Did Black Panther Spin-Off Eyes of Wakanda Rewrite Avengers: Endgame's Time Travel Rule? Fans Have a Theory for How It Could All Make Sense, Kind Of

Marvel fans are debating the franchise's latest illustration of clip travel, seen successful Black Panther spin-off Eyes of Wakanda, and discussing whether it breaks the MCU's ain rules acceptable distant successful Avengers: Endgame.

Warning! Spoilers for Eyes of Wakanda follow:

Eyes of Wakanda's 4th and last occurrence sees a aboriginal Black Panther question backmost 500 years to change the people of past — thing Endgame's statement of clip question suggests shouldn't beryllium possible.

So, what's going connected here? Did Marvel hide its ain clip question mechanics, oregon is determination a deeper solution? Well, fans person a clever mentation for however it could each (mostly) marque sense.

Let's statesman with a recap of however Endgame defines the mechanics of clip question wrong the MCU. In a memorable scene, Hulk plainly states that "changing the past doesn't alteration the future." Instead, going backmost successful clip creates a caller timeline subdivision you statesman existing wrong instead.

This is handy, arsenic it allows the Avengers to bargain the Infinity Stones from assorted points successful the past without impacting their contiguous — for example, nabbing the Space Stone from Tony Stark's begetter successful 1970 doesn't past erase our mentation of Iron Man from reality, adjacent though his beingness is based connected the Arc Reactor exertion derived from his father's research.

Getting backmost to the concern raised successful Eyes of Wakanda, though, it besides means you should not beryllium capable to question backmost 500 years into the past to change the people of your ain timeline. As Endgame makes clear, you tin lone interaction a caller mentation of your aboriginal — or, arsenic Ant-Man succintly puts it, "Back to the Future is simply a clump of bulls**t."

Marvel has already stretched this explanation of clip question successful Loki, which introduces the conception of a "Sacred Timeline" policed by the Time Variance Authority. Within the series, we spot events unfold crossed countless ongoing timeline branches, though the beingness of the TVA acts arsenic thing of a get-out clause, with clip explained arsenic occuring otherwise wrong its boundaries, and the Authority's office existing extracurricular of its rules.

Now, fans are pointing to Loki's mentation of timeline branches to rationalise the concern successful Eyes of Wakanda — with the proposition that what we spot on-screen successful the series' 4th occurrence is really a simplification of what is going connected beneath the surface.

In it, a aboriginal Black Panther from a mentation of Wakanda inactive closed disconnected from the wider satellite travels backmost to change the events of her timeline's contiguous — the precise happening Hulk said couldn't beryllium done.

Her ngo is to nudge the timeline (by retrieving an axe) to guarantee the events of the MCU's Black Panther movie instrumentality place, truthful Wakanda yet opens its borders and, successful the future, it has assistance warring disconnected an penetration by aliens known arsenic the Horde. "Once the axe is returned, my timeline volition realign with this one," the aboriginal Black Panther states, "and rewrite everything the Horde has done."

Now, a video from Marvel YouTuber A Bit of Everything has suggested that the bulk of this occurrence is really a What If... communicative — thing that's perchance hinted astatine on-screen astatine 1 constituent with the little quality of What If series' Watcher.

"That means everything we saw with the Horde showing up successful the aboriginal and past Tafari having to instrumentality the axe and past everything yet moving retired with Killmonger, each of that was successful a branch," A Bit of Everything explains.

"That means successful 1896, Kuda won the statement and they aborted the mission, they near the axe wherever it was. That besides means successful 1896 we get a Nexus Point, wherever Tafari disobeys orders, retrieves the axe, and we get the unspeakable future. Then it seems determination indispensable beryllium a subdivision disconnected that brannch, due to the fact that the [future] Black Panther keeps saying 'my timeline volition realign to yours.' So there's 2 timelines astatine play and I deliberation the crushed they did that is truthful that she tin spell backmost successful time, not to her subdivision but to the archetypal branch, and she covinces everyone they request to instrumentality the axe, and that of people results successful the affirmative aboriginal rewriting the archetypal subdivision and past realigning her subdivision to that branch.

"The timeline question worldly is conscionable wonky, nevertheless you bash it," A Bit of Everything concludes. "But wherefore I truly similar this is each the brainsick clip question and aggregate timelines and each that, it's happening successful branches, not effecting the Sacred Timeline. The Sacred Timeline is however we've ever seen it play retired — fundamentally Killmonger finds the axe and Wakanda opens itself to the extracurricular world."

Once again, then, it seems similar Marvel mightiness person recovered a mode astir its rigid timeline rules for those who truly privation to deliberation astir things deeply. And, for now, determination remains nary elemental mode to spell backmost successful clip and termination disconnected babe Doctor Doom to rapidly benignant things retired successful Avengers: Doomsday.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social