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The MCU's Infinity Saga didn't dive too much into the multiverse. Movies such as Ant-Man showed some of the Quantum Realm, while Doctor Strange only mentioned the multiverse.
As more films and MCU properties are released, it's clear that the multiverse is becoming more critical, especially with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Other films have used words like realm and dimension to describe a location separate from their own plane of existence. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, for example, added the realm of Ta Lo.
Then there's Ms. Marvel on Disney+ that adds the existence of the Noor Dimension.
Not to mention Duat being introduced in Moon Knight, one question looms in fans' minds everywhere: What is the difference between a dimension and a universe? Or the difference between a realm and a dimension?
What are the different characteristics in the MCU between a dimension, realm, and universe?
It's important to clarify that dimensions and realms within the MCU are interchangeable words and refer to the same thing. A dimension is a portion of reality within a specific universe. The same is for a realm.
A different dimension must be accessed through complicated means like a wormhole or magic.
Take Ta Lo from Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, for example. It is a realm specific to the primary Earth-616 universe in the MCU.
The passage that brings people from Ta Lo to the main world only brings them to Earth-616. It won't take them to another universe.
The same can be said of Duat, the Egyptian afterlife in Moon Knight.
There is a long list of dimensions/realms in the MCU, and a few of them are:
- Earthly Plane
- Quantum Realm
- Astral Dimension/Ancestral Realm
- Mirror Dimension
- Dark Dimension
- Soul World
- Ta Lo
However, a universe is vastly different from dimensions/realms. When Sylvie killed He Who Remains, she inadvertently created the multiverse.
A place where every decision has a lasting outcome and can potentially create a new reality. What if someone goes left instead of right? Wherever a decision was made, a new reality was born.
Furthermore, each universe contains its own dimensions. Earth-838, for instance, has its own Dark Dimension and Noor Dimension.
There are multiple Dormammus and duplicate Djinn throughout the multiverse. Whereas if someone goes into Ta Lo, there isn't a separate Dark Dimension. It's the same one that exists in that universe.
Another way to look at it is that each universe has its own set of Infinity Stones. As much was seen in the Disney+ series What If..?
Infinity Stones will only work in their home universes. So, it wouldn't have worked if Doctor Strange brought the infinity gauntlet from his universe to Earth-838. However, it would have worked if he had brought them to Ta Lo in Earth-616.
Unless it's America Chavez, traversing different universes is much more difficult than traveling to another dimension. Besides America's powers, fans haven't seen another way to jump into a different universe.
Speculations can be made that magic and technological advances will make it possible in the future of the MCU, similar to traveling into another dimension. This can currently be accomplished through a wormhole or magic.
Perhaps all of this will be explained in-universe by somebody much smarter, like Bruce Banner or Stephen Strange. Or maybe Kevin Feige will lay it out for everyone in an interview.
In the meantime, followers can enjoy the fact that the MCU is ever-expanding and isn't looking to slow down anytime soon. With each new universe added, they get closer to a more comic-accurate representation.
