MCU Theory: Do The Working Titles Of Marvel's Next Avengers Films Mean Anything?

Working titles are commonplace in Hollywood. Sometimes they exist as a placeholder until the team comes up with an actual title. In other instances, with larger-scale productions, they're meant to hide the true nature of a project. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has used them often, and while they're usually meant to be nothing but fun, sometimes they hint at plot points. For example, "Captain America: The First Avenger" had the working title "Frostbite," a play on Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) getting trapped in ice at the film's end. With that in mind, it's only natural to speculate what the working titles for "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" and "Avengers: Secret Wars" could be.

The Cosmic Circus reported how the two films would have the working titles "Apple Pie 1" and "Apple Pie 2," respectively. At first glance, this appears to merely suggest the two films will be connected in some way, much like how "Infinity War" and "Endgame" were two parts of the same story, and those movies had the working titles "Mary Lou" and "Mary Lou 2."

The use of "Apple Pie" in the titles feels like it might mean nothing (and it very well could). Such vague titles also come in handy because productions often put up signs in the surrounding area they're filming. If a sign with an arrow read "Avengers," there would be a lot of lookie-loos who would try to take pictures. An average person isn't going to have the inside knowledge of what "Apple Pie 1" really means, so they'll just drive by. But in the interest of overthinking everything, we have some thoughts on what "Apple Pie" could refer to. 

The Cosmic Circus offers one theory on what "Apple Pie" could mean. Carl Sagan had a famous quote: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." It basically means that to do anything, you first need the building blocks of matter and life to be present. As it relates to Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), who will be a prominent force going forward in the MCU, it could mean he himself will attempt to destroy the multiverse and create a new perfect universe in its place where he rules over all. There's a chance more details regarding Kang's endgame will be revealed in "Loki" Season 2, so fans will have to tune in to see what happens. 

It may even be a larger stretch, but the "Pie" reference could also indicate the introduction of Captain Universe and the Enigma Force into the MCU. The Enigma Force has been around since the creation of the universe as a response to the dark god Knull. It has bonded to numerous hosts over the years, forming Captain Universe, essentially a living embodiment of the universe itself. These manifestations played a pivotal role in the lead-up to the 2015 "Secret Wars" comic book series, and there's even a panel where Captain Universe says, "When I was a girl, my mother always made me pie. Is there any pie?"

The "Apple Pie" titles could suggest Captain Universe will enter the picture with "The Kang Dynasty" and "Secret Wars," despite dealing with lofty concepts like the Enigma Force. However, the MCU has already planted seeds for the inclusion of Knull. "Thor: Love and Thunder" included the Necrosword, which is typically Knull's weapon. Knull is also the creator of the symbiotes, with Venom already entering the MCU thanks to the events of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

Take all of this with a grain of salt, but with the multiverse at stake, Marvel may pull out the big guns for the next "Avengers" movies.