How No Way Home’s Timeline Shakes Up the MCU

Marvel’s ever-expanding universe has never been short on twists, but a recent revelation about the order of events in the Multiversal Saga has left fans rethinking everything they thought they knew. A tweet doing the rounds claims that Spider-Man: No Way Home, which swung into cinemas in 2021, actually unfolds after the events of Eternals. For those trying to keep track of the MCU’s labyrinthine timeline, this is no small detail.

Chronology in the Multiversal Saga

Trying to pin down the sequence of Marvel’s latest phase is a bit like herding cats. The official order, as it stands, now places Loki (Season 1) at the start, followed by WandaVision, Shang-Chi, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, VisionQuest, Deadpool & Wolverine, Eternals, and then Spider-Man: No Way Home. Doctor Strange and the rest follow on. As one fan put it:

So in chronological timeline order for the Multiverse Saga its

– Loki (Season 1)
– WandaVision
– Shang-Chi: And the Legend of the Ten Rings
– The Falcon and the Winter Solider
– VisionQuest
– Deadpool & Wolverine
– Eternals
– Spider-Man: No Way Home
– Doctor Strange: In the… https://t.co/fPOZOYazf6

It’s a reshuffle that, while not directly addressed in the films themselves, has significant implications for the overarching narrative. The two stories, though seemingly worlds apart, both lay the groundwork for the Multiversal arc in their own ways.

Threads Linking Eternals and No Way Home

On the surface, Eternals and No Way Home couldn’t be more different. The former deals with the cosmic threat of Tiamut, while Peter Parker finds himself up against familiar foes and the chaos of fractured realities. Yet, both films introduce elements that are set to become crucial as the saga unfolds.

Take the post-credits scenes, for instance. Eternals teases the Ebony Blade, with Kit Harington’s Dane Whitman poised to take up the mantle. The sword’s peculiar bond with its wielder hints at a symbiotic connection. Meanwhile, No Way Home’s own stinger sees Tom Hardy’s Venom leaving behind a trace of the symbiote, quietly seeding future storylines in the MCU’s main timeline.

Memory manipulation is another recurring motif. Doctor Strange’s spell wipes the world’s recollection of Peter Parker, while the Eternals themselves have had their memories repeatedly erased over millennia. Both films, in their own fashion, suggest that the so-called Sacred Timeline is anything but stable.

Why Eternals Still Matters

Despite its lukewarm reception and less-than-stellar box office, Eternals remains a pivotal chapter in Marvel’s grand design. The film left a trail of unanswered questions: Harry Styles’ brief appearance, the true extent of Dane Whitman’s powers, Ikaris’ fate, and the future of the Eternals themselves. For all its flaws, the story’s connections to the wider universe are hard to ignore.

Fans may have moved on from the initial disappointment, but there’s a growing appetite to see these threads picked up again. The film’s ties to the MCU’s ongoing narrative provide ample justification for a follow-up, should Marvel choose to revisit these characters.

Key Details and Unresolved Mysteries

For those keeping score, Eternals was directed by Chloé Zhao and featured a cast including Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, and Kumail Nanjiani. Released in November 2021, it managed a 6.2/10 on IMDb and a 47% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a global box office haul of $402 million. The film is available to stream on Disney+.

Whether or not a sequel materialises, the impact of Eternals on the MCU’s timeline—and its unexpected connection to No Way Home—remains a topic of lively debate among fans. The future, as ever, is wide open.