How does long-distance space travel work in the MCU?

Question

In Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, we see long-distance space travel. It involves piloting your ship into some sort of "jump point" that opens up in space, taking the shape of a honeycomb-like structure with a single hex missing.

The way it's describe, these points are fixed in space: early in the movie, the Guardians have to out-run an enemy fleet to reach the one they need; later on, we see them fly through a very long series of them in sequence. It's also made clear that doing too many of these "jumps" in a row has consequences for the passengers.

The process seems to be similar to, say, the Mass Effect relay setup, mixed with a bit of Star Wars hyperspace travel.

Is this the first time we have seen long-distance space travel in the MCU? Is there anything from the source material that explains how this works from a logistical standpoint? If there's any information on the "science" behind it, that would also be helpful.

Answer 1

I'm not so sure about this but the space travel shown in the movie resembles the Stargates created in the Shi'ar Galaxy in the Marvel Comics. These are a network of devices that stabilize wormholes making intergalactic travel possible. In the comics, Xandar has this technology because of their alliance with the Shi'ar.

Answer 2

Long-distance space travel in the MCU is achieved by using “jump points”, which are wormholes that link different planetary systems by stretching and reconfiguring space.

We learn more about the nature of jump points in The Marvels (2023 film), where Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) and Monica Rambeau face anomalies involving jump points. Monica explains that jump points are part of the “Universal Neural Teleportation Network”, a system of wormholes that allows interstellar travel. Carol Danvers reveals that the Quantum Bands, a pair of powerful ancient artifacts, were used to create all the jump points in the universe, according to Kree legends.

Here are relevant excerpts from the film’s dialogue (emphasis added):

Monica Rambeau: The Universal Neural Teleportation Network is a system of wormholes through the space-time continuum aka, jump points which allows us to hop between different planetary systems.

Basically, it stretches and reconfigures space without rupturing the continuum.

Carol Danvers: If the Kree legends are true the Quantum Bands were used to create every jump point in the universe.

Monica Rambeau: Teleportation network. Two Quantum Bands working in unison to connect the galaxy.