Who is the anchor being of Earth-616? Marvel has not officially said, but the theories are everywhere and some of them are actually compelling enough to keep you up at night.
The concept debuted in Deadpool and Wolverine, where we learned that certain individuals are so central to their universe that their death causes the entire reality to slowly deteriorate over time. Logan was the anchor being of Earth-10005. His death at the end of Logan put that universe on a path to extinction. Wade tried to fix it by grabbing another Wolverine from a different timeline, and the TVA promptly laughed at him. Identity alone is not enough. You cannot replace an anchor being with a variant who has the same face and claws and call it a day.
So who holds that role for the main MCU timeline? The leading candidate is Tony Stark. He launched the franchise in 2008, shaped the entire Infinity Saga, and died saving the universe in Endgame. His relationships defined the arcs of Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, and basically everyone else who mattered. Kevin Feige has even described Robert Downey Jr. as the anchor of the MCU in past interviews, though that was before the term had its current cosmological meaning.
If Tony was Earth-616’s anchor being, his death would explain why the multiverse has been unraveling ever since Phase Four began. It would also give Doctor Doom, played by the same actor, a twisted narrative justification for his arrival. Doom could position himself as the new center of order that Tony’s absence created.
Doctor Strange is another strong contender. Feige called him the “anchor of the Multiverse Saga” years ago, and Strange has been at the center of every major multiverse event since. He found the one winning timeline against Thanos. He caused an incursion in Multiverse of Madness. He has variants who have destroyed entire realities. The case is solid, and his disappearance with Clea at the end of that movie only adds fuel to the fire.
Then there is Peter Parker. After No Way Home and Brand New Day, Peter’s story increasingly connects different corners of the MCU. His choices revolve around sacrifice and connection rather than control. If Tony was the anchor of the past, Peter could be the anchor of the future. The idea that an anchor being is not born but becomes load-bearing through relationships and choices fits Peter’s arc perfectly.
Loki is technically sustaining the entire multiverse now, which makes him too big for one universe. Wanda Maximoff has reality-warping power but an unclear current status. Steve Rogers kicked off the Age of Heroes but is retired. Thanos, in a wild twist, could theoretically be the anchor since his actions organized the entire Infinity Saga.
My bet? Tony Stark was the anchor. Peter Parker is becoming the next one. Doom’s arrival in Doomsday will exploit the vacuum Tony left behind. And Marvel will make us wait until Secret Wars to confirm any of it, because that is what they do.