With a show as jam-packed with Easter Egg references from both the established Marvel Cinematic Universe and its as-of-yet untouched properties from Marvel’s sprawling comics, Disney Plus’ What If…? tease to one of the Fantastic Four’s most iconic villain may have gone right over the heads of some viewers.
As Heroic Hollywood was quick to point out, the latest episode of the show that explores hypothetical alternative universes within the MCU made a far subtler reference than other Easter Eggs in the episode or prior installments. The plot of this week’s release, “What If…Ultron Won?,” features a villainous and powerful foe, Ultron, remaining unseparated from his powerful but good-natured alter-ego, Vision. This time around, Ultron boasts an armor suit bedazzled with the universe’s most powerful jewelry, the Infinity Stones.
In one scene in which Ultron is about to eat an entire galaxy, comparisons were made to the planet-eating Fantastic Four fo, Galactus, who is famous for taking on the very pose many times in the comics:
Though the being with a trapezoidal-shaped headdress does not make an official appearance, the visual homonym has us believing the nod is an intentional one. After all, Fantastic Four is slated to become established in the MCU, with a Marvel Studio film currently in early development. So it’s only natural to assume Disney would want to tease some semblance of the comics lore that will soon be enveloped into the interconnected Marvel film and TV franchise, much like a planet-eating giant itself
You can catch episode eight of Marvel’s What If…? on Disney Plus now.