‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Snap Will Mostly Not Affect Marvel TV Shows

It sounds like the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to be a little less connected, following the cataclysmic events of Avengers: Infinity War.

Jeph Loeb, the Executive Vice President of Marvel Television, was recently asked if we would see the effects of Infinity War – namely, Thanos snapping half of the universe out of existence – within the MCU’s various television shows. As Loeb revealed, that “mostly” would not be the case.

“For the most part our stories will take place BEFORE Thanos clicked his fingers.” Loeb writes in a Reddit comment. “A lot of that has to do with production and when we are telling our stories vs. when the movies come out. So hang in there. I remember in the comics, one of my favorite stories was the KREE-SKRULL war… which was universal, but in X-Men, no mention. Huh. And it all worked out in the end!”

Almost immediately after Infinity War was released, fans wondered exactly if and how the overall MCU would respond to what has been deemed “The Snap”. And while Loeb’s answer will probably be a little surprising, the reasoning behind it both does and doesn’t make sense.

Considering the fierce amount of secrecy surrounding Infinity War before its release, it’s pretty easy to see how the nature of The Snap was kept secret from those working on the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s various shows. In the immediate aftermath of Infinity War, Marvel TV has been able to skirt around this nicely, with Agents of SHIELD only tangentially referencing Thanos and his escapades.

But with Cloak & Dagger and a new season of Luke Cage both set to debut this month, and series of Daredevil, Iron Fist, and The Punisher all in various stages of production, the question of Infinity War‘s effects only seems more glaring. Sure, it makes sense to conveniently set the next year of shows before the events of Infinity War, so that each show doesn’t have to deal with half of its ensemble fading into dust. But as some fans are sure to argue, that feels like a bit of an easy (and slightly disappointing) out, one that sort of does away with the “It’s All Connected” quality that has made fans tune into Marvel Studios content year-round.

But then again, there’s a chance that this timeline could make sense, depending on exactly how things get resolved within next year’s Avengers 4. And who knows? Whichever Marvel show is outside of the “most part” could provide some pretty major clues in the meantime.

What do you think of the way Marvel television is handling the events of Avengers: Infinity War? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now. Avengers 4 will land in theaters on May 3, 2019.