Wolverine with the TVA branching timelines in the MCU

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige might have already revealed that Earth-616’s Anchor Being is none other than Doctor Strange. Anchor Beings are a new concept in the MCU, introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine as the individuals who are essential to the survival of their respective universe. When an Anchor Being dies, their reality begins to deteriorate until it eventually dies completely, which was what brought Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool to the Time Variance Authority. Earth-10005’s Anchor Being was Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who died during 2017’s Logan.

While Logan was revealed to be the Anchor Being of Earth-10005, the official designation of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise, the identity of the MCU’s own Anchor Being hasn’t been revealed. Several iconic heroes from Earth-616, including Tony Stark’s Iron Man, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man and Natasha Romanoff’s Black Widow have been speculated to be the MCU’s Anchor Being. However, it seems the most likely candidate may have already been teased by Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige back in 2022.

Kevin Feige May Have Confirmed Doctor Strange To Be Earth-616’s Anchor Being In 2022

Doctor Strange in the street in the MCU

Back in February 2022, Benedict Cumberbatch was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the likes of Doctor Strange co-star Rachel McAdams, Star Trek Into Darkness director J. J. Abrams and Kevin Feige presenting speeches (via Variety). During Feige’s speech, he noted that Cumberbatch is known for many incredible roles, but has received huge acclaim for portraying the MCU’s Doctor Stephen Strange, who has “become the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”This could have provided the first tease toward the identity of the MCU’s own Anchor Being: Doctor Strange.

Benedict has turned this character into an icon, appearing in a historic three of the top six films of all time. It’s been quite a journey. I remember our very first meeting was set up as a general, and we wanted to pitch him this great character, and before we could, he said, ‘So tell me about Doctor Strange,’ because you knew. Because somewhere you knew what this could be, and you’ve always seen the tremendous potential in this character. Because of that, you’ve become the anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the only actor capable of guiding us through the madness of the multiverse .

Doctor Strange’s Crucial Multiverse Saga Role Supports Him Being The MCU’s Anchor Being

Earth-616's Doctor Strange meeting the Illuminati in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

The idea of Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange being Earth-616’s Anchor Being actually makes complete sense, especially given his more central role in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. Doctor Strange was essential to defeating Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, and was one of the first MCU heroes to learn of the multiverse and travel across realities in Phase 4. He has joined other MCU heroes in saving the multiverse on at least two occasions, first from Spider-Man’s villains and later from the Scarlet Witch, so he deserves to be given this significant title.

Of course, Doctor Strange and his variants across the multiverse have also caused incursion events that could ravage the cosmos in Phase 6’s upcoming Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Earth-616’s Anchor Being must be someone still alive, as the universe is currently safe and sound, so Doctor Strange would be an excellent and powerful candidate. This would have been an unusual word choice for Kevin Feige had he not been teasing Benedict Cumberbatch’s future as the most important hero in the MCU’s history.