“Avengers: Endgame Encore” made a major impact at the box office, showing that audiences were eager to revisit the theatrical experience—including the moment Falcon (Anthony Mackie) delivers the iconic “On your left” line on the big screen. Marvel Studios also added several post-credits scenes designed to set up “Avengers: Doomsday,” which is scheduled for release on December 18. The most consequential scene centers on the Time Variance Authority. For a complete breakdown, watch Looper’s video above.
The TVA debuted in “Loki” as a powerful organization tasked with monitoring the timelines. Although it once pruned alternate branches to preserve the Sacred Timeline, its mission had shifted by the end of “Loki” Season 2 toward protecting every timeline across the multiverse. That new responsibility makes the latest post-credits scene especially alarming. Mobius (Owen Wilson), Ouroboros (Ke Huy Quan), and Casey (Eugene Cordero) witness two universes colliding in an event known as an incursion. The first is Earth-10005, the designation for 20th Century Fox’s X-Men universe, while the second is Earth-1127, a reality that has not yet received a more specific designation.
The danger goes beyond the universes simply crashing into one another: their inhabitants are also launching weapons across the divide. That conflict may explain why the X-Men universe appears so devastated in the “Avengers: Doomsday” trailers. Much of that reality may already have been destroyed. Mobius initially seems unfazed, but the situation escalates rapidly as incursions spread to 3,000 worlds. Ouroboros then summarizes the threat in stark terms: “The multiverse is collapsing.”
How the TVA scene sets up Avengers: Doomsday
Marvel Studios
The TVA’s monitors reveal that several universes have already been lost. Earth-400083, the reality associated with the 2003 “Hulk” movie, is listed as destroyed. Earth-15866—home to the 2015 “Fantastic Four”—has also fallen, along with Earth-82111, the universe connected to Captain Carter from the “What If…?” series.
The reference to 3,000 Earths facing incursions may carry an additional meaning. In “Avengers: Endgame,” Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) tells his daughter, “I love you 3,000.” That connection could support the theory that Doctor Doom, also played by Downey, is a variant of Tony Stark. The number may have special significance for Doom as well—particularly if he has lost a child because of multiversal interference.
Within the MCU, an incursion happens when the barrier separating two realities breaks down. Excessive travel between universes or interference with the timeline can trigger one. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) may have contributed to that danger when he chose to remain in the past with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) at the end of “Endgame.” Another “Encore” post-credits scene shows Loki (Tom Hiddleston) visiting Steve and Peggy, raising the possibility that he is warning them about the consequences of their actions.
The central mystery is whether Doctor Doom is deliberately causing the incursions—or whether Steve is unknowingly helping set them in motion. Regardless, Doom appears determined to punish those who tampered with the timeline and reshape reality according to his own vision. The X-Men universe is not disappearing just yet, however. To explore its complicated timeline in greater detail, watch Looper’s video above.
