Last-minute, pre-hype theory: the MCU is a work of fiction
Rumor has it we’re days away from our first Avengers: Doomsday trailer, and before we all start speculating over five seconds of new footage, I wanted to throw out something that my analysis of post-Endgame phases keeps bring me back to:
**I believe the MCU is fictional.**
…but in a different way than the, “no shit, Sherlock,” reply you’re probably typing is thinking about it.
# Humble Beginnings
At the MCU’s inception, its reality was not so different from ours, laws of physics aside. A super genius building a robotic suit isn’t too crazy to imagine.
Every entry since added more and more fantastical (obligatory repeat), yes, *fantastical* elements to the universe but, thanks to internally consistent logic and the power of suspended disbelief, the world building was acceptable.
But, recently, there have been lore additions that flat out create plot holes:
* No one actually dreams - Instead of being the unfettered imagination of a sleeping individual, every single “dream” in the MCU is the sleeper watching events that are actually occurring in a different reality.
* The Book of Vishanti - An omnipotent spell book, said to be a fairy tale, actually exists but is easily destroyed by the power it exists to counter before even being used.
* Anchor beings - Across the infinity of time in each reality exists one finite individual without whom that reality will cease to exist.
* Eternity’s Wish - A cosmic entity chose to setup a secret contest to grant any one wish to the first person to find them, locked behind a door that only Asgardians could access.
* Temporal Loom - All realities are controlled by a man-made device that resets everything should it ever be tampered with.
* Time skipping - Loki suddenly begins skipping through time including in spaces in which time is said not to exist. He gains control, turning this into an ability, but how he became able to time skip is never explained.
Since *surely* this could not be the result of poorly thought out story telling on behalf of Marvel, these all must have a rational explanation — even better if they all have a common one!
Conveniently, I have an idea…
# What were you the god of again?
At the end of *Loki*, the titular character sits at the center of all time, all realities.
A common interpretation of his role is that he’s serving as some sort of battery, powering these timelines so that they can exist in infinite number.
I assert that this interpretation is wrong.
After all, the inspiration for Loki’s journey throughout his miniseries is a comic run in which he becomes the God of Stories, a being who exists in and yet outside of the pages.
It’s a reasonable assumption that so also the MCU Loki has ascended to the same level of deity: he’s now an editor.
Unfortunately this means part of his burden is knowing the true nature of his existence.
But if Loki’s domain is stories, then maybe those “timelines” are actually something else.
It wouldn’t be the first time the purported nature of the TVA has turned out to be false.
# Implications… Assemble
With the multiverse recontextualized as being an infinity of possible stories, plot holes start to get filled in.
All stories are, in a way, quantum: they shift and change until they are observed, until they are told. Stories must be observed to exist. Anchor beings then represent whomever pulls an audience in — once that’s gone, a storyline stops.
And Loki’s glorious purpose is to ensure that there’s always an audience; otherwise everything, everyone he cares about, and he himself ceases to be.
Character dreams and Watchers hack the system by creating miniature “what if” stories whose elements can be brought in as plot devices for the primary stories.
Nonsensical plot devices can be created for various effect, whether that’s a bootstrap paradox ensuring his own godhood or ensuring his beloved brother still has a family.
Time skipping itself is really a self-insert into wherever he needs himself to be.
If something doesn’t make sense, you can just say a(n) ~~android~~ ~~alien~~ wizard did it.
# For All Stories, Always
So how does this lead into Doomsday?
Well, being 4th wall aware as he is and knowing what’s at stake, Loki’s ideas for perpetuating the MCU would likely run parallel to the real world producers who are vested in its continuation.
Kang was a dud, so he, Renslayer, and his storyline will remain in the Void with the rest of the rejected storylines.
Instead, the face of the multiverse and the anchor being of the 616, will return.
Since infinite storylines are impossible to manage, maybe they could be combined into one after some sort of covert combat to determine which anchor beings should be included in a singular timeline.
Of course, the key to making this work is to reserve the 4th wall breaking for those who have the mental durability to withstand the truth (gods and the gamma infused) or those who can out heal the insanity it might cause.
If Doom himself were even to become aware of the God of Stories, that would be going full meta.
https://preview.redd.it/5pnwsank8v5g1.jpg?width=1854&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed31b869ded76b7278f45f55b41b0bf0c4416069
**I believe the MCU is fictional.**
…but in a different way than the, “no shit, Sherlock,” reply you’re probably typing is thinking about it.
# Humble Beginnings
At the MCU’s inception, its reality was not so different from ours, laws of physics aside. A super genius building a robotic suit isn’t too crazy to imagine.
Every entry since added more and more fantastical (obligatory repeat), yes, *fantastical* elements to the universe but, thanks to internally consistent logic and the power of suspended disbelief, the world building was acceptable.
But, recently, there have been lore additions that flat out create plot holes:
* No one actually dreams - Instead of being the unfettered imagination of a sleeping individual, every single “dream” in the MCU is the sleeper watching events that are actually occurring in a different reality.
* The Book of Vishanti - An omnipotent spell book, said to be a fairy tale, actually exists but is easily destroyed by the power it exists to counter before even being used.
* Anchor beings - Across the infinity of time in each reality exists one finite individual without whom that reality will cease to exist.
* Eternity’s Wish - A cosmic entity chose to setup a secret contest to grant any one wish to the first person to find them, locked behind a door that only Asgardians could access.
* Temporal Loom - All realities are controlled by a man-made device that resets everything should it ever be tampered with.
* Time skipping - Loki suddenly begins skipping through time including in spaces in which time is said not to exist. He gains control, turning this into an ability, but how he became able to time skip is never explained.
Since *surely* this could not be the result of poorly thought out story telling on behalf of Marvel, these all must have a rational explanation — even better if they all have a common one!
Conveniently, I have an idea…
# What were you the god of again?
At the end of *Loki*, the titular character sits at the center of all time, all realities.
A common interpretation of his role is that he’s serving as some sort of battery, powering these timelines so that they can exist in infinite number.
I assert that this interpretation is wrong.
After all, the inspiration for Loki’s journey throughout his miniseries is a comic run in which he becomes the God of Stories, a being who exists in and yet outside of the pages.
It’s a reasonable assumption that so also the MCU Loki has ascended to the same level of deity: he’s now an editor.
Unfortunately this means part of his burden is knowing the true nature of his existence.
But if Loki’s domain is stories, then maybe those “timelines” are actually something else.
It wouldn’t be the first time the purported nature of the TVA has turned out to be false.
# Implications… Assemble
With the multiverse recontextualized as being an infinity of possible stories, plot holes start to get filled in.
All stories are, in a way, quantum: they shift and change until they are observed, until they are told. Stories must be observed to exist. Anchor beings then represent whomever pulls an audience in — once that’s gone, a storyline stops.
And Loki’s glorious purpose is to ensure that there’s always an audience; otherwise everything, everyone he cares about, and he himself ceases to be.
Character dreams and Watchers hack the system by creating miniature “what if” stories whose elements can be brought in as plot devices for the primary stories.
Nonsensical plot devices can be created for various effect, whether that’s a bootstrap paradox ensuring his own godhood or ensuring his beloved brother still has a family.
Time skipping itself is really a self-insert into wherever he needs himself to be.
If something doesn’t make sense, you can just say a(n) ~~android~~ ~~alien~~ wizard did it.
# For All Stories, Always
So how does this lead into Doomsday?
Well, being 4th wall aware as he is and knowing what’s at stake, Loki’s ideas for perpetuating the MCU would likely run parallel to the real world producers who are vested in its continuation.
Kang was a dud, so he, Renslayer, and his storyline will remain in the Void with the rest of the rejected storylines.
Instead, the face of the multiverse and the anchor being of the 616, will return.
Since infinite storylines are impossible to manage, maybe they could be combined into one after some sort of covert combat to determine which anchor beings should be included in a singular timeline.
Of course, the key to making this work is to reserve the 4th wall breaking for those who have the mental durability to withstand the truth (gods and the gamma infused) or those who can out heal the insanity it might cause.
If Doom himself were even to become aware of the God of Stories, that would be going full meta.
https://preview.redd.it/5pnwsank8v5g1.jpg?width=1854&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed31b869ded76b7278f45f55b41b0bf0c4416069
Commentaires
The plot to Doomsday will be explainable in a single sentence just like the plot to Infinity War and every other Avengers movie has been
It’s not gonna happen. They’re done with the convoluted multiverse bullshit which turned out to be a huge fucking disaster and has brought the MCU down to life support
No, not everything I wrote would need to be explained for the movie to function.
> They’re done with the convoluted multiverse bullshit which turned out to be a huge fucking disaster and has brought the MCU down to life support
Bet.
That’s why *Doomsday* has a confirmed cast that includes characters from across the multiverse.
That’s why they’re still making *Secret Wars*.
Because they’re done with the multiverse bullshit.
L. O. L.
The setup for doomsday will be something super simple like: after losing his family to an incursion, victor von doom seeks to consolidate the multiverse under his own control
Done, very simple, appropriate for regular people, not just mega nerds
Then they aren’t “done”, are they?
> The setup for doomsday will be something super simple like: after losing his family to an incursion, victor von doom seeks to consolidate the multiverse under his own control
Completely irrelevant, but okay.
And not irrelevant, that’s the kind of setup they’ll do, not something that takes an hour to read
I know what it means. I also know what “done” means. They don’t mean the same thing.
If you’re trying to exhibit yourself as a general audience member not understanding nuance, it’s unnecessary.
> And not irrelevant, that’s the kind of setup they’ll do, not something that takes an hour to read
It’s irrelevant to this post and therefore this conversation.
I already explained this.
I’m not sure what hour read you’re talking about, but hopefully you’re not referring to this post, which should take five minutes, max, to read.
My expectations of the average literacy level of potential respondents plummeted long ago.
This is the kind of wild theorycrafting I love to see.