One MCU Icon Unveils a Shocking Alternate Future for a Classic Marvel Villain

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Marvel Comics' Scarlet Witch just gave one of her oldest enemies a glimpse at everything else he could have possibly become.

The Vision & Scarlet Witch #4 (by Steve Orlando, Jacopo Camagni, Ruth Redmond, and VC's Travis Lanham) picks up with its eponymous duo as they stare down the dreaded Grim Reaper from within his very own Graverealm. There, the Grim Reaper taunts the pair, poking at Vision's insecurities, drawing out the hero's rage in the hopes of causing a grave misstep. Fortunately, Wanda sees right through the villain's otherwise frightening facade, so much so that she is capable of conjuring specters from all the possible lives he could have lived, including more than one that took decidedly heroic turns.

The Vision & Scarlet Witch #4

Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art by JACOPO CAMAGNI
Colors by RUTH REDMOND
Letters by VC'S TRAVIS LANHAM
Design by STACIE ZUCKER
Main cover art by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN
Variant cover art by ERNANDA SOUZA

Introduced back in 1968's Avengers #52 by Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, the dreaded Grim Reaper was born Eric Williams, brother to the future Wonder Man, Simon Williams. Whereas their parents poured adoration and praise upon Simon, Eric was subjected to near-constant abuse. As an adult, Eric found a modicum of success with the Maggia before donning the mantle of the Grim Reaper and embarking upon various supervillainous endeavors. Despite wielding little to no power of his own at the outset of his career as the Grim Reaper, Eric's death and subsequent resurrection left him with a variety of necromantic powers.

Eric's brother Simon made his own comic book debut years prior in the pages of 1964's Avengers #9 by Stan Lee and Don Heck. After Eric turned down the chance to join the family business in the form of munitions manufacturer William Innovations, Simon leaped at the opportunity. Unfortunately, this led to a personal and professional downfall that started with prison, pivoted to a short-lived stint as a member of the Masters of Evil, and ultimately led to Simon being reborn as the superpowered Wonder Man after being exposed to dangerous ionic rays. Since then, Simon has enjoyed an illustrious if largely underrated career as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

Simon is currently slated to make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as portrayed by Yahya Abdul-Mateen in the upcoming Wonder Man series. The series, created by Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton and Hawkeye producer Andrew Guest, will follow Simon as he spends his days fighting crime as Wonder Man, at least when he isn't performing as an actor or Hollywood stuntman. Wonder Man will also mark the return of Ben Kingsley in a reprisal of his role as Trevor Slattery from 2013's Iron Man 3 and 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Fans can look forward to a variety of other Marvel Comics characters appearing in the series, including the Grim Reaper himself, as portrayed by Demetrius Grosse.

The Vision & Scarlet Witch #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.