One Marvel Story Could Ruin the MCU

After “Deadpool & Wolverine” made a significant impact at the box office, it’s logical for Marvel to consider more mature stories that align with the R-rated success. They are already making moves with “Daredevil: Born Again” and efforts to bring “Blade” into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, one grim chapter we should hope never to see on-screen is from Warren Ellis’ comic book story, “Ruins.” Among the expansive worlds in the MCU Multiverse, this one is particularly bleak and should remain unadapted.

To understand why, let’s revisit Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ 1993 story, “Marvels,” where news photographer Phil Sheldon observes the heroics and villainy around him. In “Ruins,” Sheldon exists in an alternate universe where everything fails disastrously. Iconic Marvel characters either meet horrifying ends or, worse, survive their origin stories only to endure fates worse than death. Thankfully, Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) never encounters this world in “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

“Ruins” reveals a world where Wolverine suffers from metal poisoning due to the adamantium not taking, with his skin falling off. The X-Men are worse off; Jean Grey is forced into prostitution, and other mutants are mutilated in a Wilson Fisk-managed camp. Cyclops has his eyes burned out, Quicksilver’s legs are amputated, and Kitty Pryde gets stuck halfway through a door, losing her intestines.

Their leader, President Charles Xavier, is the one who orders these brutalities. Other characters face equally grim fates independently. Bruce Banner transforms into a grotesque heap of tumors instead of the Hulk. At a carnival, Phil Sheldon witnesses Johnny Blaze, known in other universes as Ghost Rider, setting his skull on fire in his final act. Altogether, “Ruins” creates a nightmarish world not even Wade Wilson could find funny. It’s a tale to be avoided by all Marvel enthusiasts.