WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Thor #5 by Donny Cates, Nic Klein, Matt Wilson, and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.
After building Thor's latest threat up for months, Donny Cates and Nic Klein's Thor #5 finally introduces the Black Winter in full. While Thor's mission with Galactus has proven why the universe-destroying Black Winter is such a formidable threat, it's also revealed a surprising connection to Galactus that could bring both cosmic powers into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
So far, Marvel Studios has taken inspiration from old and new Marvel Comics stories alike, and its shown a keep a keen eye on each release for potential film inspiration. With long-running speculation that Galactus will appear in Phase 4, this new revelation sets up an easy origin for the MCU's inclusion of the Black Winter, a primordial force with enough power to wipe out a universe, as well.
With Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, Marvel characters whose cinematic rights were tied up with Fox, like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and the villains associated with those characters, are clear to enter the MCU. Considering his prominence in the world of the Fantastic Four and the Marvel Universe as a whole, it wouldn't be surprising if Galactus joined them. If the Fantastic Four paves the way for Galactus as the next major threat in the MCU; the new reveal that Galactus is a Herald himself could also lead to the heroes facing the destruction of their entire universe with the Black Winter looming over Phase 5.
While the existence of Fox's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer may seem like enough reason for Marvel to stay away from bringing Galactus into the fold right away, Galactus is still one of the better-known villains in the Marvel Universe. The idea that even he could be subservient to a greater force is both shocking and intriguing, especially since the precise nature of the Black Winter is still somewhat elusive.
While Phase 4 could very well see an Infinity Saga-esque build-up to Galactus, the villain's newfound status as a Herald to the Black Winter adds a natural progression to a story that seemingly can't get any bigger than the World-Eater. It's not difficult to imagine a scenario where a defeated Galactus approaches the heroes who just defeated him for help in dealing with the Black Winter.
Despite its thousands of characters, the Marvel Universe only really has a handful of villains who could reasonably be more imposing than Thanos. While Galactus himself is on a level far above Thanos, bringing him into the fold only for him to turn around and introduce a villain that essentially amounts to a cosmic entity is just the type of revelation the MCU needs to stay fresh. And in the same way that the Black Winter took the shape of several Thor villains in Thor #5, it could even make a way for other fan-favorite MCU villains to return.
Between characters like Doctor Doom, Kang, Annihilus and the X-Men's various foes, there's no shortage of villains who are waiting for their chance to shine in the MCU. However, none of those characters packs the awe-inspiring size and might of Galactus. While the World-Devourer is practically a universal force of the highest order, the Black Winter proves that there's always another level of cosmic being out there. Even if the MCU's Infinity Saga is over, Galactus and the Black Winter are just two of the many characters who can show that the Marvel Universe is much bigger than the Infinity Stones.