Heads Up, Marvel! Conan the Barbarian Wants In on the MCU Thanks to an Easter Egg

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4!Conan the Barbarian is already widely regarded as a classic Marvel Comics character, having been featured in his own solo Marvel book since the ‘70s, and even teaming up with Marvel’s other most hardcore heroes in Savage Avengers. However, Conan is actually an original character created by legendary pulp writer Robert E. Howard, and was only leased by Marvel. That means Conan exists both within and outside of the Marvel Universe, but now, he wants back in – and this time, Conan has his sights set on the MCU.

In Titan Comics/Heroic Signatures’ Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4 by Jim Zub and Jonas Scharf, Conan and his band of warriors from across time and space come to the end of their quest, uncovering the secret of the dark shadow looming over their entire world. Warriors from different places in history have been pulled to a singular point in time to fight an immensely powerful being of cosmic horror before it consumes all life in the cosmos.

Conan and the other warriors locate the source of this entity’s grip on their world, battling hordes of demonic creatures before the heroes unleash a combined attack against the creatures, closing the breach through the Black Stone and saving all reality. Every warrior is then returned to their original time period, but that doesn’t mean the world is saved just yet. The soul of one of the warriors who was slain was allowed a glimpse at the beast that threatened his world, revealing that the creature Conan and the others were fighting was none other than Shuma Gorath.

Conan is Still Connected to the Marvel Universe Even in Other Continuities

Conan’s Recent Conflict with Shuma Gorath Teases His MCU Debut

It is important to note that Shuma Gorath, like Conan the Barbarian, is not an original Marvel Comics character, but another creation of Robert E. Howard that Marvel leased along with Conan back in the ‘70s. Therefore, Shuma Gorath’s inclusion in Battle of the Black Stone is not inherently a connection to Marvel Comics. That being said, it’s impossible to ignore that Shuma Gorath is a prominent Marvel Comics villain, and even recently made a cameo in the MCU.

While renamed Gargantos, Shuma Gorath made a cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as an otherworldly creature controlled by Scarlet Witch to kidnap America Chavez. Shuma Gorath’s MCU appearance is significant given its long history with Doctor Strange in Marvel Comics, as the Great Old One stands as one of Strange’s most terrifying villains to date. And now, that same pillar of cosmic horror has become Conan the Barbarian’s most recent villain, teasing their connection as well as Conan’s meta desire to officially enter the MCU.

In fact, Conan may have just taken this meta connection to another level. Perhaps the MCU’s Gargantos was merely an extension of Shuma Gorath the same way the ‘demons’ Conan was fighting were in Battle of Black Stone, making Shuma Gorath a villain both Conan and MCU’s Doctor Strange were fighting simultaneously – Battle of Black Stone does make it clear that Shuma Gorath operates beyond time and space. If that’s the case, and Shuma Gorath is, indeed, still at large in Conan the Barbarian, then it’s possible that Conan’s battle against the Old One could cross over into the MCU.

Conan Already Has Another Connection to the MCU Beyond Shuma Gorath

Savage Avengers #28 by Gerry Duggan and Patch Zircher

Shuma Gorath is a being that exists as a single entity across the multiverse, which is why its presence in both Battle of Black Stone and Multiverse of Madness establishes a connection (even if just a meta one) between Conan and the MCU. While that’s an interesting detail that hopefully teases Conan’s MCU debut – especially if Conan has to travel to the MCU to fight a branch of Shuma Gorath’s cosmic evil – that isn’t Conan’s only tie to the MCU.

In Savage Avengers #28, it’s revealed that Kang the Conqueror sees Conan the Barbarian as a true rival, and even engages in an epic battle with him at the end of the series. However, it’s clear that their conflict is ultimately one of mutual respect, meaning Conan has a solid connection to Marvel’s timestream through Kang the Conqueror. So, since Conan and Kang are so close in the comics, it’s possible that their relationship is the same in the MCU, leaving the door wide open for Kang to bring Conan to the present day during some future event (perhaps Doomsday?).

Bringing Conan the Barbarian into the MCU could be done in a comic-accurate way by having Kang the Conqueror pluck him from the past and bring him to the present. While that would be a great in-world explanation for how Conan could make his MCU debut, Conan’s latest (non-Marvel) comic series just offered another one, as the Shuma Gorath Easter Egg indicates that Conan the Barbarian wants in on the MCU – and the MCU should oblige.

Conan the Barbarian: Battle of the Black Stone #4 by Titan Comics/Heroic Signatures is available now.