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The zombies episode of What If…? introduces a scary new reality for the MCU, but their presence may also usher in another huge Marvel event.
What If…? helped open the doors to some exciting and terrifying possibilities for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also broke the mold with the addition of zombies in one of the episodes. Because of the hugely positive reception to the episode and its characters, there’s even the possibility that they could return for their own movie. However, if the history of the comics has proven anything, it’s that this could be the tip of the iceberg to something even more massive.
In the past of the MCU, there has been a sense of escalation in dangers. For example, in The Avengers, the threat was an alien invasion threatening all of New York City. By Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, that threat grew to a being eliminating half of all life in the universe. While that seems like something that can’t be topped, one story by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić, titled Secret Wars, has all of the makings of the next big event. Secret Wars twists the idea of the original 12-issue event and is born from an event that converges the Ultimate comic universe and the 616 universe. To save reality, Doctor Doom uses the powers of the Beyonder to reformat reality into Battleworld, a realm made in his image that is protected by a huge wall called the Shield.
Some of the survivors of this event lead a resistance and must face the struggles and terrors that await them in these new realms. One of these areas lies just beyond the Shield known as the Deadlands. This area is filled almost completely with the undead corpses of various Marvel villains from Earth-13264. The wall before them is the only thing that separates their terror from the rest of Battleworld. However, this doesn’t stop other characters from having to venture within it out of exploration or exile.
Since a universe with zombies has already been introduced along with countless other realities, it could be possible that the virus could be found in more than one reality, allowing for a similar massive army like what is outside of the Shield. Also, with the multiverse, endless realities emerging on a massive scale, the MCU leaves itself vulnerable to a similar convergence-like event. There are also rumors that Secret Wars could be entering the MCU at some point in the future. Should a character like Kang the Conqueror gain too much power and try to manipulate the timeline, he could kickstart a convergence event and begin Secret Wars.
While all of this is plausible, there’s still the main factor that hasn’t been introduced in the universe: Doctor Doom. While his presence is legendary in the comics, his introduction in the MCU hasn’t come yet, but may arrive with a Fantastic Four film. Should this be where he appears, it would only be a matter of time for him to gain more skill in magic thanks to the exploits of various MCU magic users. At which point he could have the skill to channel the power of the Beyonders and give birth to Battleworld.
What If…? has shown the endless possibilities in the multiverse and how one action can ripple into a major event. While Secret Wars would exist in the main timeline, there’s no rule saying this same cascade effect can’t occur in that timeline as well. So, for now, fans can get excited for a possible future with more zombies, but this may be the beginning of something far more eye-opening.
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