Introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the High Evolutionary is one of Marvel's most nefarious villains. A twisted scientist with ambitions to transform the entire universe in his image, he's been a constant enemy of the Avengers for years and has come to blows with plenty of other heroes and villains. His schemes in "The Evolutionary War" crossover almost radically altered the Marvel Universe, and highlights just how dangerous he really is.
What If...? #1 (by Roy Thomas, Ron Wilson, Mike Gustovich, Mike Heisler, and Tom Vincent) revealed a world where the High Evolutionary was able to achieve his ultimate victory and enact his own form of forced evolution. This led to the "ascension" of this new life form at the cost of the rest of the universe. The story showcases how his work can alter entire races and transform heroes into cold monsters, rendering things like emotion moot. The High Evolutionary winning would have wiped out the entire Marvel Universe in a way few other villains could match.
The Price of the High Evolutionary's Victory
Earth-89721 deviated from the core-Marvel Universe during the events of "The Evolutionary War" storyline. A hastily assembled roster of Avengers attempted to prevent the High Evolutionary's Gene-Bomb from going off. On Earth-616, the Avengers were able to stop the activation of the bomb. But on Earth-89721, the heroic Hercules fell prematurely, allowing the High Evolutionary's bomb to be set off. The immediate aftermath was surprisingly peaceful, as the evolved humans made peace with mutants. But this collection of enhanced mutants and super-humans, known as the "Godlike Ones," decide to explore the universe.
Absorbing the Inhumans and the Uni-Mind into their number, the Godlike Ones steadily destroyed alien empires and absorbed entities like Death and Eternity. While the remnants of humanity fused into the Earth itself, the Godlike Ones tore a hole through dimensions and become the big bang for another universe. In the end, all life in the Earth-89721 timeline was destroyed, except for the Earth and its final inhabitant - the High Evolutionary. Trapped in a reality now bereft of space or time, he could do nothing but wait for the universal cycle to begin anew. It's a truly harrowing timeline, where almost all forms of life were eliminated once a single one reached "perfection." It's also a tragic - and deadly - reminder of how dangerous the High Evolutionary can really be.
A High Evolutionary Victory is Terrifying
The High Evolutionary is one of Marvel's more twisted antagonists, with a cold and clinical perspective on existence that allows him to use sentiment beings as experiments and wipe out any lifeforms with a simple twist to his judgment. As MCU fans discovered with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, that external coldness is coupled with a truly horrifying sense of self-assured self-confidence. What If...? highlights his pride in the face of overwhelming destruction. His victory, though technically creating peace, led to a timeline bereft of growth -- ironically preventing any further evolution to take place. The heroes are lost to their new motivations, with the typically noble Wolverine absorbing entities into a single being for the greater good. The few that remain are left heartbroken, with an unaffected Thor sadly returning to Asgard while Vision quietly commits suicide.
In many ways, the High Evolutionary's ultimate victory is similar to the outcome of Sins of Sinister -- even including the ascension of a ruthless mutant race as the dominant and ultimately only real form of life in the universe. But even that grim timeline still had individual personalities and remnants of resistance, eventually resulting in the reversal of the timeline. Earth-89721 has no such luxury, with nothing left but the High Evolutionary to look upon the results of his work. What If...? #1 highlights stakes that are often at play whenever the villain gets involved in a storyline, and how crucial his defeat can be to the future of not just humanity, but all life.