Marvel’s Comic Continuity Has Found a True Bridge With the MCU, And We Have the TVA to Thank

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is now officially connected to the Marvel Comics continuity, as a new comic series debuts which acts as a bridge between the live-action universe and the pages of the comics. Of course, within the multiverse, everything is connected, and crossovers between different media formats have been seen before, but the TVA comic series directly ties the MCU and Marvel’s main comic continuity together.

TVA (2024) #1 – written by Katharyn Blair, with art by Père Perez – kicks off with Spider-Gween having been recruited by the TVA to help launch the “new and improved TVA” after the events of the Disney+ series Loki’s second season, when the temporal loom was destroyed and the Marvel Multiverse was freed from the organization’s control.

Gwen is currently hiding out in the TVA after an incident on her home timeline, so she’s decided to help out around until O.B. – the same O.B. that appeared in Loki – can figure out what to do with her.

The MCU’s Future is Expanding into Comics, With “Bridge Media” That Allows Marvel Comics & The MCU To Intermingle

TVA (2024) #1 – Written By Katharyn Blair; Art Bt Père Perez; Color By Guru-eFX; Lettering By Joe Sabino

The Time Variance Authority, or TVA, is an organization created by a variant of Kang the Conqueror, which exists outside of space and time, seperare from any timeline; therefore, there is only one in the Marvel Multiverse. The characters in TVA #1, includingMs. Minutes, Mobius, B-15, O.B., and even the statue of Loki, all bear a striking resemblance to the versions from Disney+’s Loki series, because they are intended to be the exact same versions of the characters. The TVA comic series also follows the events of an MCU show, technically making this an MCU tie-in comic.

The MCU has had tie-in comics before, mostly movie preludes, but even some one-shots that tell a completely new story within the MCU and don’t set up a movie. Even though tie-in comics have become a staple, Marvel Studios still refuses to do an ongoing series set within the MCU, as they want to keep stories and character introductions for movies and TV. This also means only pre-existing MCU characters can be used in tie-ins, but this new concept of “bridge media,” where the Marvel Comics dip into the MCU, may allow for some flexibility with that rule.

The Increasing Interplay Between Page & Screen

The TVA is becoming something like a bridge between all the formats of media that comprise the Marvel Universe. Existing outside of space and time, the TVA works as an axis, in the middle of everything, and creates the opportunity for comics to cross into live-action and vice versa, and for all universes to connect to each other. In other words, characters from Marvel’s main comic continuity can now visit the MCU. Though it was technically possible before, it has now officially been confirmed on the page that the MCU and comics can freely intertwine with one another.

Besides the TVA, there have been other connection points to the MCU between different forms of media within the Marvel Multiverse. One of those connection points was the Runes of Kof-Kol, the spell from Spider-Man: No Way Home that created a rift in the Multiverse and displaced Spider-Man villains in the wrong universes. The aftermath of this spell was seen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and one of the displaced villains captured by the Spider-Society is the Prowler from the MCU, played by actor Donald Glover; concept art for the movie reveals the live-action variant originates from the MCU.

More MCU Tie-in Comics That Connect To The Main Marvel Continuity Are Likely To Be On The Way

TVA Is Just The Beginning

There was another notable time when the MCU and the comics crossed over. In Spider-Geddon (2018) #5, during the final battle, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man appears in the background of one of the action shots as a group of Spider-Totems come through a portal to fight the Inheritors. This means the Web of Life and Destiny, the connection point between the Spider-Verse, is also a connection point to the MCU. Spider-Geddon shows that the TVA comic series is not the first time the MCU and the comics have crossed over, and hopefully it’s not the last.

Marvel Studios has refused an ongoing comic series set within the MCU, but that doesn’t mean there can’t keep being comics that dip into the MCU, or vice versa. So far, TVA has been the biggest example, as a series that ties directly to the events of the MCU’s Loki. Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds, an MCU tie-in comic that crossed over with the comic’s universe. Though technically from a What If…? timeline, this is another example of Marvel Studios connecting their timelines with the comics. These two examples could hint at more tie-ins and miniseries that connect to the MCU soon.

How Much Will Marvel Studios Allow Marvel Comics To Crossover Into Their Universe?

Fans Hope For Greater Synergy Between Mediums

Lately, there have been some tie-in comics to Marvel Studios’ What If…? timelines, including Kahhori: Reshaper of Worlds and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, the former of which brought an original Marvel Studios character into the comic’s 616 continuity. It is much more likely for comics to allow for MCU characters to make a quick jump into the comics, but Marvel Studios are a lot pickier when it comes to which characters they want to appear in which projects. Even if Marvel Comics continues to publish tie-in comics without bridge connections, it is a step in the right direction.

Of course, there are a variety of reasons why crossovers between the MCU and Marvel Comics’ mainstream continuity are somewhat restricted, with the differences between mediums being just the starting point. Beyond that, it is complicated to develop a consistent, coherent story across multiple mediums, given that there are so many moving parts in the behind-the-scenes creative process of producing comic books, and even more when it comes to film and television. Yet a coordinated effort on Marvel’s part to at least try shows that they recognize fans’ appetite for this, and want each story to be as meaningful as possible.

Comic characters have joined the MCU, and MCU characters have traveled to the comics and other forms of media, but the biggest question after all of this, is if comic variants of characters will eventually start showing up in live-action. Especially with the MCU being in their multiverse saga, and some pretty big crossover movies like Avengers: Secret Wars coming in the next few years, anything is possible. For fans of the wider multimedia Marvel experience, here’s to hoping that Ghost-Spider’s jump from the TVA to the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just the beginning.

TVA #1is available now from Marvel Comics.

“}]] Marvel’s multimedia Multiverse expands.  Read More