Summary
- Tony Stark's Iron Man has been theorized to be the Anchor Being of the MCU's Earth-616 after Deadpool & Wolverine introduced the concept.
- Deadpool & Wolverine already proved that Iron Man cannot be the Anchor Being of Earth-616, suggesting it's someone who is still alive in the MCU.
- Possible Anchor Beings of the MCU's main continuity could be Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, or even the Scarlet Witch, who is speculated to be returning.
A new theory regarding the importance of Tony Stark's Iron Man in the MCU has already been debunked by
Deadpool & Wolverine. It's always been known that Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark was one of the most crucial characters in the MCU, not least because he became the franchise's first on-screen superhero in 2008's Iron Man. However, after the release of Deadpool & Wolverine and the reveal of a new multiversal concept, his importance could have sky-rocketed, according to popular new theories.
Deadpool & Wolverine marked the first appearance of Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth in the MCU, and also introduced a variant of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, not the one from Fox's X-Men franchise. Jackman portrayed a different version of Wolverine because his original iteration lost his life during 2017's Logan.
Deadpool & Wolverine gave this death more meaning, however, as Fox's original Wolverine was revealed to be the Anchor Being of Earth-10005. This confirmation has spurred theories concerning Iron Man's role in the MCU's main timeline.
Your browser does not support the video tag. Tony Stark’s Iron Man Has Been Theorized To Be Earth-616’s Anchor Being
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After Logan was revealed to be the Anchor Being of Earth-10005, Deadpool set out to find a Wolverine variant to replace him, hoping to save his world from deterioration. Some have speculated that a similar storyline could be repeated in the MCU's future, especially after
Robert Downey Jr. was confirmed to be returning to the MCU as iconic Marvel villain Doctor Doom. Theories note that Tony Stark could have been the Anchor Being of Earth-616, which would lead the MCU's heroes to find a variant to replace him - enter Doom.
As the face of the MCU for over a decade, Tony Stark's Iron Man could easily be the Anchor Being of Earth-616. He was a founding member of the Avengers, the team's secondary leader for its entire duration, a mentor to young heroes such as Peter Parker's Spider-Man, and a constant source of innovation and development for the MCU. However,
as attractive as this theory may be, and despite it offering a good explanation for Downey Jr.'s debut as Doctor Doom, Deadpool & Wolverine has already proved this speculation false.
Tony Stark's MCU Movie
Year
Iron Man
2008
The Incredible Hulk
2008
Iron Man 2
2010
The Avengers
2012
Iron Man 3
2013
Avengers: Age of Ultron
2015
Captain America: Civil War
2016
Spider-Man: Homecoming
2017
Avengers: Infinity War
2018
Avengers: Endgame
2019
Deadpool & Wolverine Makes It Impossible For Iron Man To Be Earth-616’s Anchor Being Close Deadpool & Wolverine saw Matthew Macfadyen's Mr. Paradox reveal that the death of an Anchor Being causes the deterioration of their universe until it eventually dies completely.
If this Tony Stark theory is true, and he was the Anchor Being of Earth-616, then the MCU's main continuity will already be in the process of deterioration, and this is surely information that the Time Variance Authority would know, given that Earth-616 is still the Sacred Timeline. Because of this, Deadpool & Wolverine means it's impossible for Tony Stark to be Earth-616's Anchor Being.
If the TVA knew that Earth-616 was deteriorating, it doesn't make sense that Mr. Paradox would offer Wade Wilson's Deadpool the chance to make the permanent move from his dying universe to another. Earth-616 must be safe and secure, for now, for Mr. Paradox to make this offer, especially considering Deadpool seems to be of some mysterious importance to the Multiverse Saga's future. All told,
this means the Anchor Being of Earth-616 must still be alive, which ensures that it certainly is not Tony Stark's Iron Man.
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Related Deadpool & Wolverine's Ending Makes Me Even More Excited For The MCU's Avengers: Secret Wars Movie Marvel Studios" Avengers: Secret Wars is still scheduled for release in 2027, and Deadpool & Wolverine might have set up its storyline perfectly.
6 Who Could Be Earth-616’s Anchor Being If Not Iron Man?
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If it's impossible for Tony Stark to be the Anchor Being of Earth-616, then there are several other significant heroes in the MCU who could easily take this role. Perhaps most notably, Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange has been given a very prominent role in the Multiverse Saga, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if the Master of the Mystic Arts was confirmed to be an Anchor Being.
One popular suggestion names Tom Holland's Spider-Man, but Marvel Studios' deal with Sony Pictures to use the wall-crawler may make it difficult to give him such a pivotal position.
Benedict Cumberbatch was previously referred to as the "Anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe" by Marvel boss Kevin Feige during Cumberbatch's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony back in 2022.
Despite her apparent death in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, speculation about Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch's return could be solidified, should she be revealed as Earth-616's Anchor Being. It's also possible this honor could go to other long-running MCU characters, such as Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, Anthony Mackie's Captain America, or even Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye.
There have also been fun suggestions, such as Madisynn or Happy Hogan, who returned in
Deadpool & Wolverine, but only time will tell who the MCU's Anchor Being actually is.
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Deadpool & Wolverine R Action Sci-FiComedySuperhero A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Director Shawn Levy
Release Date July 26, 2024
Distributor(s) Disney
Cast Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney
Runtime 127 Minutes
prequel(s) Deadpool , Deadpool 2 Expand Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025 Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025 The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025 Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025 Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026 Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027
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