- "Temporal manipulations can create branches in time. Unstable dimensional openings, spatial paradoxes, time loops! You want to get stuck reliving the same moment over, and over, forever, or never having existed at all?"
- ―Karl Mordo to Doctor Strange[src]
Time Travel is the concept of traveling either backwards or forwards in time from the present date.
Time Travel Sources[]
Time Stone[]
- "The temporal singularity discovered by Cagliostro, manipulation and alteration of timelines. Time travel."
- ―Doctor Strange[src]
Doctor Strange undoing Kaecilius' actions
The Time Stone has shown to have the ability to rewind time in a given area seeing time unfold. The wielder of the time stone can choose to be unaffected by the manipulation of time from the Time Stone. Sorcerers such as Doctor Strange can cast spells to make others unaffected by a reversal of time, as he did to Wong at the Battle at the Hong Kong Sanctum. Some sorcerers can have their minds unaffected by the time reversal, and eventually build up the willpower to break free from the spell, as Kaecilius and his followers did, likely due to the power given to them from the Dark Dimension.
Time loops can also be cast. The participants' body will be reset, even if one is killed. Their consciousnesses however will continue on until the loop is ended.[2] In 2018, this was used by Strange on Titan to see how many possibilities there were that they would win the Infinity War.[3][4] Later in Wakanda, Thanos used the Time Stone to reverse time to restore Vision to obtain the Mind Stone.[3]
The Time Stone can also be used to rewrite the timeline. In an alternate universe, Doctor Strange tried to prevent Christine Palmer's death in a car accident. On the two year anniversary, Strange used the Time Stone to travel back in time and try to prevent Palmer's death. However, given it was an absolute point in time, and thus it could not be rewritten by simply time-traveling, Strange never managed to save Palmer. Strange then learned through the Book of Cagliostro that an absolute point could be reversed by gaining power through the absorption of mystical beings. Strange then went back in time and successfully prevented Palmer's death, but by doing so he also broke the universe's stability leading to the universe's destruction.[5]
Time Di'Alla[]
The Time Di'Alla
The Time Di'Alla was an artifact which could be used to send a group of people across time. Having been warned by the Inhuman Robin Hinton that a cataclysmic event threatened humanity,[6] the Chronicom Enoch sent a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents into year 2091 with the Time Di'Alla, leaving only Leo Fitz behind, so that they would find a way to avert the catastrophe.[7]
During their stay in the future, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents recovered a shard of the Time Di'Alla kept by the True Believers in the remnants of Zephyr One, as well as a machine connected to the shard which they were supposed to use to return to their time.[8] They thus tasked the Inhuman Flint, whose powers were based on geokinesis, to rebuild a Time Di'Alla using the shard they had reclaimed, and then activated both the Time Di'Alla and the machine, thanks to Enoch and Deke Shaw, to return to their time.[9] Although it was not planned, Shaw was also sent into the past to him due to being hit by a fragment of the Time Di'Alla.[10]
What remained of the Time Di'Alla after this time travel was destroyed by Melinda May in the aftermath of the Battle of Chicago, thus rendering other time travels through this Time Di'Alla impossible.[11] The Time Di'Alla was briefly rebuilt by Izel using Flint's powers to open a portal to the Fear Dimension[12], but this new Monolith was lost when the Temple of the Forgotten was destroyed by the Chronicom Hunters.[13]
Zephyr One[]
S.H.I.E.L.D. using the Time Drive to arrive in 1931
- "The Zephyr's a time machine now?"
"In a sense."
"And we can jump to any time we want?"
"Not quite. It's complicated." - ―Deke Shaw and Jemma Simmons[src]
Utilizing a fragment of the Time Di'Alla sampled by Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons prior to the destruction of the Temple of the Forgotten, Fitz and Simmons went back to a distant galaxy where they spent four years[14] trying to build a time machine modifying Zephyr One's Phase Harmonic Teleportation Device to be able to travel in time.[13]
Fitz explains the physics of time travel
In 2023, Fitz and Simmons finished the construction of the Time Drive and traveled back to 2019. As a part of a causal loop within the timeline, they were assisted by the S.H.I.E.L.D. team that had returned from the alternate timeline they were about to create by traveling to 1931. With the help of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that returned from the alternate timeline, Jemma Simmons and Enoch rescued the S.H.I.E.L.D. team from the Temple of the Forgotten.[15]
Zephyr One leaves 1931
With the Zephyr and the Time Drive, Simmons was able to bring herself, Daisy Johnson, Alphonso Mackenzie, Deke Shaw, Melinda May, Yo-Yo Rodriguez and Enoch to 1931 to stop the Chronicoms from erasing S.H.I.E.L.D. from history.[16] Unknown to them, upon arriving in the past, the timeline branched off into an alternate timeline.[17] During their battle with the Chronicoms, the agents fought to preserve the history they knew in the timeline they had created[17], managing to keep events mostly on track in 1931[16][18] and 1955[19][20]. However, due to Luke's decision to stay in the past and keep Wilfred Malick alive, the history of this new timeline became vastly different from the one the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. knew.[21] Using the Time Drive, S.H.I.E.L.D. traveled forward in time trying to prevent further changes, arriving in 1973, 1976[21], 1982[22] and 1983.[23]
As a part of a causal loop, the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were the ones that ensured themselves to be able to travel back to 1931
When they returned to the main timeline, they realized their past selves were currently fighting Izel at the Temple, and that Fitz and Simmons had already used Zephyr One to travel back in time from 2023 to 2019, as a part of the causal loop. To ensure that they would be able to go to the past, S.H.I.E.L.D. helped the scientist to ensure the agents' arrival to 1931. While the past version of S.H.I.E.L.D. completed the loop by journeying to 1931, Alphonso Mackenzie led the agents to fight the Chronicoms, defeating them and avoiding their colonization of Earth.[15]
Time Stream[]
The Time Stream
The Time Stream is a tool used by the Chronicoms to read the branches of the Multiverse allowing them to see the future of timelines.[22] Knowing the Chronicoms were going to time travel, Enoch stole a copy of the Time Stream and gave it to Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons, who used it to see countless possibilities of how they could defeat the Chronicoms.[15]
When the Chronicoms arrived in an alternate 1931, their predictor Sibyl used the Time Stream to try and prevent S.H.I.E.L.D. from forming in this timeline[24] by changing specific events that would cause S.H.I.E.L.D. to cease to exist.[16][19] However, as S.H.I.E.L.D. had followed them to this timeline, the Chronicoms, who had been making minor changes, decided to alter the intended history of the timeline.[17] Sibyl then made a partnership with Nathaniel Malick lending him the Time Stream[23] so he could use it to help in their battle against S.H.I.E.L.D.[25]
Victor Stein's Time Machine[]
Chase Stein sending a warning to his father
- "It can receive visual messages from the future, giving us a glimpse of what life will be like."
- ―Victor Stein[src]
Using a theory based on interactions between gravity, light and time, Victor Stein created a time machine which was supposed to be able to receive messages from the future. Victor tested the time machine with his son Chase, and although he deemed it not functional, the machine did display pictures of the destruction of Los Angeles, which could have occurred because of PRIDE's activities. However, no one saw this alarming message.[26]
Victor later received another message from the time machine, in which he saw a future version of Chase trying to warn him and instructing him not to pick up the Fistigons, in order to prevent Victor from being shot by his wife Janet to protect Chase. However, Victor failed to heed this advice and later attacked Chase with the Fistigons.[27] Later, the time machine once again displayed the same message, and Victor expressed joy at it, taking this as evidence that Chase would survive whatever events involving Jonah were coming.[28]
Chase Stein's Time Machine[]
Chase Stein jumping into the past
- "I'm going to save Gert. That was always the plan, my entire purpose behind building the time machine."
- ―Chase Stein[src]
During a battle between the Runaways and Morgan le Fay, Gert Yorkes died from the injury inflicted to her by the enchantress. Chase Stein, who had been deeply in love with Yorkes, thus spent the next years engineering a portable time machine he wanted to use to return into the past and prevent Yorkes' death. It took Stein a decade to complete the time machine, with help from Alex Wilder and the knowledge contained in the Abstract. However, due to Wilder having gone rogue and deciding to murder all the Runaways in the past, Stein was forced to chase him into 2021 before going to save Yorkes.
In 2021, this version of Stein met with the other Runaways, except his past self who he needed to leave alone in order not to alter things further. He gave them all time machines, enabling them to chase Wilder further into the past (2017). Once they captured him, the 2021 Wilder was instructed to return to his timeline, while the rest of the group jumped to 2018; during the battle at the Hostel. Thanks to Stein convincing Yorkes to take her place against le Fay, Yorkes' death was averted. Instead, Future Stein died after defeating le Fay. Due to the effects of time travel, the versions of Wilder, Karolina Dean, Nico Minoru and Molly Hernandez who had time traveled disappeared.[29]
Quantum Realm[]
- "You went back in time, and then you branched off. But we can travel through something called the Quantum Realm. So we can go in between timelines."
- ―Leo Fitz to S.H.I.E.L.D.[src]
Due to the existence of the Time Vortex inside the Quantum Realm,[30] which was a portal where time flowed differently, the Quantum Realm could be used in order to travel back in time and also move between timelines. By 2023, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons built a Quantum Tunnel, giving them access to the Quantum Realm.[25] After the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. found themselves stuck in an alternate timeline and unable to return to their original timeline[17], Fitz used the Quantum Realm to travel between timelines, arriving in the alternate one where his friends were.[25] They then flew Zephyr One through the Quantum Realm, and returned to the main timeline's 2019.[15]
The Avengers go back in time
In 2023, Scott Lang informed the Avengers that time worked differently in the Quantum Realm and that if they could navigate it, they could travel to a time in the past. With the help of Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, who realized that they could not change their timeline's past and would actually be visiting alternate timelines, the Avengers decided to initiate a Time Heist, where they would use the time vortices within the Quantum Realm to obtain the Infinity Stones from alternate timelines, bring them to their timeline, and resurrect half the universe's population.
With a Quantum Tunnel, Advanced Tech Suits and Time-Space GPS' in order to safely navigate and travel the vortices, the Avengers traveled to an alternate 2012, alternate 2013, and alternate 2014 in order to obtain the stones. Following an unplanned trip to an alternate 1970, the Avengers used the Quantum Realm to return to their timeline. However, an alternate Thanos became aware of their presence, and with the help of his timeline's Nebula, used the Quantum Realm to the main timeline.
Rogers prepares to return the Infinity Stones
Later, Steve Rogers went back to the timelines the team had created to return the Infinity Stones so that these timelines' futures would not be significantly affected by the Stones' absence. After returning the stones, Rogers used the Quantum Realm's time vortex to travel to an alternate 1940s timeline in order to live with Peggy Carter. After living a life in this timeline, he used the Quantum Realm one last time as an old man to return to the main timeline.[31]
In 2026, when Scott Lang, Wasp, Janet van Dyne, Hank Pym and Cassie Lang were sent into the Quantum Realm after the Quantum Satellite was hijacked by M.O.D.O.K., Pym's ants were also dragged with them. The ants passed through some sort of time dilation and ended up living thousands of years in a single day inside the Quantum Realm. They were able to build a society of their own.[32]
TVA Holoprojector[]
Mobius shows Loki his past, present and future
As the protectors of the Sacred Timeline and the Multiverse overall, the Time Variance Authority had an extensive array of technology at their disposal to analyze, verify, control and even monitor alternate timelines. They also had a holoprojector that was able to review the past, present and future of an individual. Mobius M. Mobius used the holoprojector to show a Variant of Loki his original life in the main timeline going through several key events scripted in the Sacred Timeline.[33]
Timedoor[]
Variants of He Who Remains using the Timedoor
- "So, that doodad just takes you wherever you wanna go?"
"Within time and space, yeah." - ―Frank Morris and A.D. Doug[src]
The TemPad is a device created in the 31st century by a Variant of He Who Remains, which allowed him to create Timedoors, allowing one to travel not only to any point in time, but to alternate timelines as well. After He Who Remains founded the Time Variance Authority, the TVA agents were equipped with TemPads so that they could generate Timedoors and travel through time, detaining Variants and pruning alternate timelines as He Who Remains saw fit.[34]
Quantum Bands[]
Khan is taken to the past
Another known source of time travel are the Quantum Bands. In 1947, during the Partition of India, Najma stabbed Aisha as she refused to help and give her and her Clandestines her bangle. As she was bleeding out, Aisha begged the universe to ensure that Sana Ali and Hasan arrived on the train safely. In 2025, the bangle was activated through an attack by Najma on Kamala Khan. Due to unknown reasons, the bangle was able to take Khan to the past of her actual timeline, without creating a branch in time, enabling a causal loop.[35] Khan found herself in the year 1947 and realized that she was the reason why her grandmother Sana Ali was reunited with her father and managed to board the train. After she fulfilled her destiny of securing the Khan bloodline by successfully drawing power from the Noor Dimension to manifest a "trial of stars" for Sana to follow back to safety, the bangle transported Kamala back into present day Karachi.[36]
Time Sphere[]
Kang's Time Sphere
Due to the resurface of Variants of Nathaniel Richards after the death of He Who Remains,[34] Kang the Conqueror was allowed to resurface and establish contact with the before isolated Sacred Timeline.[37] Kang built the Time Sphere a device that allowed him to travel through time and space within the Multiverse thanks to its Multiversal Engine Core. Believing that his Variants' actions would lead to the Multiverse's death, Kang used his Time Sphere to travel, annihilate and conquer as many timelines as possible to keep the Council of Kangs's reach to a minimum. However, Kang was eventually exiled to the Quantum Realm by the Council after they deactivated his sphere's engine core, making him unable to escape his exile.
Kang attempts to escape the Quantum Realm
Kang met Janet van Dyne who had been trapped in the Quantum Realm since 1987. He befriended her and promised her to help her go back to her daughter if she worked with him to repower his Multiversal Engine Core. When they finally succeeded, van Dyne touched the Time Sphere, and since it was neurokinetic, van Dyne looked inside Kang's mind and witnessed how he had destroyed countless of timelines. Van Dyne then blew up the Engine Core by using Pym Particle Discs leaving Kang's time machine unusable.
The Time Sphere's engine core is destroyed
In 2026, Kang coerced Scott Lang into retrieving the Engine Core for him in exchange of his daughter's safety. Lang successfully shrunk the Engine Core, which had been blown up by Janet van Dyne many years ago. Kang stole it from him and planned to repower his Time Sphere. However, following the Uprising in Axia, Lang and Wasp managed to destroy the Time Sphere apparently killing Kang in the process.[32]
Time Slipping[]
Time Slipping is a form of time travel that occurs when an individual is pulled through different points in time. Loki experienced this uncontrollably inside the Time Variance Authority after the death of He Who Remains and the branching of the Multiverse. When Loki eventually extracted himself from the Temporal Loom with the help of Mobius M. Mobius and Ouroboros, his time slipping was "cured".[38] However, when the TVA was "destroyed" after the explosion of the Temporal Loom, Loki's time slipping returned and eventually with the help of A.D. Doug, he was able to control it,[39] using it to change events in the course of history; most notably the explosion of the Temporal Loom and the death of He Who Remains.[40]
Alternate Timelines[]
Many timelines have originated from time travel, or have been affected or visited by individuals who have time-traveled.
Destruction of Earth[]
Earth having been destroyed by Glenn Talbot
73 years after the destruction of planet Earth, Deke Shaw claimed that Quake was the one who caused it. When she replied that she was not strong enough to cause such a disaster, Shaw explained a quantum physics theory that for every universe there are infinite parallel universes, implying that she came from the past into the future of an alternate universe and not her own.[41] When the S.H.I.E.L.D. team returned to the past they prevented the destruction of Earth, which they eventually learned was caused by the Gravitonium-infused and mentally unstable Glenn Talbot, altering the original chain of events and creating a different timeline.[11]
Jonah's Successful Escape[]
Los Angeles getting destroyed by a massive earthquake
In a parallel reality where Jonah successfully escaped from Earth as planned and caused Los Angeles to get destroyed in a massive earthquake[26], Chase Stein would later record a message begging his father to not use the Fistigons as that would lead to the events that allowed Jonah to escape.[27] Chase's message would be later be received in 2017 by his father's time machine, while this temporal intervention did not cause a divergence in the timeline, the Battle at the PRIDE Construction Site had a different aftermath that avoided Jonah's escape from coming to pass in another reality.[28]
Gert Yorkes' Absence[]
- "Data log. June 14th, 2028. The two most powerful forces in life are invisible. The first is love... the second is time."
- ―Chase Stein[src]
In a parallel reality, by the year 2021 the rest of Runaways team members took different paths after the death of Gert Yorkes. Nico Minoru left the group out of guilt that she had not done enough to help her friends. Molly Hernandez returned studying in Atlas Academy where she became the head of the dance squad. Karolina Dean went to college and met Julie, who she started dating and living with. Alex Wilder founded Wilder Innovators, and also helped Chase Stein use the knowledge in the Abstract to build a time machine he wanted to use to return into the past and prevent Yorkes' death. In said year, the team is reunited by Nico Minoru to commemorate Gert Yorkes in the third anniversary of her death. However, things would turn out to be problematic as one member of the team would later try to kill Alex Wilder and Chase would have an attempt on his life by Victor Mancha. By 2028, Chase Stein would successfully create a time machine in order to go back in time and save Gert Yorkes, however, he also had to stop Alex Wilder who went rogue and time traveled to kill the Runaways members in 2021 altering the course of history.[29]
Chase of Alex Wilder[]
2028 Stein confronts 2028 Wilder
- "We've all had to live without Gert Yorkes. That's not a life worth living."
- ―Chase Stein to Gert Yorkes[src]
In an alternate 2021 instead of being reunited by Nico Minoru, the members of the Runaways were forced to get together after a 2028 Alex Wilder traveled back to the past to kill them. Chase Stein stopped him and saved the Runaways members. However, 2028 Alex escaped and traveled to 2017 in order to kill them, so the team went in pursue.[29]
The alternate versions of the Runaways disappear
Following a brief skirmish in 2017, the Runaways were able to stop 2028 Wilder. In order to save Yorkes, 2028 Stein revealed to the team the real reason he created the time machine so Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean and Molly Hernandez agreed to help him in his task to avoid Yorkes' death at the hands of Morgan le Fay.[42] The group returned at the time of the battle at the Hostel, during which Stein took Yorkes' place and thus died instead of her. Due to Yorkes' surviving the battle, the whole alternate timeline which had resulted from her death is avoided in this new reality, and the versions of the Runaways who had built their new lives after Yorkes' death disappeared from the timeline they had jumped into.[29]
History Altered by Chronicoms[]
The Triskelion is destroyed
During the war against the Chronicoms, S.H.I.E.L.D. used the Time Di'Alla properties to travel backwards in time to 1931.[16] The changes to the timeline created an alternate reality. In this new brand day, the agents traveled forward in time trying to preserve the history of their original universe in this new one. However, these actions just caused this new timeline to be completely different, as Daniel Sousa was saved and did not die like in the original timeline[20][17], Wilfred and Nathaniel Malick lived longer than their original versions, Project Insight was made in the 70s and not in 2014[21], Kora's death was averted[43], Jiaying was killed by Malick before giving birth to Daisy Johnson[24] and S.H.I.E.L.D. was completely destroyed.[17] The agents failed from preserving history, and also were unable to return to the original timeline by using the Zephyr One. Using the Quantum Realm, and with the help of Leo Fitz, S.H.I.E.L.D. abandoned the new timeline they had created traveling to the original one, taking the Chronicoms with them so they can defeat them. Deke Shaw decided to stay in the past to rebuild and guide S.H.I.E.L.D.[15]
Time Heist[]
Captain America encountering his past self
- "If you travel to the past, that past becomes your future. And your former present becomes the past. Which can't now be changed by your new future."
- ―Bruce Banner to the Avengers[src]
When the Avengers utilized the properties of the Quantum Realm, following Ant-Man's advice, and created the Quantum Tunnel that allowed them to collect the Infinity Stones years before Thanos and the Snap, they initiated a Time Heist, which involved them traveling to the past and amassing all six Infinity Stones.
Hulk, Ant-Man, Iron Man and Captain America were sent back to the Battle of New York in 2012, where Hulk was sent to the New York Sanctum to request the Time Stone. The Ancient One refused, however, explaining that she could not give him the Infinity Stone so Banner could repair a situation in his timeline and subsequently leave hers undefended without the stone, although Hulk promised that he would return the stone to her at the exact moment it was taken.
After the Battle of Earth, Captain America returns the stones to whence they were taken so as to clip potential branches that would be caused by the removal of the Infinity Stones. However, despite the Avengers' success in returning the Stones to their respective timelines, their travel to the past resulted in the creation of several alternate timelines.[31][44]
Loki's Sudden Escape[]
- "I came into possession of the Tesseract because they traveled through time."
- ―Loki to Ravonna Renslayer[src]
Iron Man and Ant-Man, tasked with obtaining the Space Stone that was still contained within the Tesseract, waited for their moment as Loki, who had just been defeated following the Battle of New York, was being escorted by Thor and the 2012 Stark out of the Stark Tower with the case containing the Tesseract. During the argument between them and Alexander Pierce regarding the custody of both Loki and the cube, 2023 Stark had Ant-Man shut off 2012 Stark's Arc Reactor to give him a cardiac arrest as a distraction. This allowed 2023 Stark to covertly snag the briefcase containing the Tesseract, but just before Stark could depart, the 2012 Hulk crashed open a wall, sending both Stark and the Tesseract flying. Loki used this distraction to steal the Space Stone and escape captivity by opening a wormhole, fleeing through it with the Tesseract, and ruining Lang and Stark's mission.[31]
Theft of the Reality Stone[]
Thor talks with his mother
Thor and Rocket Raccoon had a brief skirmish in Asgard in order to obtain the Reality Stone from Asgard during 2013. However, Thor had a panic attack after seeing his mother Frigga, realizing that they had time-traveled to the day she dies during the Sacking of Asgard. Thor escaped to see Frigga, leaving Rocket alone, who then proceeded to ambush Jane Foster and extract the Aether from her. Thor was later reassured by his mother to find his own path. Once he got reunited with Rocket Raccoon, and after he summoned the Mjølnir to see if he was still worthy, both Avengers member returned to their reality in 2023. These actions caused the creation of an alternate 2013 timeline.[31]
Thanos' Disappearance[]
Thanos learning of his own impending demise
During Nebula and War Machine's mission to retrieve the Power Stone from Morag in 2014, the unanticipated linking of the 2023 Nebula's synaptic drive with her 2014 counterpart's, causing an overload with led the 2014 Thanos to have Ebony Maw examine her. Discovering that Nebula's synaptic drive had become entangled with a version of herself from nine years into the future, the subsequent scanning of the 2023 Nebula's memory files revealed to Thanos that his mission to eliminate half of all life would eventually succeed, though after his future counterpart's death, the Avengers would eventually come up with a plan to undo his work.
Thanos thus realized that his plan was wrong since the survivors would never be able to stop remembering the victims, which would prevent them from thriving and always resist what he had done for them. Deciding to take advantage of the Avengers' plans to collect the Stones in the future, Thanos had the 2023 Nebula captured on Morag and had her 2014 counterpart take her place in returning to the future, leading to 2014 Nebula hijacking the Quantum Tunnel and allowing Thanos to travel to 2023 with his army with the intention of using the gathered Infinity Stones to destroy the entire universe and create a new one in its place.
In doing so, the Avengers created an alternate timeline, a branched universe where Thanos and his forces disappeared from existence in 2014.[31]
Visit at Camp Lehigh[]
Howard Stark and "Howard Potts"
Having failed in alternate 2012, Captain America and Iron Man time-traveled to 1970 in order to secure the Space Stone while also obtaining Pym Particles that would allow them to navigate the Quantum Realm and return to their present in 2023. During their brief presence in 1970, Stark interacted with an alternate Howard Stark, realizing that he indeed loved him, understanding all his father had to struggle while raising him. The actions of the Avengers in 1970 created a new alternate timeline.[31]
Steve Rogers' Choice[]
Steve Rogers is reunited with Peggy Carter
- "So did something go wrong, or did something go right?"
"Well, after I put the stones back, I thought, maybe I'll try some of that life Tony was telling me to get." - ―Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers[src]
After successfully returning the Infinity Stones and Mjølnir back to their respective timelines, Steve Rogers decided to follow Tony Stark's advice for him to get a normal life, which Stark had suggested before his death. Rogers traveled back to the 1949 in order to live out the rest of his life with Peggy Carter, instead of returning to 2023 as planned, thus creating an alternate timeline.
Upon being reunited with Carter, he finally gave her the dance he had promised her, and the two eventually got married. After his marriage, Rogers retired from his "Captain America" moniker, but would continue to help out when he was needed in his new timeline.
Having grown old from his retirement, Rogers eventually returned to 2023 of his original universe, where he entrusted Sam Wilson with his shield, having chosen him as his successor.[31][44]
Saving Christine Palmer[]
Strange witnesses Palmer's death
- "Tinkering with time can weaken the very fabric of the universe."
- ―Wong to Doctor Strange[src]
In an alternate timeline where Stephen Strange and Christine Palmer kept dating, Palmer passed away in a car accident. Tormented by guilt and sadness, Strange went to Kamar-Taj where he eventually became the Sorcerer Supreme. In 2018, Strange decided to use the Eye of Agamotto traveling back in time to that fatidic day where Palmer died. He tried to prevent her death to no avail since her death was a fixed point in the timeline, also known as absolute point, which meant it could not be changed without universal consequences.
Strange refuses to listen to Ancient One's warnings
Ancient One sensed Strange's actions in the timeline and went to see him. She told him that he could not save Palmer and that his actions could lead to the destruction of their reality. Strange did not care and decide to go even further back in time to learn how to break an absolute point in time. Ancient One used Dark Dimension magic to split the timeline into one universe, allowing two versions of Strange existing in the same universe, which led to a paradox. Therefore, the new version of Strange would overcome Palmer's death unaware that another version of himself co-existing in the same timeline was in the past absorbing mystical beings to prevent Palmer's death.
Strange's reality is destroyed
The Strange that went back eventually was powerful enough to break the absolute point, thus he returned to 2016 of said timeline. Meanwhile, Ancient One told the present day Strange about his counterpart's plans to save Palmer. She asked him to stop his alternate self. However, Strange was unable to defeat Supreme Strange who ended up absorbing his alternate self. He then proceeded to save Palmer, but his actions de-estabilized the universe which started to destroy itself. Strange noticed that The Watcher was watching over him and asked him for help, but the Watcher refused since any Multiversal interference would be disastrous. The universe was destroyed in its entirety, except from a small portion of land which was protected by Strange's spell, which was cast in one of his last attempts to save not only his reality but Palmer's life.[5]
Rules[]
- If the time-traveler goes back in time to the past of their own timeline, this action often produces a clean split which causes the creation of a new timeline since the future cannot change if the past is altered.[31][15]
- However, there have been some exceptions, i.e., Kamala Khan's time travel to 1947 did not create a branched timeline and it all occurred within a causal loop.[36]
- Traveling back in time via Time Stone also allows the time-traveler to travel to the past of their own timeline without creating a branch in time.[5]
- The reason why time travel cannot change the future is because time is the perception of the space-time continuum therefore the past, present and future of a certain timeline are already set in stone.[45]
- The new timeline that has been created as a result of time travel will follow the same path as to the one it diverged from. However, this can change according to the further actions of the time-traveler in the branched timeline.[31][20][21][15][29]
- The Quantum Realm's Time Vortex enables to go back in time and move between universes, allowing the time-traveler to move from the present of their universe to the past of the other universe.[31][25][15]
- Time travel sources such as the Timedoor and Time Sphere allow the time-traveler to travel between timelines or travel back in time without creating a branch.[34][32]
- For one universe, there are several parallel universes. If one perceives the future, it is likely that said person is just sensing the nearest future of their timeline in the timestream.[22]
- Sibyl used the Chronicom Time Stream to read the timestream of the Multiverse seeing the many possible outcomes that could come to pass.[22]
- Ancient One used the Time Stone to perceive all possible futures, however she realized that every possible outcome eventually led to her death.[2]
- Victor Stein's Time Machine was able to receive visual messages from the future getting messages from an alternate version of Chase Stein who came from a reality where Jonah managed to escape from Los Angeles causing a devastating earthquake that destroyed the city. This future never came to pass in the main timeline.[26][27][28]
- If there is a causal loop within the timeline, then time travel will not create a branch in time.
Time-Travelers[]
- Time Variance Authority
- Sylvie Laufeydottir
- Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
- Dormammu
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Enoch †
- Alya Fitz
- Sibyl †
- Chronicom Hunters
- Avengers
- Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel
From 2012 of the Time Heist[]
From 2091 of Destruction of Earth[]
From 2028[]
From 2021[]
From History Altered by Chronicoms[]
From 2014 of the Time Heist[]
- Nebula †
- Gamora
- Proxima Midnight †
- Corvus Glaive †
- Cull Obsidian †
- Ebony Maw †
- Thanos †
Behind the Scenes[]
- Joe and Anthony Russo went to great lengths to make the audience understand that time travel does not work in the events of Avengers: Endgame as it does in Back to the Future, which has informed many people's understanding of the mechanics of time travel.[46] Clifford V. Johnson[47] and Sean M. Carroll[48] served as consultants on the film to create a version of time travel that was true to real-life theoretical physics.
- Due to Wolverine's death in Logan, Hugh Jackman stated that his forthcoming reprisal in Deadpool & Wolverine had to involve time travel to some degree to ensure the Marvel Cinematic Universe respected his character's original death and didn't "mess" with the established timeline of 20th Century Fox's X-Men film series.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hugh Jackman Teases Wolverine Return in 'Deadpool 3' Involves Time Travel
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Doctor Strange
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Avengers: Infinity War
- ↑ The Russo Brothers Answer Avengers: Endgame Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 What If...?: 1.04: What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.05: Rewind
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.01: Orientation Part One
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.08: The Last Day
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.10: Past Life
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.11: All the Comforts of Home
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.22: The End
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 6.12: The Sign
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 6.13: New Life
- ↑ Saying Goodbye to FitzSimmons on Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.13: What We're Fighting For
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.01: The New Deal
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.11: Brand New Day
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.02: Know Your Onions
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.03: Alien Commies from the Future!
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.04: Out of the Past
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.05: A Trout in the Milk
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.06: Adapt or Die
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.07: The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.10: Stolen
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.12: The End is at Hand
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Runaways: 1.05: Kingdom
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Runaways: 1.07: Refraction
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Runaways: 2.07: Last Rites
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 Runaways: 3.10: Cheat The Gallows
- ↑ Ant-Man and the Wasp
- ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.7 31.8 31.9 Avengers: Endgame
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
- ↑ Loki: 1.01: Glorious Purpose
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 Loki: 1.06: For All Time. Always.
- ↑ Ms. Marvel: 1.04: Seeing Red
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 Ms. Marvel: 1.05: Time and Again
- ↑ Director Kate Herron Reveals Secrets of the Loki Universe (Spoilers Ahead!!)
- ↑ Loki: 2.01: Ouroboros
- ↑ Loki: 2.05: Science/Fiction
- ↑ Loki: 2.06: Glorious Purpose
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 5.03: A Life Spent
- ↑ Runaways: 3.09: The Broken Circle
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 7.08: After, Before
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 Director Joe Russo answers pivotal questions about ‘Avengers: Endgame’ plot
- ↑ Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: 3.15: Spacetime
- ↑ 'Avengers: Endgame' Directors Explain the Final Shot That's Sparking a Fan Debate
- ↑ A physicist explains the science of Avengers: Endgame
- ↑ A science adviser for 'Avengers: Endgame' describes the real physics of time travel and multiple universes that underpin the movie
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