For a while now, we’ve been told the MCU continuity established in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man has been Earth-616, with it first being referenced by Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) in Thor: The Dark World. Apart from the odd dip into the likes of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ Earth-838, it’s where most of our adventures take place. According to Across the Spider-Verse continuity, that’s not Earth-616 at all.
When Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Issac) chastises Gwen for stopping the canon event of Captain Singh’s death in Earth-50101, he rages, “And don’t even get me started on Dr. Strange and the little nerd back on Earth-199999.” It’s a reference to Peter Parker (Tom Holland) asking Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a memory spell back in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
We all know how that went down, with the backfiring spell inadvertently letting the Sinister Six (well, five) in from various dimensions and giving us a who’s who of returning favorites from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spider-Man movies. We’re yet to fully see the repercussions of Strange’s meddling in the MCU, but according to Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man 2099 and the Spider Society are well aware of that botched job.
Wait, is the MCU Earth-199999?
Calling the MCU Earth-199999 is sure to cause some confusion. A deep cut into the history of the MCU first referred to its continuity as Earth-199999 in the 2008 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Vol. 5. This was to avoid confusion with the Earth of Marvel Comics being called Earth-616 at that point. Quentin Beck/Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) referred to this reality as Earth-616 in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but with him being a fraudster, it was accepted this could be a lie.
MCU overlord Kevin Feige has tried to solidify 616 as the actual designation, and in Multiverse of Madness, it was canonized as gospel by Earth-838’s Christine Palmer (Amy Adams). This has caused a division in the ranks, with actors and internet fans alike refusing to acknowledge Earth-616.
The Marvel Fandom Wiki won’t budge from referring to Earth-199999, while Ms. Marvel’s Iman Vellani is particularly vocal on the issue. Speaking to Elite Daily, the comic superfan explained, “Every time I talk to Kevin, we have this argument where I say, ‘The MCU is not 616.’ He’s like, ‘It is because I said so.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s 199999.’ He hates it. So, we keep having this argument.”
