Published Feb 4, 2026, 9:34 AM EST
Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.
Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.
Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.
In a historic moment, Marvel just revealed how the Avengers are responsible for creating not just Earth-616, but the entire Marvel multiverse. Here's everything you need to know about this colossal new reveal.
If Reed Richards and the Avengers created the multiverse, what does this mean for the One Above All?
The Avengers Just Created the Marvel Universe
In today's Avengers #35 - from Jed MacKay, Sergio Dávila, Aure Jimenez, Federico Blee and Cory Petit - it's revealed that the Avengers are the creators of the entire Marvel multiverse.
In recent comics, the team have been hunting down the Grail - a powerful cosmic artifact which, when activated, will create an entirely new multiverse... by destroying the original. Working with their former rivals the Twilight Court, the Avengers open a portal to the cosmic void before time and space, tricking their enemies the Ashen Combine into taking the Grail through.
In the explosion that results, the Marvel multiverse is brought into being, revealing that - thanks to a wild time loop - the Avengers of Marvel's mainstream Earth-616 are responsible for creating every reality in Marvel continuity, including the MCU.
What Is the Grail, And Why Is It So Powerful?
When Reed Richards rebuilt the multiverse following 2015's Secret Wars, he subconsciously regretted that there were no more frontiers to discover. That regret coalesced into the Grail - a device which could only be operated with heroic intent, and which would create a whole new multiverse of wonders to explore.
Over the course of the current volume of Avengers, Kang has been seeking out the Grail, manipulating both the Avengers and the Twilight Court into activating it. It was only by working together and combining their powers that the heroes saved the multiverse from destruction.
Notably, the Grail begins the First Firmament. 'Firmament' is basically Marvel's term for the complete multiverse (interchangable with 'cosmos'), with each Firmament eventually ending and giving birth to the next, more complex version of reality. Marvel is currently in its Eighth Firmament, and each Firmament is also a sentient, godlike being.
In the past, the First Firmament has manifested as a major threat, jealous of being forgotten and replaced. Will that change now we know that the First Firmament wouldn't exist without the Eighth?
Our Take on Marvel's Huge Lore Change
The reveal that Earth-616's Avengers created everything in Marvel canon is a huge twist, and it has both positives and negatives. First, it asserts the Avengers' importance as Marvel's most foundational team. They're not just Earth's Mightiest Heroes - they both saved and created the entire multiverse.
Likewise, the Grail is truly a creation of Reed Richards. The debut of the Fantastic Four is considered the beginning of Marvel's modern combined universe, so there's a metatextual genius to having Reed's curiosity be the source of every adventure since. At the same time, fans are left to wonder how forces like the One Above All (Marvel's supreme being) fit into the picture.
Up until now, it was implied that the One Above All directly created reality. After Avengers #35, existence is created as part of a time loop, leaving questions about the One Above All's role.
Avengers Didn't Quite Sell This Massive Reveal
Sadly, one of the big negatives of this revelation is that Avengers Volume 9 simply hasn't earned such a big finish. The team haven't felt crucial to the Marvel Universe in almost a decade. Likewise, the Twilight Court and Ashen Combine feel too thinly sketched to be so vital to the foundation of the entirety of Marvel lore.
The new revelation that Reed Richards and the Avengers kickstarted all of Marvel lore looks good on paper. It has some important thematic resonance and strengthens the franchise's importance. Sadly, it will take future Avengers stories to make this event feel as big as it is in theory.
Avengers #35 is available now from Marvel Comics.
English (US) ·