As the MCU continues unraveling its Multiverse Saga, it's important to understand some key points of information, such as, what on Earth(-616) are variants? For most of the MCU's lifespan, things have happened on one plane of existence. Sure, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) got trapped in the quantum realm at the end of Ant-Man and the Wasp, and yes, time travel introduced some confusing encounters between present and past versions of the Avengers and the villains, but for the most part, it looked like everything was contained in one, linear reality. The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) started to highlight how this was not the case in Avengers: Endgame, but it's unclear if even they knew the full truth about branching realities and the larger multiverse.

The truth is, the multiverse started to unravel and become an issue from the moment the Avengers began traveling in time to try and change Thanos' snap during Endgame. When a wary Nebula (Karen Gillan) from 2023 appears on Morag and her earlier 2014 version of herself is alerted to her presence, it's not as simple as stating that this is just the same Nebula at a different point in her timeline. The two are incredibly similar, and as far as the movie reveals, their lives followed the exact same series of events up until that encounter which knocked the earlier versions' life off course, but this alteration of the past, which ultimately saw an earlier version of Thanos dusted, did not knock the reality the MCU was based in off-course. Despite Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) careful attempts to restore the 'borrowed' infinity stones to where they had picked them up from, it appears that massive changes in the past, like Steve staying in the past with Peggy (Hayley Atwell), or Thanos never pursuing his great mission did not actually alter the reality of the people in the present.

But there was one past version of a character who had a significant impact on the course of reality for the MCU at large, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). In fact, it is this Loki, having escaped imprisonment after the events of 2012's The Avengers, that introduces audiences to the concept of variants in his titular series, Loki. After his escape, Loki is captured by the TVA (Time Variance Authority) and given a crash course in what a variant is. The rest of the series sees him encounter multiple versions of himself, some similar in appearance or character, while others bare several striking differences in almost every way. It's established that variants are individuals who stray from their intended course in the prime timeline, which has an established course and everyone must play their part, those who do not, are captured by the TVA and discreetly dealt with outside of time and space.

The final episode of Loki, Season 1, Episode 6, "For All Time. Always." sees the protection of the prime timeline and its separation from the rest of the multiverse breakdown when a variant of Loki, Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), kills the guardian of the timeline and head of the TVA, He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), himself a variant of the mighty Kang. Following this, the floodgates opened up in the MCU with variants of major characters like Spider-Man (Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) becoming prominent figures in the early parts of Phase 4. As these alternative versions of the familiar cast of characters from the MCU become more prominent and appear more frequently, which is certainly likely to happen throughout Phase 5 and Phase 6 in the approach to Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, it should be made perfectly clear who, what and why these variants exist.

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Who Are the Variants in the MCU?

President Loki smiling at someone in Loki.
Image via Disney+

As mentioned above, several variants have appeared in the MCU so far as early as Avengers: Endgame. Currently running around the MCU, Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), who traveled back with the earlier versions of Thanos and Nebula is in the primary timeline and will play a prominent role in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Loki is presently hopping through time and possibly different versions of reality which will be explored more in the upcoming second season of Loki. Aside from these two, there are no other variants currently residing in or around the Prime Timeline which have been revealed. Spider-Man's variants and the foes from various realities were returned to their own timelines following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and the variants and other realities revealed in Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness remains separate from Earth-616's reality. Kang will also play a key role throughout the rest of the Multiverse Saga, but at present, he has not been revealed to be residing on Earth-616.

What Is a Variant in the MCU?

Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania Kang the Conquerer Jonathan Majors
Image via Marvel

Variants are any characters who are not from the Sacred Timeline, or who have broken the predetermined chain of events and acted outside the norm. There are characters, like America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez) who have the power to jump from reality to reality and have no counterpart in any other universe, her power, and the fact that she can reside in any timeline make her extremely unique, while most other characters have countless variants throughout the vast multiverse. These variants can be extremely similar, or, they can look, act and be completely different from their counterparts in other realities. Kang is clearly a figure in the MCU with a vast array and variety of variants in the Council of Kangs with different motivations and backgrounds, while the three Spider-Men that appeared in No Way Home may have looked very different, but they each contained the same core values and principles that made them heroic in the first place.

Why are Variants a Thing in the MCU?

Sophia di Martino as Sylvie in Loki
Image via Disney+

Variants exist in the MCU both as an homage to the comics where many characters have been written and drawn in various ways over the decades with countless stories and versions of themselves, and because it's a natural progression and consequence for the MCU after the events of Avengers: Endgame. The comics have used the multiverse as a way to tell larger and more dynamic stories without the need to strictly be bound by previous stories and versions of characters. While some heroes have had continuous comic book runs from their earliest days in the 60s to now, Marvel Comics is keenly aware of a need to invite and welcome new readers, and the best way to do this is by telling fresh stories which don't require a lot of homework to be able to jump in. The MCU after a decade of storytelling needs to ensure the story doesn't get stale or overly reliant on one or two primary characters, while also creating a larger interconnected web, so utilizing the multiverse in the MCU makes a lot of sense. It's also a natural result of the Avengers meddling in Endgame, and the perfect way to introduce characters like Kang, and bring over IPs from other studios that Disney has reacquired such as the X-Men and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds).

The idea of variants can be confusing for those joining the MCU or without a background in the comics, but at it's core, it's simply a way to tell the narrative and put things in order for the future of the MCU. The necessity to have a space where stories can be told as part of a larger combined narrative and on the smaller scale is made apparent by the likes of DC Studios approach with their upcoming DCU and Elseworlds which makes it possible to tell stories on both sides, and while Marvel Studios is still creating one large tapestry at present, their future will need to allow freedom for this division to happen in order to keep viewers interested and invite newcomers to enjoy the MCU. Variants are already a central part of the Multiverse Saga, and as things progress and come to a head in The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars, it's almost certain that many more will be introduced before the next MCU saga commences and characters return to their own realities or settle into the Sacred Timeline for good.