Marvel Cinematic Universe Cosmology

The Universe and Timeline

The Universe, also referred to as Yggdrasil, is the region of spacetime that beings and objects are relegated to. For example, Universe 616 and 838 have their own disconnected areas of three dimensional space and cannot travel to each other via that space, so they must use other means of travel to reach each other.

The universe is infinite in its size, specifically its space, based off statements that consistently mention an endless void of space, infinite and endless space that stretches among the Nine Realms. We can thus conclude that the Universe is a High 3-A structure.

A timeline is the series of causes and effects associated with a universe, complete, a self-contained sequence of events. For example, in Universe 616’s timeline, Steve Rogers became Captain America, Thanos won, and Hulk brought everyone back. Note that the past cannot be changed, the present moves forward into the future, and the future is not determined.

A scheme representing a timeline. The sphere represents the universe.

Also note that, in most, if not all, contexts, the terms universe, timeline and reality can be used interchangeably. For example, I could say “In 616’s universe, Tony Stark died,” or “In 616’s timeline, Tony Stark died.” The terms are interchangeable because every universe has a timeline, and every timeline has a universe. You cannot have one without the other.

According to the Ancient One, our universe is one of an infinite number, and there are worlds without end. Further statements affirm that Dormammu is plotting to conquer all of the infinite realities and dimensions within the Multiverse and absorb them into the Dark Dimension. However, WoG statements confirmed that the "infinite dimensions" the Ancient One was referring to are all nestled within each reality. This includes the Mirror Dimension and the Dark Dimension.

Multiple WoG statements often refer to a timeline as a multiverse in its own right:

• An article states that a variant of He Who Remains discovered different multiverses, and that those variants could escape from their own multiverse and enter ours.
• Another article states that the Watcher has seen everything, including events across multiple multiverses, and that he oversees all of them.
• A statement by the Head Writer of What If...? Season 1 mentioned that Infinity Ultron was punching across multiverses.
• A statement by the VFX Supervisor of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness said in an interview that Doctor Strange and America Chavez jumped through separate multiverses.

Substantially, this means that a timeline is composed of an infinite number of dimensions, which are separate space-time continuums.

We can thus conclude that a Timeline is a 2-A structure.

The Sacred Timeline

“	"Your world may seem singular to you, but really, it's a teeny, tiny, weenie speck on a vast cosmic canvas. In reality, the only universe considered the true universe exists on the Sacred Timeline, and it is guarded zealously by all of us here at the TVA."	„
	~ Mr. Paradox

The Sacred Timeline is the set or collection of universes that were isolated after the Multiversal War by He Who Remains. It is composed of many universes and their timelines, "stacked" atop one another. These realities shared the same baseline despite being different from one another, as they all led to the birth of He Who Remains and thus prevented the emergence of any Kang variant. This is confirmed by WoG statements, which affirm that multiple instances of time occur simultaneously, and these instances can generally be defined as different universes, that the Sacred Timeline resembles the intertwined strands of a rope and that small deviations can happen, but they do not stray meaningfully from the baseline, at least not enough to cause the birth of a Kang variant, so the TVA does not intervene. This is further confirmed by Mr. Paradox, who says that "the true universe exists on the Sacred Timeline," not that the Sacred Timeline is the true universe, further supporting the claim that the Sacred Timeline is composed of multiple universes.

This is further supported by Avengers: Endgame, where Bruce Banner explains that changing the past only creates a new branch and does not directly affect the original future. Since Judge Ravonna Renslayer confirms that the Avengers were "supposed to" time travel, it means their actions caused only minor deviations, ones that did not result in the emergence of a Kang variant, and therefore were not pruned, with the exception of the timeline where Loki escaped.

The time heist thus created multiple alternate timelines, which coexist within the Sacred Timeline because they do not diverge too far from the baseline.

In summary, the Sacred Timeline is a bundle of slightly different universes and timelines, all closely aligned and all leading to the same predetermined outcome, the birth of He Who Remains. For simplicity, we can refer to a structure like the Sacred Timeline as a macro-timeline composed of an infinite number of micro-timelines.

The term "Sacred Timeline" is also occasionally used to refer to the primary timeline of the MCU, designated as Earth-616.

Because of what was mentioned previously in the article, stemming from an interview with Loki’s writer Michael Waldron, we know that there are infinite instances of time happening simultaneously, and each of these can be seen as a different universe. The Sacred Timeline was described as resembling intertwined strands of a rope, with tiny fluctuations (branches) occurring constantly. The TVA monitors these timelines and only prunes branches that deviate enough to risk creating a new variant of Kang. Since these small fluctuations happen at every moment in time and are allowed to persist if they don’t surpass the threshold of significant deviation, this means the Sacred Timeline contains an uncountably infinite number of closely related timelines branching continuously.

We can thus conclude that the Sacred Timeline is a Low 1-C (5D) structure.

The Multiverse

“	The Multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little.	„
	~ Doctor Strange

After the death of He Who Remains, the Sacred Timeline was freed and began branching out indefinitely at every point in time. WoG statements compare the Sacred Timeline to a tree and state that it connects to other, larger timeline branches, i.e., other trees. We can thus assume that these larger timelines are similar in structure to the Sacred Timeline, because it is explicitly stated by WoG that these bigger timelines (the other trees) are meant to be like our timeline, meaning they also consist of an uncountably infinite number of timelines. Additionally, WoG statements note that a branch that grows long enough may intersect with another major timeline or tree.

The Multiverse is believed to be explained by the eternal inflation model, which suggests that the Multiverse may include universes that are not merely alternate timelines created by different choices or events. Instead, entirely separate, self-contained universes may have been born, universes that are not branches of one another and have no causal or temporal relationship. Although this has not been explicitly confirmed, this view aligns well with the current model of how the Multiverse functions in the MCU.

In What If...?, we are told that there are endless possibilities, where a single choice can branch into infinite realities. The Watcher states that every passing moment is a chance for a new branching, and a WoG statement confirms that "one singular moment leads to a multiverse of infinite possibilities."

The Multiverse is the aggregate of all timelines in existence. It's composed of macro-timelines (each made of an uncountably infinite number of timelines), such as the Sacred Timeline, often compared to a tree, which are stated to be able connect to other trees through their branches. These branches represent timelines that deviate from a baseline, and they serve as the "connectors" between various macro-timelines. A branched timeline continues to branch further, just like in the Sacred Timeline. When a timeline deviates meaningfully enough, it no longer fits the baseline of its parent macro-timeline and thus forms a new macro-timeline. Furthermore, these branches can themselves continue branching, following the same logic, branching an uncountably infinite number of times. The End of Time contains all timelines and branches.

Put simply, the Multiverse is made up of an uncountably infinite number of macro-timelines, each capable of branching and connecting to others.

We can thus conclude that the Multiverse, and the End of Time are 1-C (6D) structure.

The Quantum Realm & Gap Junction

The Gap Junction is the space between universes where the Book of Vishanti was hidden. It is stated that "[the Book of Vishanti] is not for any sorcerer to wield or keep as their own [...] it's for everyone and all sorcerers." According to further WoG statements, "these books [the Darkhold and the Book of Vishanti] were introduced and then they got destroyed. What does that mean for the multiverse?" and that "there is only one well of good in all of the Multiverse [...] and Wanda cut off the links to both of them." Furhtermore, the Gap Junction is directly stated to exist outside the Multiverse.

These statements lead us to the conclusion that there is only one Gap Junction in the entire Multiverse. We can thus conclude that the Gap Junction is a Low 1-C (5D) structure.

The Quantum Realm is a dimension outside the Multiverse, accessible through shrinking beyond a subatomic size or through magic.

WoG statements refer to the Quantum Realm as "the basement of the Multiverse [...] a connected limbo outside of space and time," and describe it as "a place hidden beneath the Multiverse."

The Quantum Realm can be used to travel between timelines, as demonstrated in both Avengers: Endgame and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In Endgame, the Avengers split into teams to travel to different points in their past using the Quantum Realm. These trips created new timelines. After the battle, Captain America returned the Infinity Stones by traveling to the precise moments they were taken. While Bruce Banner claimed that returning the Stones to the exact moment they were removed would prevent the creation of new timelines, the act of time travel itself theoretically still resulted in the formation of alternate realities, one where the Stone was taken, and another where it was not.

Since every act of time travel created a new timeline, the Avengers’ return to their original timeline required them to travel between timelines, something they achieved via the Quantum Realm.

This is explicitly supported in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, Episode 13, where Leo Fitz says, "They went back in time and caused a branch. But they can travel through something called the Quantum Realm and go in between timelines."

For the Quantum Realm to enable travel between timelines, it must be accessible from all of them, which implies that it exists outside the Multiverse itself. This is consistent with the earlier WoG statements referring to it as "the basement of the Multiverse."

These statements lead us to the conclusion that there is only one Quantum Realm in the entire Multiverse. We can thus conclude that the Quantum Realm is a Low 1-C (5D) structure.

The Nexus of All Realities

“	Run, watch, it doesn't matter. From here, I can see everything. No one can stop me now.	„
	~ Infinity Ultron

The Observational Plane, also called the Nexus of All Realities, is a higher-dimensional plane. The Watcher resides here, and he is stated to exist outside the planes of space and time of the Multiverse, above everything and everyone else. From the Nexus, he has witnessed everything that has ever happened, will happen, could happen, or is currently happening across the totality of the Multiverse, spanning all time and space. According to Infinity Ultron, the Watcher has the entire Multiverse at his fingertips from within the Nexus of All Realities, and the boundaries of the Multiverse are irrelevant to him.

We can thus conclude that the Observational Plane is a 1-C (6D) structure.

The TVA & the End of Time

“	The Time Variance Authority. We're really a watchdog organization. Except we're more lighthearted than that sounds with a sort of throwback ironic twist. And we're in charge of defending what's known as the Sacred Timeline.	„
	~ Mr. Paradox

The Time Variance Authority (TVA) is an organization that monitors the multiverse. According to official WoG statements, the TVA exists “outside of time and space” and is “literally off the timeline, not in the future or the past.”

Each timeline has its own flow of time, past, present, and future. This is the first time dimension (T₁).

The TVA, however, observes timelines branching, merging, and being pruned. It watches entire timelines change or be deleted. When a timeline changes, there is a “before” and “after” that change, not only within the timeline’s own time, but also from the TVA’s perspective. This “before and after” cannot be part of the timeline’s own time dimension; therefore, there must be a second time axis (T₂) external to all timelines.

This second time axis (T₂) is continuous and ongoing in the TVA because timelines are constantly and infinitely branching, not just when individuals travel through time. Changes are always happening, and they are infinite.

Although the TVA exists “outside of time and space,” meaning outside the standard flow of timeline time, it is not timeless. Evidence for the TVA’s own time includes:

• The presence of clocks and dates within the TVA.
• OB referencing events from “400 years ago.”
• Loki traveling back in time within the TVA and causing effects in its present.
• Events in the TVA unfolding in cause-and-effect order, distinct and separate from the timelines’ own flow of time.

The TVA tracks and changes the histories of timelines. Characters like Loki can travel back in the TVA’s own time. In Loki Season 2, Loki travels back in time within the Void at the End of Time to a point on the Void’s own time axis before the timelines had branched out. This demonstrates that the Void’s temporal dimension supports genuine time travel, allowing access to earlier versions of the timeline structure itself, not just points within a single timeline. Notably, the destruction of the Temporal Loom wiped out not just the TVA’s space, but also its time.

In summary, both the TVA and the Void at the End of Time possess a second temporal dimension because they observe and interact with timelines that themselves contain a time dimension. Those timelines change, branch, and evolve from the TVA’s viewpoint, which means the TVA exists on a level where entire timelines can change over time. This requires an additional, external time axis beyond the time contained within individual timelines.

We can thus conclude that the TVA and the Void at the End of Time are 1-C (7D) structures.

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