Here’s a surefire way to cause an argument in geek circles: Bring up continuity in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe. For one thing, shows like Loki – which is returning to Disney+ for its second season – deal heavily in the manipulation of time, so consistency usually flies straight out of the window, by design. But there are other factors that make it difficult when someone wants to try and watch all of the Marvel stories in order. Take the Nick Fury issue, for example. As the character fought his way through Secret Invasion, audiences already knew that the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director would appear in The Marvels, because he was in the trailer. So when did the Disney+ series Secret Invasion take place, particularly in relation to Ms. Marvel?
If you look on the Disney+ streaming service, there is a tab titled Timeline Order. And in that timeline, Secret Invasion is the most recent MCU event, meaning that The Marvels has to occur shortly after it, because the show sends Nick Fury to space where he’s going to serve from the S.W.O.R.D. (Sentient Worlds Observation and Response Department) headquarters. This is OK for Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers, because the last time we saw her on screen in the MCU was via hologram in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. But two other key members of The Marvels have had adventures since then, including Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani. So when, in relation to Ms. Marvel, is The Marvels?
You’d think that The Marvels comes IMMEDIATELY after Ms. Marvel, given the fact that in the mid-credits scene of the finale, Brie Larson shows up, seemingly due to the fact that the three heroes are swapping locations when they use their powers. And now, The Marvels director Nia DaCosta clarifies Kamala’s age in her story, confirming that she will be the same age that she was when introduced in Ms. Marvel. DaCosta told Total Film:
But on top of that, they're all switching places. That gives it so much dimension, but it makes it really fun. And then you have the complication that two of them can fly and are basically invulnerable, and then [there's] one 16-year-old girl who can make hard light. So how do we mix and match and keep the peril and the stakes high with these three women switching places? That was so fun.
This, by way of deduction, means that the events of Secret Invasion had to be happening at the same time as Ms. Marvel, because Kamala remains 16 years old, and both stories conclude with events that appear to be carried out in Nia DaCosta’s movie. But it also likely means that Thor: Love and Thunder and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also took place around this same time… only, in locations that wouldn’t put them anywhere near Secret Invasion or Ms. Marvel. Same for all of the Guardians stories, be it the Holiday Special, or the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
These issues compute, mainly because there hasn’t been as much crossover in those individual stories as Marvel fans have expected. We saw Hulk and Daredevil appear in She-Hulk, but feature films like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever or Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness didn’t lean as heavily on existing characters (outside of Wanda Maximoff), and instead introduced new MCU characters like Namor (Tenoch Huerta) and America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez).
Sooner or later, the MCU timelines are going to have to start teaming up, as Marvel Studios builds toward its next Avengers movie, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. According to reports, teases for that movie will be included in The Marvels, so maybe the process of lining all of the existing MCU heroes already is underway. Bookmark our guide to Upcoming Marvel Movies, and stay up to date on the latest as it happens.
