Cloverfield Timeline Explained

September 5, 2022 ComicBookWire

The Cloverfield movies (Watching Order) are purposefully mysterious. Every film in the Cloververse is connected to every other film in the Cloververse. However, these connections can be hard to notice and are often enigmatic. Because of this, it can be hard to understand how the timeline of the Cloververse works.

Luckily, there are hints and connections that clear up some of this confusion. By understanding these pieces of information, it is possible to understand how the timeline of the Cloverfield films is possible. Read on to find out for yourself!

The first Cloverfield movie started the mystery

Note: This explanation contains spoilers for each film.

The Connection Between the Films

There is one big connection that runs through each of the Cloververse movies. In each film, something happens that triggers an invasion by evil forces. In Cloverfield a monster is awoken by drilling in the ocean, in 10 Cloverfield Lane an alien invasion is taking place, and in The Cloverfield Paradox a monster is seen rampaging on Earth.

There are also smaller connections inside and outside of the films that tie together these invasions. One of these is the Tagruato company, which is implied to be involved with each of the invasions. In addition, certain characters and products have a connection between the films.

The Cloverfield Multiverse Explained

Despite the connections between each Cloververse film, it is also clear that each one exists on its own. Conflicting plotlines and small pieces of evidence indicate that the movies do not take place in a single timeline. For example, Cloverfield has a monster appear on Earth in 2008 but 10 Cloverfield Lane implies that there were no monsters on Earth prior to 2016.

This indicates that each of the Cloverfield movies takes place in a separate universe or timeline. However, there is still something connecting each of these timelines together.

The Particle Accelerator Incident

The events of The Cloverfield Paradox cause an incident that goes on to impact every movie in the series.

All of this is explained by the particle accelerator incident. In The Cloverfield Paradox, the plot revolves around a particle accelerator being activated in the year 2028. Some worry that activating the particle accelerator will destabilize the structure of reality and open Earth to invasion from other universes. This is referred to as the “Cloverfield Paradox”.

After being activated, the particle accelerator does exactly what was feared. It immediately opens a door to another reality. Then, later on in the movie, it is revealed a monster is attacking Earth, a monster that looks just like the monster from Cloverfield.

This explains that the impact of the Cloverfield Paradox isn’t just felt in the reality of The Cloverfield Paradox movie. Instead, the impact of the particle accelerator has sent waves of disruption through both space and time. These disruptions are why the events of Cloverfield and 10 Cloverfield Lane happen.