Trying to keep up with everything in the Marvel Universe can be pretty exhausting, something fans of the comics books have known for decades. With the Quantum Realm on the tip of everyone’s tongue, it’s time to remember that the MCU is full of different dimensions, realms and after-life scenarios.
It can be hard to keep track of and differentiate the Dark Dimension from The Duat, but never fear — we’re here to help. What follows is a list and explanation of every single realm we’ve seen in the MCU so far, starting with one that’s visually incredible.
The Mirror Dimension
Let’s get started with one of the more visually appealing dimensions out there. The Mirror Dimension looks like one of those M.C. Escher designs where things don’t really have a beginning or end and everything seems to kind of be a base for something else. Very trippy.
The mirror dimension is one of those parallel dimensions where people can go and practice their magic and abilities without bothering the general public. Here’s what the ancient one told Doctor Strange:
“The Mirror Dimension, ever present but undetected. The real world isn’t affected by what happens here. We use the Mirror Dimension to train, surveil, and sometimes to contain threats.” The dimension is accessible using a sling ring, and those who don’t have one can end up trapped there (some are left there intentionally).
The Dark Dimension
The Dark Dimension has a few different names. It’s also known as the Darkforce Dimension, the Hell Dimension, or just Hell for the sake of brevity. It’s ruled by the evil being Dormammu, and it’s really a dimension where Dormammu has absorbed other dimensions and taken them over.
Because of this property of having absorbed other dimensions, sorcerers sometimes find their magic is more powerful there. It also contains the Spirit of Vengeance, a place of absolute darkness that tries to absorb anything living that gets close to it.
Soul World
The Soul World is inextricably linked to the soul stone, one of the infinity stones used by Thanos to snap out half of all existence in an instant. It’s a place where souls live, like Gamora after her sacrifice on Vormir. After Thanos snapped the world, his consciousness traveled there briefly, where he saw Gamora as a child.
Thanos is in the soul world when he’s asked what it cost him to complete his mission and he uttered the famous “everything.” When he destroyed the soul stone, he destroyed the Soul World as well.
The Ancestral Plane
The Ancestral Plane, also known as the Astral Plane, is similar to the Soul World in that it’s a place where the soul exists outside of the body. It’s a parallel dimension where someone must be separated from their body to visit. Time moves differently in the Ancestral Plane, to the point where Dr. Strange was able to leave his body, speak to the ancient one, and return to his body before it hit the floor.
Both T’Challa and Erik Killmonger visited the Ancestral Plane to talk to their fathers, and it’s there they wake up after they are buried. Some sorcerers, like the Masters of the Mystic Arts, can look into the Plane without having to separate from their bodies.
It’s also possible to visit the plane while your physical body is at rest, as Doctor Strange does by reading a book there while his physical body sleeps. T’Challa explained the Plane to Natasha Romanoff like this:
“In my culture, death is not the end. It’s more of a stepping off point. You reach out with both hands to Bast and Sekhmet, they lead you into the green veld where… you can run forever.”
The Void
The Void exists at the end of time where things go after being cut by the Time Variance Authority. There is no aging in The Void. Ravonna Renslayer, a TVA operative, explained that “When we prune a branched reality, it’s impossible to destroy all of its matter. So we move it to a place on the timeline where it won’t continue growing.”
Loki is famously sent to the void where he discovers four alternate versions of himself.
The Duat
The Duat is the Egyptian underworld. It’s a vast ocean of sand where the skies are purple with streaks of yellow peaking through. Steven Grant visits after he is shot and he meets Taweret, who appears to him as a giant but really sweet hippo.
“Because the Duat’s true nature is impossible for the human mind to comprehend …You may perceive this realm as something more easily recognizable to you,” Taweret tells Grant. It can also look different to different people. Marc Spector sees it as a mental hospital.
The boat also has everyone’s past memories, which allows them to visit their past.
Ta Lo
Ta Lo is a dimension of the Multiverse that can only be accessed through an Earth portal. It’s protected by an ever-changing Bamboo forest that creates a safe path once a year during the Qingming Festival.
The inhabitants of Ta Lo, including the Great Protector, are tasked with guarding the Dark Gate and make sure the Dweller-in-Darkness doesn’t return. The Great Protector actually derives power from the waters surrounding Ta Lo.
It was the scene of the climactic battle with the Soul Eaters and the Dweller-in-Darkness.
Valhalla
Think of Valhalla like the Astral Plane but for Asgardian warriors. It’s a paradise where Asgardians can live forever in peace and prosperity. The Agardian rule isn’t strict, however, as Jane Foster found her way to Valhalla after she died from cancer because she fought Gorr the God Butcher.
Here’s a quote from Thor about Valhalla:
“Odin, I bid you take your place in the halls of Valhalla, where the brave shall live forever. Nor shall we mourn but rejoice for those that have died the glorious death.”
The Noor Dimension
This dimension is where the Clandestines originate from. After they were exiled, the Clandestines spent years trying to return to the Noor Dimension. Kamala Khan can draw energy from the Noor Dimension to create light constructs, and she was transported there while she was at the New Jersey AvengersCon.
Here’s how Waleed explains the dimension to Kamala:
“The Clandestines and Aisha are from another realm. There are many dimensions around us that we cannot see, and this is just one of them — and this is Aisha’s home. It’s connected to our world, but hidden. Behind a veil of Noor that separates our world from theirs.”
The Gap Junction
Finally we have the Gap Junction. It’s a place that exists outside of space and time, in a “space between universes,” according to Christine Palmer. It’s also where the Book of Vishanti was hidden.
While trying to retrieve the book, Doctor Strange and Christine Palmer entered the Gap Junction, but the Scarlet Witch destroyed the book and sent them out of the Junction, before using her powers to fly out herself.