Marvel chief Kevin Feige has repeatedly shown the MCU’s timeline as ‘The Sacred Timeline’ and has designated Earth 616 to the franchise’s main timeline. While the franchise is in its multiverse saga at the moment and has come into contact with various realities, the main MCU starting from Iron Man has the Earth 616 designation.
However, Feige may be wrong about the number as there are fewer proofs of the franchise actually belonging to that timeline. The 616 designation is canonical to the Marvel comics universe which the MCU deviates from. Ms. Marvel star Iman Velani also pointed this out and mentioned that she has argued with Feige over this.
Why Did Kevin Feige Name The MCU’s Timeline Earth 616?
The main Marvel comics’ timeline is said to have taken place on Earth 616. The prime universe of the comics has the canonical origins of beloved superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, The Fantastic Four, and more. In the latest book The Marvel Cinematic Universe – An Official Timeline, the MCU received the same name.
Marvel chief Kevin Feige has designated the MCU the same name as the prime universe in the comics and has also put in several Easter Eggs in films like Doctor Strange and its sequel The Multiverse of Madness to support the claim. In films like Spider-Man: Far From Home, there have been references to the timeline being Earth 616.
In series such as Loki and the recent Deadpool & Wolverine, the main events in the MCU were said to have taken place in the ‘Sacred Timeline’. However, this designation has had serious inconsistencies within the franchise. In the 2008 book Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Vol 5, the MCU was called Earth 199999.
The Earth 199999 designation has also popped up in multiple films. In last year’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse, Miguel O’Hara refers to Tom Holland’s antics in Spider-Man: No Way Home to have taken place on Earth 199999. The MCU also differs significantly from the prime Marvel comics universe.
Iman Vellani May Be Right About MCU’s Timeline
Many fans have criticized Kevin Feige’s decision to name the MCU timeline Earth 616 due to its differences from the prime Marvel comics events. The inconsistencies in the MCU that were the result of early MCU not having the rights to many of its characters have led the franchise to make considerable changes from the canonical events.
Iman Vellani, the actress who plays Kamala Khan in the franchise, also mentioned that the naming convention did not make sense. A comic book nerd, Vellani spoke about Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio calling the Sacred Timeline Earth 616 a hoax as he was just an actor and even mentioned how her character is different from the comics (via Deadline),
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, and 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.
Kamala Khan a.k.a Ms. Marvel was confirmed to be a mutant at the end of the show Ms. Marvel. The events of Deadpool & Wolverine, which were released recently and have the X-Men characters, are designated to take place in Earth 10005 and the same might continue in subsequent X-Men appearances in the MCU.
