Why are Marvel's universes referred to as "Earth"-####?

Whenever we talk about different realities/universes in the Marvel multiverse, they are always referred to by a designation of "Earth" followed by some number. The standard Marvel comics universe is Earth-616. The Marvel ultimate universe is Earth-1610. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is Earth-199999. But all of these "Earths" involve planets other than Earth, and species other than humans. We have the "gods" of Asgard, we have the Kree, Thanos, Skrulls, Chitauri, etc. So why does Marvel refer to "Earth-616", rather than "Universe-616"?

I'm asking about the real-world reason, here. For example, did the first alternate-universe storyline in Marvel history take place before any alien planets or species were introduced into Marvel's comics? That would make sense, but I doubt it's true, so what's the real reason?

Answer

The numbering first occured in-story in 1983 in the Captain Britain franchise. No definite reason was ever given for the term, but the numbering caught on as a way to differentiate the many Marvel continuities. Sometimes the "earth" numbering is a real-world formality and the universe in question is better known under other names such as "ultraverse" to signify the continuity of an "ultraverse" franchise that Marvel bought.

Comments

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