Marvel’s Disney+ series What If…? has so far left viewers amazed, and the latest episode keeps up with the trend. Last week, in episode 7 called “What If… Thor Was The Only Son?”, we saw a glimpse of the villainous Ultron in Vision’s body, adorning all six Infinity Stones, fans were left curious. To continue the fantastic turn of events, episode 8 called “What If…Ultron Won?” featured the synthezoid’s enhanced power after acquiring the stones and using them to their full potential.  

Although, a huge chunk of the half hour episode was occupied by Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton in their attempts at escaping Ultron as he conquered the world. But the entirety of the spectacle was stolen by the second half that featured Ultron gaining knowledge of The Watcher Uatu, and in his efforts of vanquishing The Watcher, the episode delighted the viewers with some fantastic segments of the two battling across the multiverse in different locations.  

However, amidst the tiny segments of the fight, there was a particular scene that caught our attention. While it is possibly the first and the most significant MCU reference of one of Marvel’s most dynamic villains, we have reasons to believe it is not the last. 

Fantastic Four’s Galactus Featured In Disney’s What If…?

While Marvel has been discreet about their future Fantastic Four debut, Disney’s spin-off series What If…? seems to have different plans. The latest episode of the show teased the Fantastic Four Galactus, and did so in an enticing fashion. Almost 23 minutes into the episode, AI powered Ultron is shown to have consumed the whole world, followed by the villain overwhelming an entire galaxy while also battling with The Watcher Uatu. 

This scene showing the villain absorbing worlds reminds us of the one villain famous for devouring worlds to sustain his hunger in the original comics.

Not only that, Ultron’s appearance in the episode shows some striking similarities to the Devourer’s flair. With glaring red eyes and a full coverage helmet, Ultron reminds us of Galactus’ initial form in fighting the Fantastic Four. 

Is MCU Signaling The Arrival Of Galactus Through Ultron?

Ultron’s impression in the episode bears an unmistakable similitude to the Devourer. However, it goes without saying that even in the past, Marvel has instituted many such references in their Disney+ shows, all of them being remarkable and apparent. And more often than not, these references have been limited to being just references. Be it Grim Reaper’s helmet in WandaVision or Throgg in Loki, Marvel shows have a thing for teasing their ever so attentive fans with such hidden messages. 

However, this time, Marvel has gone full out with referencing the Devourer. While the shot can be dismissed as a visual delight, close watchers may have noticed the story build up earlier than it even happened. When Ultron is seen to have noticed the presence of Uatu, The Watcher appears fearsome and poses a question, “what would happen should a hunger like this be unleashed upon the Multiverse?”. Mentioning the word hunger together with Muliverse is a distinguishable connection to Marvel’s iconic devourer of worlds, Galactus.    

The Fantastic Four is still in the process of setting up its blueprints in the MCU, and this seems like a first big step by Marvel at delivering the fans with the concept of the eater of worlds. By using an accustomed villain from the Avengers (Ultron), Marvel might be trying to inculcate the idea of a parallel between the two villains. By posing dangers to the universe when a cosmic hunger blinds a villain, the audiences will become aware of how menacing Galactus is going to be. 

The villain’s way of introduction to the MCU with Fantastic Four is yet unclear, but with Ultron’s full potential unlocked in What If…?, the colossal battle of saving the universe has only just begun. 

What If…? releases new episodes every Wednesday on Disney+. Stay tuned.