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Here's Why Marvel Fans Think What If...? Just Acknowledged The Star Wars Universe

2021 really has been the year in which the Marvel Cinematic Universe embraced the multiverse, thanks to "Loki" and "What If...?"

Of course, given how well the concept of alternate realities filled with bizarre versions of various heroes and villains works in the comics, it's only ever been a matter of time before Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios started exploring it on the big (and small) screen. For its part, "Loki" introduced alternate versions of the Asgardian trickster from different timelines, while "What If...?" has taken fans through the multiverse and into universes where certain events from previous Marvel films played out very differently than they did in the MCU's prime reality. 

The animated series is narrated by The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), who vows at the start of it that he won't intervene with anything that happens throughout the various different realities he's observing. However, with the most recent episode of "What If...?" following a powerful, alternate universe version of Ultron that becomes aware of the multiverse, it has become apparent that the Watcher will be forced to actually do something in the "What If..." Season 1 finale.

The episode saw the malevolent AI take the fight directly to The Watcher in a space between universes, which in turn, led to the two of them crashing through numerous different realities. It's an incredible, reality-shattering moment, one that finally proves "What If...?" is more than just filler material until the next live-action MCU series arrives. Some Marvel fans even think that the scene very briefly acknowledges the "Star Wars" universe.

A (very) brief trip to Mustafar?

During the exhilarating moment in "What If...?" Episode 8 when The Watcher and Ultron are hurtling through the multiverse, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where the pair crash through a fiery planet that is overflowing with lava and populated by bizarre, futuristic buildings. To put it simply: it looks exactly like Mustafar, the planet where Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) famously have their dramatic battle in "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith."

One of the buildings in the far distance is even reminiscent of Darth Vader's castle, last seen in 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." Considering that Disney owns both Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm, it's not impossible to think that may actually be Mustafar in "What If...?" Episode 8.

In fact, "What If...?" showrunner A.C. Bradley apparently campaigned for the series to feature a "Star Wars" crossover. "I was kinda notorious for trying to get a 'Star Wars' character involved. We did try at one point but it's kind of like 'Play with the sandbox you were given. We gave you the entire MCU. Run with that,'" Bradley told Collider earlier this year. Despite Marvel's insistence on keeping the two properties separate, Bradley went on to say that she refused to give up on the prospect, saying, "I was like 'Okay. But still, Luke Skywalker would be an amazing Avenger.'"

While it remains unconfirmed whether or not that is, indeed, Mustafar in "What If...?" Episode 8, it's clear that the possibility of bridging the Marvel and "Star Wars" cinematic universes was very much on the minds of the show's creative team. For all we know, they might have done just that, too. After all, that certainly does look a whole lot like Mustafar.