WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Spider-Man: Far From Home, opening Tuesday nationwide.
In Avenger: Infinity War, Thanos succeeded in his misguided plan to bring balance to in the universe by wiping out half of all life, only for the missing to return (at great cost) in Avengers: Endgame. Widely called "the Snap" by fans, the event was given another, albeit non-canonical, name in a tie-in novel.
But in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the first film released following Endgame, we learn how the character of the Marvel Cinematic Universe refer to the Snap.
The Snap Heard 'Round The Universe
After acquiring all six Infinity Stones in Infinity War, Thanos used the Infinity Gauntlet to alter reality, and eliminate half of all life in the universe. That included numerous heroes, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and many of his classmates at the Midtown School of Science and Technology.
An official novel tie-in for Infinity War labeled the event as the "Decimation," which many thought was the official term, at least until it wasn't. The “Snappening" was likewise popular among some fans. However, Far From Home reveals the new in-universe name, including the moment in Endgame when everyone who disappeared was restored.
The Blip
For the inhabitants MCU, it's informally known as “The Blip." People were “blipped” out of existence and then back into reality, some five years later. Although it’s good that everyone was restored, life has shifted for those brought back. Many people were even displaced in the intervening period, with new families taking up residence in the former homes of the blipped.
That's the case for May and Peter (Marisa Tomei ), who were both among the ones who disappeared. May reveals she reappeared in her apartment, only to discover a new family living there. She invests a great deal of time helping a charity dedicated to relocating people who lost their old place in the world.
The Blip is a considerably less depressing term than the other descriptors, and reflects the impermanence of the occurrence. Although five years passed in the outside world, the experience was fleeting for those snapped out of existence and then returned. But to those left behind, it was devastating. The world was trying to process the events during the early parts of Endgame, which may explain why the novel referred to the occurrence as the Decimation. The Blip, on the other hand, is far less grim.
Opening Tuesday nationwide, director Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: Far From Home stars Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon and Martin Starr, with Marisa Tomei and Jake Gyllenhaal.