Marvel Studios Boss Explains the Difference Between “The Blip” and “The Snap”

Ever since the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel Studios fans have referred to the event that wiped out half of all life on Earth — and across the galaxy — as “The Snap.” It makes sense, considering that Thanos literally snapped away half the population after accumulating all of the Infinity Stones. But it works more as a movie-going term, considering not everyone knows how it all went down.

The people on the streets of the various cities and towns across the planet, far removed from the Battle of Wakanda, would likely refer to it as something else especially after everyone returned in Avengers: Endgame. And so Spider-Man: Far From Home finally gives us a different term for this event, with the students of Midtown High referring to their disappearance and return as “The Blip.”

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige spoke with Fandango about the nomenclature, explaining how it all differentiates in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“It came pretty fast. We always referred to it as the Blip, and then the public started referring to it as the Snap,” explained Feige. “We think it’s funny when high school kids just call this horrific, universe-changing event the Blip. We’ve narrowed it down to, the Snap is when everybody disappeared at the end of Infinity War. The Blip is when everybody returned at the end of Endgame… and that is how we have narrowed in on the definitions.”

Not everyone actually knows what happened in Wakanda, even though Steve Rogers refers to Thanos by name when conducting his support group in Avengers: Endgame. So it stands to reason that not everyone knows about Thanos snapping his fingers, or that they would even refer to the disappearances of friends and family so colloquially.

But at least we now have defining terms for two of the most significant events to take place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hopefully we get more stories that explore the five-year time period between these “The Snap” and “The Blip” so we can learn more about how the world managed to move on and adapt to these horrible events.

Spider-Man: Far From Home is now playing in theaters.