WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Empyre: Fantastic Four #0 by Dan Slott, R.B. Silva, Sean Izaakse, Marte Gracia, Marcio Menyz and VC's Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
It isn't unheard of for characters outside of the Marvel Universe to make their way into the comics -- it's actually sort of a fun tradition. The most recent character to make a surprise foray into Earth-616 is infamous Powerpuff Girls villain Mojo Jojo, who's gone from trying to ruin the lives of three super-powered girls to... gambling?
Actually, that makes a fair amount of sense. After all, Mojo Jojo has to fund his exploits somehow, right? If he's even half as smart as he believes himself to be, then maybe stacking the cards in his favor wouldn't be all that difficult -- at least, in theory. Unfortunately, he probably didn't account for the Fantastic Four.
Mojo Jojo's cameo in Empyre: Fantastic Four #0 is admittedly a short one. After Franklin and Valeria Richards have wormed their way into a casino and taken to gambling in hopes of earning some much needed cash for the family, he can be seen in the background raising the stakes of a card game.
When he does, Valeria folds, which Mojo Jojo will surely brag about later.
The Marvel Universe often hosts guests from other publishers and companies, including DC heroes like Wonder Woman and hSuperman, who both appear in Thor: The Worthy #1. In Thor #2, by Donny Cates and Nic Klein, the Black Winter actually kills the Justice League and destroys the DC Universe -- at least, approximations of them.
Of course, the Marvel and DC Universes have collided multiple times -- but that doesn't mean Mojo Jojo will become a more regular Marvel cameo-maker anytime soon. Although it's unlikely that Mojo Jojo's cameo suggests a larger melding of the Marvel Universe and the world of the Powerpuff Girls, it's an interesting prospect. If the City of Townsville existed on Earth-616, Marvel heroes would have even more quirky, bizarre villains to fight.
Regardless, it's something fun for the fans to notice and it offers a bit of levity in a Marvel event that is undoubtedly going to turn very dark in short order. The thought of Mojo Jojo gambling away his money is certainly enough to put a smile on the face of any Powerpuff Girls fan.