Warning: Contains SPOILERS for TVA #1! Since entering the Multiverse Saga, the UCM opened up its universe enormously, establishing infinite timelines where multiple versions of the same hero/villain can exist simultaneously and even interact with each other. Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessand Loki everyone explored this idea. However, these examples only deal with movie/show universes. Now, the MCU has connected its multiverse with that of Marvel Comicsmarking a new milestone with exciting possibilities.
In TVA #1 by Katharyn Blair and Pere Pérez, Spider-Gwen joined the multiversal police force with the likes of Jimmy Hudson (son of Wolverine from Earth-1610), Captain Carter, and even Gambit. In some ways, Ghost Spider and the others feel like a new incarnation of the Exiles, as they're a team of heroes who travel the multiverse to save the day in multiple realities instead of just one. However, this particular team is decidedly different from anything fans have seen in Marvel Comics thus far, as they also team up with heroes from the MCU.
While Marvel Comics has its own version of the TVA, that's not what fans are seeing in this comic. This TVA is exactly the same as the MCU (Loki, Deadpool and Wolverine), and the comics are not subtle about this fact. TVA #1 includes Miss Minutes, Ouroboros (OB), B-15 and Mobius. While it could have been argued that these are just Marvel Comics versions of the MCU characters, that too is quickly put to rest when Spider-Gwen herself gets into the MCU characters' heroic deeds. Loki, and how he single-handedly saved the multiverse (which fans saw in Loki 2nd season).
This means that Earth-65's Spider-Gwen, Earth-1610's Jimmy Hudson, and Earth-86315's Captain Carter are all united with the MCU's TVA, giving these Marvel Comics characters access to the live-action multiverse – and the Live-action characters access the comic book multiverse as well. Needless to say, this is a big deal for the future of the MCU and Marvel Comics, and could result in some truly epic crossovers.
People like Spider-Gwen and Jimmy Hudson don't need an MCU origin story (because they're already there)
While the number of possible future stories is limitless following the revelation that the Marvel Comics multiverse is directly connected to the MCU, TVA #1 already explained the obvious next step the MCU should take: bringing these heroes into the live-action universe immediately. The likes of Captain Carter and Gambit have already gotten the MCU treatment, but Spider-Gwen and Jimmy Hudson have yet to be adapted for live action. Now, no adaptation is necessary. These two are already in the MCU because of TVA #1, so the MCU needs to address this by immediately introducing them in a future project.
The MCU has already explored different versions of Spider-Man and Wolverine, and now it has two members of the Spider-Family and the Snikt Family at TVA, ready to jump into a live-action story at any time. without further explanation about who they are and how they got there. If fans are interested in finding out the origin of Spider-Gwen and Jimmy Hudson, all they have to do is read their respective back issues instead of reading redundant origin stories. The context is in the comics, allowing them to transition seamlessly into live action.
Marvel Comics sharing a multiverse with the MCU could redefine how films originate stories
Origin Stories of Heroes and Villains Can Now Be Simplified in the MCU
Because of TVA #1, the MCU has a free ticket to bring in Spider-Gwen and Jimmy Hudson whenever it wants, and that extends to every Marvel Comics character in existence. Fans got a taste of this in Deadpool and Wolverineas Deadpool used TVA technology to not only examine the established universe of the MCU, but also universes exclusive to Marvel Comics. Among these universes were Age of Apocalypse (Earth-295) and Old Logan (Earth-807128), just to name a few, proving that Marvel Comics variants can interact with MCU versions of Marvel characters.
TVA Issue #1 just shows fans the other side of that proverbial coin, as original MCU characters get the comic book treatment when introduced in that medium. They are the same characters, but the nature of their existence changes depending on how they are observed by the audience. Age of Apocalypse Wolverine becomes live-action when observed in the MCU, while B-15 becomes a comic book character when observed in Marvel Comics. This concept is insanely meta, but it's important to recognize as it means no one is off limits when it comes to being included in the MCU.
In the past, a comic book character would have to be adapted with their own origin story before becoming a live-action character. But now, if the MCU wants to introduce certain characters who haven't yet received their own live-action treatment (or even variants of those that have), it won't need to create an entirely new narrative for them. All the MCU would have to do is create a story where these characters were taken from the comics and put into live action by the TVA, and then a fully developed character could begin his career in the MCU.
Connecting the Marvel Comics multiverse to the MCU could spell trouble for the live-action heroes
Marvel has just opened the door for comics' biggest current multiversal villain to take control of the MCU
It's incredibly exciting to consider that any character from the Marvel Comics multiverse can appear in live-action without any explanation other than 'the TVA brought them there', as this means that the catalog of characters the MCU has immediate access to has just increased immensely. . . However, this could also be a bad thing for the MCU heroes, especially when considering Marvel Comics' current biggest multiversal villain, one who has just taken control of an entire reality as if it were nothing and could do the trick. same with the MCU: the Manufacturer.
In The new Ultimate Universe of Marvel Comics continuity, the Creator (originally from Earth-1610) traveled from Earth-616 to Earth-6160 and reshaped that reality to his liking. Using multiversal and temporal technology, the Creator rewrote the history of Earth-6160, inserting himself as the 'god' of that world. The Creator did this with relative ease, which implies that he could do the same with any universe in the multiverse. And now, that includes the MCU. In fact, the MCU already has a character originating from Earth-1610 in Jimmy Hudson, and has just opened the door for the Creator to join in on the fun.
While the idea that the Creator could become the MCU's next 'big bad' because of this newly established direct connection between Marvel Comics and the MCU is exciting (and is something the MCU should seriously consider), the fact that That this connection exists is the main lesson here. No matter how the MCU (or Marvel Comics) plans to move forward, TVA #1 confirms that, yes, Marvel just connected its comic book continuity to UCMmarking a new milestone for the universe.
TVA #1 from Marvel Comics is now available.