Secret Invasion’s Undertaker Reference Officially Confirms WWE Exists in the MCU

World Wrestling Entertainment has a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as confirmed in a new episode of the Disney+ series Secret Invasion. Ever since the MCU was established with the original Iron Man movie in 2008, the existence of WWE in that world has been unclear, as there hadn’t been any direct references to the pro wrestling organization. However, it turns out that War Machine, a character played by Terence Howard in that film before Don Cheadle took over the role in Iron Man 2, has been a big pro wrestling fan all along.

In the fourth episode of Secret Invasion, there’s a scene with Cheadle as James Rhodes speaking with Priscilla (Charlayne Woodard) about Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Rhodes then describes the way he fired Fury as a WWE maneuver pulled off by The Undertaker. Mentioning Taker by name officially confirms that WWE exists in the MCU, and as in reality, The Undertaker is one of the company’s most well-known performers.

“President Ritson doesn’t find out that the sun’s come up unless I brief him,” Rhodes says. “I fired Fury, okay? No, I’m sorry, correction: I DDT’d that dude from the top rope. Yeah, it was like Undertaker level. Really impressive.”

Wrestling fans were entertained to see The Phenom referenced in Secret Invasion, though many were also quick to point out how the comment wasn’t quite accurate. The Undertaker would sometimes go to the top rope to perform his Old School maneuver, but he’s never performed a DDT from there. It should also be noted that the DDT is a move more closely associated with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, who used it as his finishing maneuver.

Related: Venom 3’s Working Title Sets Up One of Marvel’s Most Underrated Team of Villains

WWE Merges With the MCU

One also has to wonder if Dave Bautista also exists in the MCU. After rising to fame in WWE using the ring name Batista, Bautista joined the MCU with his role as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Given that the Batista character once wrestled The Undertaker at WrestleMania, there’s a chance that Bautista is also a part of that world. Of course, that may also lead to wondering why nobody had ever pointed out the physical similarities between Drax the Destroyer and WWE Superstar Batista.

WWE has been crossing over into the MCU in other ways. One of the pro wrestling federation’s biggest stars, Seth Rollins, has been confirmed for a role in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World. Oddly enough, that film was originally intended to be titled Captain America: New World Order. There are rumors that Rollins is playing King Cobra in the film, though his role hasn’t been announced. The wrestler has been spotted on the set filming the movie.

You can stream Secret Invasion on Disney+. Meanwhile, you can see Rollins on the big screen in the MCU when Captain America: Brave New World is released in movie theaters on July 26, 2024.