THE INTERWEBS–Bad news came today for fans of the Iron Man and Captain America franchises. According to a number of very vocal Marvel fans in a Facebook group, these two heroes along with their stories and movies are no longer canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“We haven’t seen Tony or Steve in any Marvel movie or show since 2019,” said online fan Cameron Spangler. “If they were still canon, then wouldn’t Marvel and DisneyPlus still acknowledge them?”

“Kevin Feige hasn’t specifically said that they are canon,” agreed Dominic Holland. “So that really calls their status into question.”

“Some people might even argue that the Iron Man and Captain America movies share continuity with the rest of the MCU–like when they all cross over in the Avengers movies,” said Davis Martin. “But, for all we know, the Iron Man and Cap in their own movies are just variants from universes that are very similar to the one we know. With as many different versions as there are in the multiverse, can we really be certain that we’re dealing with the exact same characters here?”

“It’s just like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Defenders shows,” Martin continued. “Just because they share continuity and characters, and the creators intentionally reference the events of the movies, doesn’t mean they’re all meant to be set in the same universe!”

“I know Eternals mentioned Cap and Stark just a few years ago,” Holland added. “But Eternals probably isn’t canon either. I mean, can we talk about how there’s supposed to be a giant Celestial sticking out of the Earth, but nobody has noticed or said anything? That must mean it’s in a different universe.”

While many fans are relieved to hear that they no longer have to include Iron Man 2 or Iron Man 3 in their MCU marathons, some are less convinced. “The appeal of the MCU has always been that it’s a shared, interconnected universe,” said Harry Samuels. “But I guess that’s hard for a lot of fans to grasp.”

“We honestly thought the movies were part of the MCU too,” said Joe and Anthony Russo, directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. “And you’d think, as the directors who have worked closely with Marvel Studios, we’d get a say. But if fans on the internet are saying differently–well, I guess they’d know, right?”

At publishing time, Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer Kevin Feige had declared that the MCU doesn’t actually exist. All movies and shows previously thought to take place within this shared universe are actually part of separate (albeit similar) continuities. “Everyone is saying the MCU is dead anyway. Guess it’s about time that we called it for real.”