with Janet Van Dyne years before it. Because the LOKI series takes place outside of time, TVA time does not follow along with 616 time. That's potentially also an argument for the Loki tree having always been the same tree as Yggdrasil with him being both inspired by Yggdrasil AND creating it, like the TVA handbook with OB and Victor.

I was never hung up on the terminology here but I enjoy your breakdown and clarifications. You presented questions I never focused on because I felt like the branches were always off of 616 (Sacred Timeline) and the multiverse was separate all together from the existence of the stadium Kang; I found the best definitions off the Multiverse in Quantumania. But as these stories progress the verbiage was getting a little loose! So thank you for the visual breakdown-definitely how my brain learns!

I live the Image of the "tree", the colors and the whole background are so beautiful😍

I found the 616-adjacent line to be by far the most confusing line they've used yet. I'm fine in general with using synonyms to describe a noun. That's probably just writers being bored. But when I first heard the line at the end of the finale, I assumed they were talking about a different Kang variant.

So Loki will meet Watcher

You worded my theory better than I could, after your video saying about multiple big bangs the first thought I had was that a branched timeline has multiple universes but there are also multiple individual timelines with their own branches, when the branches connect from one timeline to another, it rips the space that keeps them in their own "universe"

I hadn't even thought about the forest metaphor or realized how long ago it was mentioned, pretty cool

I now realized in ep6 he who remains give a reason why realities were spaghettifying, it was the temporal loom deleting(pruning) those branch timelines springing from the sacred timeline, when it was destroyed.

Awesome videos 😊

That was very informative

HWR was only pruning timelines that created a new Kang variant, not every deviation in the timeline

New to the channel love it so far

I don't really know what's gonna happen with the whole multiverse / kang storyline but the discussion about it, like this video, is really interesting!

Good video!

I really like your theories

man everything you explain makes sense

Loki content gives me life! 💚

beautiful video

I'm concerned about the reports suggesting a potential replacement of Kang with Dr. Doom. While I acknowledge Doom as a formidable villain, my preference is to stick with Kang. We've invested a significant amount of time in Kang's character, and I would rather not see anyone else in that role, especially considering Jonathan Majors' portrayal.

Thanks for the video I was fighting to understand 😂😂😂

This is exactly how I perceived the multiverse concept in my head. This is the best explinantion of mcu multiverse concept put in a video, it's better explain than marvel studio

Heres the way i look at it. A timeline is a collection of events. A universe is a collection of timelines. A multiverse is a collection of universes. Branches are when a new nexus event happens and now theres a new series of events to bundle with the other ones. Assuming that these branches take up some kind of physical space, i.e. the visuals in loki, incursions happen when your branch grows into another timeline. Using the plant analogy, if you put two big plants in one small pot, one or both of those plants are going to die.

Thanks to you and all other contributors for helping make sense of this stupidly complicated series.

now this fits perfectly for me, interesting how it ended up it beign kind of an hybrid of your two previous models

As much as I generally dislike how they've handled the development of the multiverse plot and the explanations there of, I think this is a really clever deduction of the facts. The picture's a whole lot clearer now, and I think everything you've said in the video holds up to scrutiny. Something I'm surprised you didn't mention in the video as a point of evidence towards your branched timeline multiverse vs alternate universe multiverse theory is the fact that the alternate Gamora from 2014 didn't cause an incursion and indeed seems to be living a contented life on the main 616 branch. Great video as always, though, keep it up!

Ok so excellent fkn video man for once i have ZERO things to add lmao its perfect explanation and u changed my mind on a lot of things and made me edit my marvel notes and lists haha, good stuff man its all makes perfect sense. However, I do have a request. Can u make a video explaining the multiversal beings that seem to watch over the entire multiverse (branches and alternates), such as The Watcher. Like if the Watcher is multiversal and he is depicted in the same throne room as Eon, Death, Eternity, Living Tribunal, and the Celestial One Above All, that means they are all multiversal then, not tied to 616. But then where does that leave all the lesser watchers and lesser celestials and stuff, are they only universal like the infinity stones? I would love a video where u get into that man.

There's still a bit of a problem with terminology, I think. We have universes, the ones with separate Big Bangs are labeled as alternate universes. Each universe can and will branch to create branched universes, which are connected to their main universe. An universe with branches isn't a mere universe - it's a multiverse. Which basically means that there's no such thing as an universe. They're all multiverses. Each alternate universe has branches, so it's never just an universe, it's always a multiverse. And each branched universe branches even further and creates it's own branches... It would be better to have separate terms for a multiverse that is a universe with branches, and a multiverse that is a collection of such aforementioned multiverses.

25:08 They are not discussing HWR, as one Kang mentioned, "So, the exiled one is dead" and it is the Kang from Quantumania who is exiled, not HWR. HWR, in fact, concealed himself and the 616 from them.

A timeline is a collection of events. A universe is a collection of timelines. A multiverse is a collection of universes.

Great work on the amount of research you put into the video. I agree with a lot of what you said but I am not sure the council of Kangs were referring to He who Remains. Since Kang from Quantumania said that he was exiled and in the end credit they say the exiled one is dead.

Really well done pulling all the sources together! The only part I'm still debating internally is that _[my variants] are already out there_ line. He might have meant those from alternate universes, but he also might have meant his own, from branched timelines. Or both. Granted, his own branch-variants might have not had the time to become Kangs, but who really knows. For all we know, the Conqueror could have been his branch-variant.

The branches are what allows different universes to interact and connect. That's what the red line is

Amazing video as always, one thing I really really loved about this video is that you cleared up the terminology that I've been struggling with understanding for quite some time now. The way you described it makes perfect sense and seems to align with what marvel wants us to think, I really wish they'd stick to using terminology better but the way you explained it worked really well. Also thank you for clearing up that 616 adjacent realm line, that was bugging me but makes sense that the TVA is focused on 616 so thats how they'd describe it. The only question I have is what we classify a branch thats colliding with another universe, a separate designated universe with its own origin point. For example if an 838 branch collides with a 616 branch, and 838s branch survives, its now a part of the 616 "space", do you now consider it a part of 616 because its in 616s tree? or is it still 838 because thats where it started? I don't know what word or universe designation to call it.

I think what Marvel tries to say is that the branches are timelines that branch off of the main 616 universe. And that 838 is another universe with it's own timeline branches. So that's how you have one big multiverse of multiple universes with multiple timelines. That's why some universes look so different from MCU 616. That's Why we got a Tobey Meguire Spider-Man in 2002 and a Tom Holland Spider-Man in 2016.

I broke my arm yesterday and I am sad I can't play football or video games but I can still see your videos and they make my day

Wow! Awesome video as usual! I love how well you can lay out and explain things so well! This conceptual distinction between branched universes and alternate universes was really needed and it's a great way to understand the general framework of the MCU so far. But I now feel that the word "multiverse" could use some clarification as well. In the video you simply said that a "multiverse" is both the collection of all branched universes attached to the same base universe OR the collection of all alternate universes. That's still ambiguous, so I propose to introduce a new word: the "omniverse". Let the tree at the end of Loki S2 be the 616 "multiverse", composed of the main 616 universe and its branches, and then the forest of all the alternate universes, each with their own origin point, can be called the Marvel "omniverse". I know it's not an official term, but I believe that at least among us fans it could be useful to keep the conversations clear and unambiguous.

Miguel O'Hara called the Spider-Verse a “polimultiverse” in Across the Spider-Verse, so your theory of each universe doubling as a multiverse actually works pretty well with everything else that has been established.

You know what i just realised , he did what Rick did in Rick & Morty , the The Sacred Timeline is the Central Finite Curve

ANOTHER BANGER!!!

Love the content! Everything starts to fit together . Two questions though ….. 1) Are there many 616-Kangs? and do they prove a different threat than the colosseum or multiverse Kangs? 2)Was the original point of the TVA to prune timelines that lead to just 616-Kangs ……that might lead to different versions of the 616-he who remains ……which then may therefore lead to a nexus point ….which then may connect to the other universes (trees) ? OR Was the TVA just pruning them dangerous branches that would connect them to other universes (trees) and therefore making them Visible to to the multiverse (forest) and the multiverse Kangs? 😊😊

You're absolutely correct about everything.

Actual banger!

20 years ago, when I moved into a townhome in a brand-new neighborhood, I noticed a row of trees planted a few feet apart from each other along the street. They looked really nice back then. But over the years, despite the maintenance crews pruning the branches every so often, those trees just kept growing beyond control, and the branches ended up overcrowding each other and causing incursions between the trees, so instead of a nice little row of separate trees, it looks like one huge mess now. I guess that's what's starting to happen with the multiverse.

The tree is separate from the sacred timeline. When they show the zoomed out of the tree growing, you can clearly see the sacred timeline in that same zoomed out panned shot. Sacred time line is visually shown to be a ring. that ring is still there with the tree growing next to/around the sacred timeline. What the cgi artist is telling us as shown in that shot, is that both the sacred timeline and multiverse co-exists but are kept separate, meaning no interference from either of them. That's how I interrupted it.

Wow, finally, everything makes more sense now.

This is honestly one of the best and most comprehensive MCU videos I’ve ever seen. I think you have hit the nail on the head of the best way to make sense of all this multiverse stuff. The one last thing I’ve been wondering about lately is this, why did HWR isolate 616? Is he the Kang from the 31st century of the 616, but we have Victor Timely so was he always the 616 Kang, or was he placed there? And I still don’t really see his role in HWR’s plan, if the Loom was always the failsafe.

One thing I’d like to suggest about Doctor Strange and other films talking about the multiverse taking place before Loki season 2, we need to keep in mind that while the anchor point for that version of Loki happening as the result of Endgame, now the timeline has been allowed to branch that means those branches can now occur any point in history. It's somewhat confusing to say that Loki takes place when it does because it is mostly separated from the natural flow of time. The movies have always been set in a reality in which the multiverse existed. You can look at Loki as a prequel to the MCU because once he did what he did it was always done

And thus Loki god of Stories has begun

Woah! ur theory on how the exiled one is actually HWR is freaking brilliant!!

A couple things: First i am really excited to see 616 as it appears alongside the other alternate universes. I hypothesize that it will still look kinda circular just imagine the image of ýggdrasil on a sheet of paper that is curved into a circle. I have nothing to back that up, i just think Marvel likes its circular imagery so i hypothesize when next we see a diagram like Kang made in QM which displayed (i think) 2 alt-unis, it might display ýggdrasil as one of them but curved to be at least vaguely circular. Second, i am still waffling on What If... either branched or alt. There is the imagery in the timeline book, the several times they said the word branch which both appear to infer branched feom 616. But then theres the fact that Gamora's infinity crusher not working on Ultrons Infinity Stones as they were calibrated to her uni not his. Its not definitive but it can be read that the stones were so inherently different from Gamora's uni. But also ultrons stones were usable outside his uni when they dont at the tva. But does the tva count the same way? Or did they not work for the same reason Lokis powers didnt work? But then theres the interview that mentions nexus points would have likely been used if they knew... I waffle back and forth. Theres too many contradictions for me to make a decision.

Love the video! Do you think that the 616 will have more supernatural and magical elements since Loki is using magic to power the branches?

Hello, I love your content however a question I have is that befour the creation of the infinity stones there were the celestials so are celestials different in each universe or did they just make different infinity stones in each universe?

I didn't expect that in this video I would get the most comprehensive explanation of MCU Multiverse logic I've seen yet... I do wish though it wouldn't be so difficult to explain because Marvel would just make it make more sense on its own ;D

Question: do you believe that what happens in the closing scenes of the Marvels (no spoilers in case its too soon) is a direct result of what happened at the end of Loki? I mean obviously what happened is a function of how the bands are used but is the result ultimately the fault of what happens in Loki? Because I also remember in No Way Home,Dr. Strange saying the spell should not have had the effect that it had...and this was before Strange learned about incursions. All these things are a direct result of the boundaries between universes weakening and breaking down. That's just the thought I have been having watching your videos, thinking about what Loki is saying and what Quantumania is saying (both of which are looking at the damage from outside time) and now three separate movies detailing incursions (No Way Home,Multiverse of Madness and now the Marvels). It is super exciting to see such big concepts in play but each piece only gives us a piece of the overall puzzle! I love it!

Conceptually what you're saying makes sense. When it comes to the alternate universes, the cube universe and paint universe make more sense because of the physics, but then 838 becomes strange. They treat 838 almost like a "what if" scenario, where they seem to have the same origin, but just slightly different details happened. If the alternate universes are stacked on top of each other, and have different physics, 838 would make MORE sense to treat it as a branched timeline, but I don't think that's what they're trying to do. ALSO! You should address the numbered universes themselves if you get a chance. The TVA is aware of 616, which means they are aware of other numbers as well. However, they seem somewhat unaware of the other "alternate" multiverses... or are they? It's a bit unclear. From a meta perspective, because they use multiverses to describe both "what if" scenarios and other studio IPs like Fox, Sony etc... they try to describe two different things with the same function. It's probably going to remain pretty murky.

Loki is the centre of Earth-616 not the Multiverse. A little disappointing because I liked the idea that he saved literally everything but I guess that makes more sense so that we can still have characters like the Watcher

I find trying to put Loki in place of events on the sacred timeline difficult, because everyone says it's after endgame/infinity war (even marvel have said themselves) but, it follows Loki immediately following the events of the battle of New York in 2012, and the whole series is meant to take place over the course of like 2 weeks (before the look starts to break and Loki spends centuries learning physics maths etc, so technically the branching of the timeline (when Sylvie kills He Who Remains) should have started in 2012-2013 latest surely?? Then Loki (becomes the loom) centuries later forming the tree

Great video! Question -- If What If is only showing us branched 616 timelines, then why doesn't Gamora's infinity stone crusher work? I'm going to go ahead and say that What If is a wash, in terms of whether it is branches or alternate, because Ultron using the same infinity stones everywhere contradicts the infinity stone crusher not working everywhere. Also for it to be 616, are you assuming that the animation is a stylistic choice, and that they are actually live action from the characters' POVs?

I was confused about the watcher's view of the multiverse in comparison to HWR until season 2 dropped. I was confused about the connection between what If and the LIVE ACTION stuff until I came to this conclusion with consideration to theories from tubers like you and MT and Paul from Heavy Spoilers .I started to realize how many times they showed us the 616 on the chrono monitors or how many times it was mentioned in the show . Also what Kate Herron and Mike Waldren said about the concepts after season 1. Very intriguing how intricate and delicately this narrative and reality is being written and illustrated . No wonder Marvel is dragging this out . These are big concepts . And I hear word of Eternity Wars . I see how Marvel is setting that up through Wanda's backstory and Thor Love and Thunder. This is going to be CRAZYYYY. But yeah so the Watcher so far appears to have an even broader view of the multiverse . Infinity Ultron might be more powerful than HWR. Really puts things into perspective. Im so hype

There is going to be a point where marvel finally makes this all clear in a movie and then people are gonna start posting those edits with epic music about HWR saying "I isolated our timeline" and then some cool shots and edits of the timeline because they will finally learn what we all already know. Without jokes though, i would really love if they clear this up big time since so many people seem to think the multiverse was born in the end of season 2.

Yooo this has just hit me like a brick, It's the entire multiverse. It's showed in Loki season 1 episode 5, There's heaps of different types of loki in the Void at the end of time, including an alligator, and boastful Loki is an adult, his nexus event wasn't existing. The temporal loom weaves time into a rope, a rope has more than one strand or thread, this TVA has jurisdiction over the animal universes as well as paint kang, and 838, and any mutant universes. And at the end if it was only 616, he would have just grabbed one timeline and let it branch, all the separate timelines loki grabbed are different universes and is letting them branch like a tree, This hit me hard and now there's no doubt in my mind that Loki is the God of the multiverse. And there's no way he who remains hasn't met paint kang, but I'm pretty sure everytime kang time travels in the comic he creates a new time variant, and that's why there are so many Sorry this was long

Hear me out Why would they call it 616 if they are only aware of this Alternate Universe It's just coming out of my mind but I think the part of TVA we saw was dealing only with 616 while other parts of TVA maybe in the chronopolis of which we didn't see much who deal with other Alternative Universes???

Excellent video! Based on this info my head canon is that the Netflix Series’, Agent Carter, and Agents of Shield are all branched timelines/universes anchored to the 616 universe. And that the X-Men and Tobey/Andrew Spider-Man franchises are all alternate universes.

It would've been perfect if when they showed the tree in the Loki S2 finale they would've shown more trees around it! Like a forest. Also, would all this mean that the rest of the multiverse (with their branched universes) are at war right now? Or maybe the three kangs are not evil and everything elses is in peace lol

I’m actually excited to see what they’ll do for season 2 of What If…? Granted it was already in production before Loki was released so who knows what will happen

According to me, the loom was a fail safe which prevented the sacred timeline from branching to infinite universes, in HWR's loom you have to keep pruning the timelines or the loom will get destroyed with the load of infinite branch timelines which will also result in destruction of the sacred timeline......Loki is now acting as a loom, a loom that can allow the branch timelines to exist without destroying the sacred timeline