Anchor Beings? How ‘Deadpool 3’ Changes MCU Canon and Sets Up ‘Avengers 6’

The first (and only) Marvel movie of the year has finally arrived — and it really is , with one in particular, Molecule Man, acting as a catalyst for the entire event. Molecule Man is the rare being that exists in every universe. When he dies in one, that timeline is effectively destroyed. He’s able to trigger incursions (the collision of two universes) and even, with some assistance, clone himself to create new universes. Molecule Man is pretty crucial to the events of Secret Wars, but he’s also a tricky character to adapt outside of the comics. With Deadpool & Wolverine and the introduction of anchor beings, could the MCU be avoiding singularities altogether?

According to Kevin Feige, the answer isn’t all that simple.

“I do think in the Marvel comics and in the MCU, there are beings of great importance,” Feige tells Inverse. “There are nexus beings that have been discussed, and in comic books there are omega-level mutants that have been discussed.”

Feige suggests that each of these terms — along with anchor beings — could all just be a different way of referring to the same thing.

“I think a lot of that, it depends on where you are within the universe of what terminology you use,” Feige continues. “The TVA uses the terminology of ‘anchor beings’ and ‘a being of great importance.’ Is that different than those other beings I’ve mentioned, or is it just a different terminology for the same thing? Remains to be seen.”

With Marvel now gearing up for Secret Wars, we could get an answer to that question sooner than later. Hickman’s take on Secret Wars dealt primarily with incursions, and incursions have already played a minor role in the Multiverse Saga. Whether they’ll depend on anchor beings like Wolverine, nexus beings like the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), or singularities alone remains to be seen. The nature of Marvel’s multiverse is still a total mystery, but it’s clear that Deadpool & Wolverine is just one piece of the puzzle.

Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theaters.