Some much-needed clarity is on the way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Linear storytelling hasn’t been the name of the game for recent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not including Avengers: Endgame (2019) and its famous ‘Time-Heist,’ Marvel has jumped around from one continuity to the next in recent Phases, causing no small amount of confusion among fans.

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Up until Endgame, films released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were either set in the year in which they were made or, as in the case of movies like Chris Evans’ Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel (2019), had mid or post-credits sequences set in the year in which they released. The ‘Blip,’ it seems, caused some issues outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well.

In order to effect the five-year gap between the beginning and end of Endgame, the action of the film had to jump to 2023. This raised several significant questions: would entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe be set in 2023 and beyond? Would there be films set during the ‘Blip’? How would Marvel reconcile these timelines?
These questions have only been partially answered in Phase Four, leaving still more questions. Some projects, like Wandavision, have moments that clearly set it immediately post-‘Blip’, others like Black Widow (2021) were set before Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and still others like Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) are in an ambiguous era, sometime after Endgame.

Fans have been clamoring for solid answers on the new timeline of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, especially moving into the era of the Multiverse, and now, the studio has answered. Marvel has just announced a new book, available for preorder, with the snappy title, “Marvel Studios The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline.”

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Described as “Definitive” and “Filmmaker-endorsed” in the official description, and the report from CBR, the tome promises to clear up some burning questions and pressing issues Marvel fans have had for years. The description also acknowledges how complicated the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become and promises to add clarity:
“The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is vast, incredibly varied, and richly complex. Different worlds, different timelines, countless characters. This is the guide to that universe. Created in close collaboration with Marvel Studios, it will answer the biggest questions: what happened, when, where, and why.”

Though available for preorder, this guidebook to the Marvel Cinematic Universe won’t hit the metaphorical shelves until September of 2023, so fans will still have to be patient to find out the official timeline for the films. This late release date and the inclusion of the phrase “the formation of the Multiverse” could mean that extra detail about upcoming movies like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) will be a part of the new work.
What questions do you hope this new book will answer? Let us know in the comments below!