Marvel Finally Debunks A Guardians Of The Galaxy Villain Theory 7 Years After It Popped Up

Warning! This article contains minor spoilers for What If…? season 2, episode 2, “What If Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?”

Ego proved to be a worthy foe for the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and the MCU’s What If…? season 2 has finally debunked a popular fan theory about the villain’s true origins. The MCU is certainly not shy about making significant changes to the backstories of its heroes and villains, and one notable tweak is the paternal lineage of Star-Lord, aka Peter Quill. Quill’s father in Marvel Comics isn’t Ego but is instead a man named J’Son, the king of the planet Spartax. That being said, making Star-Lord half-Celestial significantly upped his power level, even if only for a short time.

However, like Star-Lord, Ego also underwent significant changes to his MCU backstory. Most notably, he refers to himself as a Celestial in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 despite bearing almost no resemblance to other Celestials seen throughout the MCU. Given that Ego is shown to bend the truth quite often throughout his short MCU tenure, this raises questions about whether Ego’s designation as a Celestial is actually true or if it’s just something he refers to himself as to seem more powerful and intimidating. Now, Marvel has finally confirmed the answer.

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The Watcher Confirms That Ego Is A Celestial

One element fueling speculation that Ego may not really be a Celestial is that, up until recently, Ego himself was the only source for the claim. That being the case, it was easy to justify differences between him and the more properly defined Celestials as either an intentional lie or a mistake on his part. However, in What If season 2, episode 2, “What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” a credible source finally confirms Ego’s status as a legitimate Celestial in the MCU.

In the episode, The Watcher calls Ego a Celestial, marking the first time the label has come from someone who isn’t either Ego or basing their claim on Ego’s own words. Given that The Watcher is a multiversal being with near omniscience, he would certainly know what Ego really is and isn’t. While the confirmation doesn’t do much to explain the marked differences between Ego and Celestials like Tiamut and Arishem, it’s now hard to argue that Ego isn’t who he says he is.

Why Ego Is So Different From Other Celestials

Though an official explanation hasn’t been given, it’s reasonable enough to posit answers as to why Ego looks so different from other established Celestials in the MCU. The simplest answer is that the full origin and history of the MCU Celestials have been left relatively vague, so it’s very possible that there’s a wide variety of visual designs and forms of life that fall under the wider Celestial umbrella. Given that Celestials are born inside planets and eventually break their way out, a more outlandish but possible explanation is that Ego is a partially developed Celestial who bonded with his planet and never reached his full physical form.

Regardless, it’s unlikely that the history of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2‘s Ego will be expanded on much more so long after his death, but at least What If…? has clarified a big part of his backstory. Other Celestials, however, are almost guaranteed to appear in the MCU again. Eternals ended with a promise of Arishem’s return, so Marvel’s godlike cosmic beings likely still have an important role to play.