Avengers: Endgame introduced the concept of time-travel in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it now appears as if the branching realities created by Earth's Mightiest Heroes will throw us head first into a Multiverse full of alternate timelines and possibilities.
As The Hulk explains, going back in time doesn't change your present/future; instead, by changing the events of the past, you create a new timeline and the events of
Avengers: Endgame have opened the door to a number of new futures we could get the opportunity to explore moving forward.
Whether or not we ever get to visit them, the latest Marvel Studios movie has created some insane new timelines, and we're now taking a closer lok at them and the consequences of what the team did.
So, to check out this breakdown of the new timelines, simply hit the "View List" button below!
2014: Thanos Disappears
When Thanos learns about his future self's demise, he travels forward in time to 2023 to go to war with Earth's Mightiest Heroes. That doesn't end well for the villain and he's turned to ash alongside his entire army after Iron Man unleashes the power of the Infinity Stones.
This means there's now a timeline where the villain never gathers the Infinity Stones and the events on Earth pan out in a very different way. Everything up to the events of
Black Panther would have more than likely have went down the same, but the Secret Avengers would have remained just that - presumably until Thor returned to Earth with his fellow Asgardians and made things right.
That all sounds pretty good, right? Well, there are some negative implications of Thanos's disappearance which we'll touch on a little later in this feature.
2012: Loki Escapes
Perhaps the biggest change made to the past comes when the opportunistic Loki spots the Tesseract in front of him and uses it to escape. Now, a whole new timeline has been created where the God of Mischief wouldn't have helped his brother during the events of
Thor: The Dark World, and probably would have been hunted down by the God of Thunder (and possibly The Avengers) as a result.
This means Thor wouldn't have been on Earth when Ultron attacked, and Loki would be free to cause all manner of chaos in the cosmos with the Tesseract by his side.
Thanos would, of course, still be a factor in this timeline and probably would have also pursued Loki. The key difference here is that this version of the villain hasn't been redeemed by helping Thor defeat Malekith, so there's a chance he could have reported back to the Mad Titan and presented him with this Stone to make up for losing the Mind one, thereby speeding up Thanos' attack on Earth.
World War II: Captain America Reunites With Peggy Carter
We've heard conflicting reports from the Russo Brothers and
Avengers: Endgame writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely about Captain America's decision to return to Peggy Carter. The former claim that he lived his life out in an alternate timeline, while the latter argue that he was always destined to be Peggy's secret husband and the father of her children.
Whatever the case may be, Steve Rogers going back and marrying his first love means that the world had a Captain America from World War II onwards and there's simply no way he would have sat on the sidelines during events like Vietnam and the Iraq War (even if he would have been too old to fight during the latter). If nothing else, he must have worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.!
There's a chance we could end up paying a visit to this timeline before too long, as Steve changed everything when he made the decision to travel back and stay with Peggy.
2012: Captain America Learns That Bucky Is Alive
While Steve Rogers (2012) more than likely believes that it was Loki he battled during that intense fight scene, the present day Captain America dropped a bombshell when he mentioned that Bucky is still alive, and you have to believe the past version will start looking into that now.
If so, the events of
Captain America: The Winter Soldier will probably never happen and Sam Wilson won't become The Falcon. HYDRA may also be discovered sooner rather than later, too, and depending on how things pan out, there's a strong chance Steve won't be able to get through to his old friend (that emotional battle on the Helicarrier was what helped Bucky remember his past).
Either way, there are going to be some big ripples from this throwaway comment...
2012: HYDRA Doesn't Get The Mind Stone
It's Captain America's job to return the Infinity Stones to where he found them but could he really, in good conscience, give the Mind Stone back to HYDRA knowing what would follow?
Even if he did, they now believe Captain America is one of them and once it becomes clear that that's not the case, Mind Stone or no Mind Stone, their plans are sure to change in a big way.
There's also a risk that if the Stone isn't returned to them, the events of
Avengers: Age of Ultron will never happen, but they'll succeed in their plan to kill millions (including Stephen Strange, the future Sorcerer Supreme who is instrumental in putting an end to the Mad Titan's plans).
2014: The Guardians Of The Galaxy Never Assemble
Star-Lord being knocked out on Morag and Nebula and Gamora heading to the present means the Guardians of the Galaxy never forms. Rocket and Groot would continue doing their own thing and Peter Quill would most likely return to the Ravagers. With Thanos suddenly M.I.A., Ronan would be free to destroy Xandar unopposed, killing millions in the process.
As for Ego, while he wouldn't have heard about Star-Lord's heroic actions, he most likely would have found his son sooner rather than later, and that could also have some disastrous consequences.
On the plus side, the Reality Stone probably would have stayed safe with The Collector, but we know he can't really be trusted. Honestly, it's hard to imagine this timeline working out for anyone because there are a lot of variables, and even if Quill does get the Power Stone, he'd probably wind up just being killed by Ronan without the Guardians there to back him up.
1970: Hank Pym's Missing Particles
The ramifications of this probably weren't massive, and we may have actually seen them play out already. Hank Pym will surely have noticed that some of his Pym Particles were missing, and this could be what led to him falling out with Howard Stark - which is something we're already aware of. It's also possible that their disappearance stopped Hank from becoming Ant-Man.
2014: Captain America Meets The Red Skull
The Red Skull may have almost become a new being as The Stonekeeper, but he must still have had a strong reaction when he came face to face (skull?) with Steve Rogers again.
After all, it was Captain America's actions that led to the Skull ending up a prisoner on Vormir, and this confrontation could have led to a battle which means the villain wasn't there or had a totally different attitude when Thanos arrived in 2018. It's also possible that he was freed when there was no longer a Stone to guard, so Steve returning that may have released the former HYDRA leader.
Things would have had to go in a certain direction for a new timeline to be created here, but hopefully we'll learn more about it at some point.
2012: The Ancient One Knows Too Much
When Bruce Banner tells The Ancient One that Doctor Strange willingly gave Thanos the Soul Stone, she's genuinely shocked, but seems to understand his actions...or does she?
The Sorcerer Supreme gives The Hulk the Time Stone but seems rocked to the core by what she's learned and, as someone capable of viewing her future right up until the day she dies, you have to believe that this revelation might have changed what she sees.
It's hard to say what ramifications this could have, but The Ancient One might think twice about helping her future protege...
2013: Asgard Unprotected
While Captain America returned Mjolnir to Asgard at the point it was taken, there's still a branching timeline in which the God of Thunder didn't have his hammer to fend off that attack from Malekith. With that in mind, Thor may have met his maker alongside his mother, something which opened the door to the Dark Elf being able to unleash the power of the Aether.
Honestly, this plot point is not likely to be addressed, and it hinges on how time-travel works in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Mjolnir going missing could have consequences.
Which Avengers: Endgame rumours were accurate
and which were BS? Continue reading below to find out!
TRUE: The Stark Gauntlet
One recurring theme in plot leaks for
Avengers: Endgame was the creation of what became known as the "Stark Gauntlet." This leaker claimed that The Hulk would be the one to wield it against the Mad Titan and that he would lose an arm in the process.
While some minor details were incorrect (the Jade Giant didn't exactly battle Thanos while wielding it), the fact that Earth's Mightiest Heroes travel into the past to collect the Infinity Stones was spot on, and it's hard to imagine that this was simple guesswork.
FALSE: Shuri Becomes The New Black Panther
Once T'Challa was dusted, fans immediately started speculating about the possibility of Shuri suiting up as the new Black Panther.
It was a nice theory (especially as we didn't find out Shuri's fate until the teaser trailer was released) but obviously incorrect, and if Marvel Studios does decide to take things in this direction, it probably won't be for a number of years as T'Challa's story is far from over.
TRUE: Pepper Potts Suits Up As Rescue
When Gwyneth Paltrow shared a behind the scenes photo from
Avengers: Endgame showing her legs in mo-cap tights, it didn't take fans any time at all to jump to the conclusion that she would be suiting up as Rescue.
Throw in some more leaked photos (and even action figures) and rumours started swirling that Rescue would make her MCU debut in this movie. Well, as we now know, that proved to be correct...even if her appearance was rather brief.
FALSE: Annhilation
With a synopsis teasing a greater threat than Thanos and that mysterious behind-the-scenes image shared by the Russo Brothers, it's no wonder that one site incorrectly claimed that
Avengers: Annihilation was a title being considered by Marvel Studios for the movie.
This inevitably led to speculation that Annihilus would be making an appearance (Ego was another Fox-owned character they were able to use so it wasn't too much of a stretch), but none of this proved to be correct and the filmmakers recently confirmed that the only other title they considered for this epic finale was
Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet.
TRUE: Katherine Langford's Mysterious Character
After seeing
Avengers: Endgame, it would have been easy to dismiss this one as being false because Katherine Langford was nowhere to be seen in the superhero ensemble.
Well, a couple of days ago, the Russo Brothers revealed that her scenes were cut and she was indeed set to play an older version of Morgan Stark (which is what the rumour claimed). She would have appeared before Tony after the Snap - just like the young Gamora in
Avengers: Infinity War - but test audiences found it too confusing and that led to it being scrapped.
TRUE: Some Major Plot Details
Last December, a seemingly random Twitter account shared a number of huge Avengers: Endgame details and we all figured they were completely made up! Among his claims were Thor putting a permanent end to Thanos, Stan Lee appearing in the 1970s, the God of Thunder's new look, and Captain America saying "Hail HYDRA!"
Needless to say, this was all dismissed as nonsense because it sounded too far-fetched to be true, but it ended up being 99% accurate and was clearly based on legitimate leaks.
FALSE: A Cameo From The Eternals
Avengers: Endgame obviously didn't feature a post-credits scene, but one usually reliable source claimed that The Eternals would more than likely make some sort of cameo appearance right at the end of the movie. Well, while it was a nice theory and all, that movie hasn't even started shooting yet and so it was simply never going to happen, especially when the project is still in the casting stages.
FALSE: No More Guardians Of The Galaxy
The same leaker who provided that accurate information about the Stark Gauntlet also claimed that Earth's Mightiest Heroes' decision to change the past would indeed change the present, with the Guardians no longer forming as a result.
While what the characters did in 2014 would have meant that the team never came together, that's not a plot thread which is going to be explored in the MCU-proper - but perhaps the creation of that alternate timeline will come into play in the Multiverse!
FALSE: An Army From Hel
In
Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor had a very weird vision which seemingly resulted in him visiting Hel and coming face to face with dead Asgardians, including Heimdall (and Loki in a deleted scene).
This resulted in rumours that the defeated Thor would have looked to take the fight to Thanos by recruiting an army from Hela's realm which would have evened the odds against the Mad Titan. Based on set photos and other pieces of information we saw, it's easy to see where this rumour came from but hard to believe that it was something Marvel Studios ever actually considered.
TRUE: Nebula Vs. Nebula
Rumours of cameo appearances from the likes of Justin Hammer and Quicksilver may have been nonsense, but what initially sounded like an equally hard to believe rumour - that Nebula would battle her past self - ended up being correct.
This didn't quite confirm time-travel but it did lead to a lot of speculation about what we should expect from the movie, and was a very cool moment.
FALSE: Tony Stark Is Kang The Conqueror
This was a weird one and, well, downright ridiculous. It was said that Tony Stark's trip through time would have led to his future self becoming a villain and that he would have taken on the Kang the Conqueror persona. There have been plenty of stories in the comics that are similar to this (see: Iron Lad), and it would have been interesting to see.
However, it would not have been the right way to end the character's story in the MCU, as it was far more fitting for him to go out a hero.