The MCU Just Supported Every Phase 4 Multiverse Theory & Rumor

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If...? episode 8.

With the introduction of the Multiverse, there are more Marvel Cinematic Universe fan theories floating around than ever, and Marvel's What If...? just supported every single one. What If...? episode 8 put Avengers: Age of Ultron to shame, showing the true power of the MCU villain. In the episode, Ultron (voiced by Ross Marquand) successfully destroys life on Earth before focusing on the Multiverse. He fights the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) through various worlds and repeatedly pulverizes the god-like narrator of What If...? time and time again. Finally, in total desperation, the Watcher turns to the evil version of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), hoping they can defeat Ultron together.

Marvel's Disney+ series Loki unleashed the Multiverse on the MCU. In the season 1 finale, Lady Loki (Sophia Di Martino) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) discover that He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a Kang the Conqueror variant, is in charge of the Sacred Timeline. Though He Who Remains warns the Loki variants that the Sacred Timeline keeps the dangers of the Multiverse in check, Lady Loki doesn't care. Instead, she kills Jonathan Majors' character, and the Marvel timelines run wild. Marvel's What If...?, which shows how minor tweaks can completely change the MCU, is a direct result of the episode, revealing that there are now an infinite number of possibilities.

In What If...? episode 8, Marvel threw support behind every theory fans can conjure. In the episode, Ultron conquers his own universe and then reaches a new level of consciousness, eventually discovering the Watcher. "I don't understand," the Watcher says after Ultron finds him, adding, "This should not be possible." Though the Watcher briefly holds off Ultron, he can't stop the evil AI. "Oh, but anything is possible in a Multiverse," Ultron says. And with that one line, Marvel gives the nod to every wild fan theory or Phase 4 superhero rumor out there.

No matter what the idea is, it's now possible in the MCU. Marvel fans are known for coming up with wild theories, and thus far, several major theories are floating around for Phase 4. For example, some fans think Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) could return from his Avengers: Endgame death, there's constant speculation about the X-Men showing up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and each day brings new rumors about Tobey Maguire returning to his Spider-Man role in Spider-Man: No Way Home. And thanks to What If...?, it's all valid. As unrealistic as some ideas once seemed, Ultron's line confirms that "anything is possible in a Multiverse."

The Multiverse brings problems as well. Though various fan theories and rumors are now possible thanks to Marvel's What If...?, the Multiverse is dangerous in the wrong hands. Infinite possibilities also mean unlimited free passes for Marvel. Now, if fans don't like a casting choice or plot development, Marvel can change it at a later date. The studio has unlimited tries to explain away plot holes or retcon failed stories whenever it wants. No explanation is necessary. After all, "anything is possible" now. Unfortunately, that goes for bad choices, too.

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Marvel's What If...? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.