Potential Secret Wars Spoiler: The Beyonder's Experiments = The Simulation Hypothesis (The Multiverse is a Simulation)?

[Habis]

I feel that the simulation hypothesis is an underlying theme in Hickman's work.

Here is a description of the simulation hypothesis as described by Wikipedia:

"The philosopher Nick Bostrom developed an expanded argument examining the probability of our reality being a simulacrum. His argument states that at least one of the following statements is true:

1. Human civilization is unlikely to reach a level of technological maturity capable of producing simulated realities, or such simulations are physically impossible to construct. This article essentially rules out this possibility... http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/01/artifi...olution-1.html

2. A comparable civilization reaching aforementioned technological status will likely not produce a significant number of simulated realities (one that might push the probable existence of digital entities beyond the probable number of "real" entities in a Universe) for any of a number of reasons, such as, diversion of computational processing power for other tasks, ethical considerations of holding entities captive in simulated realities, etc.

3. Any entities with our general set of experiences are almost certainly living in a simulation.

His argument rests on the premise that given sufficiently advanced technology, it is possible to represent the populated surface of the Earth without recourse to digital physics; that the qualia experienced by a simulated consciousness is comparable or equivalent to that of a naturally occurring human consciousness; and that one or more levels of simulation within simulations would be feasible given only a modest expenditure of computational resources in the real world.

If one assumes first that humans will not be destroyed or destroy themselves before developing such a technology, and, next, that human descendants will have no overriding legal restrictions or moral compunctions against simulating biospheres or their own historical biosphere, then it would be unreasonable to count ourselves among the small minority of genuine organisms who, sooner or later, will be vastly outnumbered by artificial simulations."

This sounds eerily similar to the story Hickman is telling. Reading all of Hickman's work at Marvel in order, the below statements are hinted at if not outright stated:

A. All of reality is a simulation (an experiment as Hickman described it) run by higher beings (beings represented by the Beyonders inside the simulated reality). The beyonders are just representations of the beings, like computer code, similar to the mapmaker code trying to trace back the source of the incursions. The higher beings that the beyonders represent are inaccessible to anyone inside the simulation. By the way, if it's not clear, I'm using the components that a computer needs to function purely as an analogy. It's the easiest way I could come up with to describe the role each piece plays in Hickman's story.

B. The higher beings (manifested inside the simulation as the beyonders) are ending the simulation and the molecule man is our perception of the code that will terminate the simulation. Entities like The Living Tribunal and the ex nihilo serve important core functions in the BIOS that oversee the simulation and seed it with life. Galactus serves a role analogous to a hard drive defragger. Thus, as powerful as they seem, they are merely a part of the simulation and no longer serve a function now that the simulation is ending.

C. Doom found out 25 years ahead of the termination date and the incursions are the byproduct of him trying to save the simulation. His actions effectively recruit multitudes of intelligent entities in the simulation towards the task of preventing the simulation from being terminated.

D. Battleworld is analogous to a computer's boot OS built by doom by salvaging parts of various realities. It is hidden inside the BIOS aka the white space of the "computer (just an analogy)" running the simulation. It's likely that The Living Tribunal existed in the BIOS since The Living Tribunal is a security protocol for the entire simulation/multiverse. This is why The Living Tribunal's code is being used as a life raft to transport a handful of survivors over to the BIOS.

E. Once the Beyonders finish shutting down the original simulation and effectively reformat the hard drive, this boot OS (battleworld) will serve as the interface that allows Franklin Richards to recreate the multiverse from inside the BIOS itself.

F. Franklin Richards, like the beyonders themselves, seems to be made up of the computer code that enables the beyonders, ex nihilo and the living tribunal to create "life" or alter reality throughout the multiverse. How and why is not yet explained.



What are your thoughts on this? Do you think Hickman is challenging our perception of reality itself using the comic book medium?

To understand how this plays into our world, these three articles are essential reading:

http://www.fnal.gov/pub/presspass/pr...-20140826.html

http://www.nature.com/news/simulatio...logram-1.14328

and most importantly,

http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/fermi-paradox.html

New development!

There is a new theory that says that our universe was born from a black hole in another, older universe. When a black hole sucks enough matter, it would provoke a Big Bang and give birth to a new universe (that doesn't mean that the parent universe ceases to exist, it just is unaccesible to us, being in another space-time continuum).

Now the fun part: Some scientist have combined that theory with the "holographic reflection" theory, which says that our universe is a "reflection" of a higher, "more real" universe.

The combined theory says that not only our universe originated from a black hole...We are still inside the black hole! They say that the higher, older universe is a four-dimensional space universe, as opposed to our three-dimensional space universe. Our whole universe would be within the event horizon of a black hole in that four-dimensional space universe, and our Big Bang would correspond to the collapse into black hole of a four-dimensional star in said universe.

[theilikepie]

New development!

There is a new theory that says that our universe was born from a black hole in another, older universe. When a black hole sucks enough matter, it would provoke a Big Bang and give birth to a new universe (that doesn't mean that the parent universe ceases to exist, it just is unaccesible to us, being in another space-time continuum).

Now the fun part: Some scientist have combined that theory with the "holographic reflection" theory, which says that our universe is a "reflection" of a higher, "more real" universe.

The combined theory says that not only our universe originated from a black hole...We are still inside the black hole! They say that the higher, older universe is a four-dimensional space universe, as opposed to our three-dimensional space universe. Our whole universe would be within the event horizon of a black hole in that four-dimensional space universe, and our Big Bang would correspond to the collapse into black hole of a four-dimensional star in said universe.

Wow, so can we somehow access this "old universe"?

[Habis]

Wow, so can we somehow access this "old universe"?

Nothing can escape the event horizon of a black hole.

[Wikoogle]

New development!

There is a new theory that says that our universe was born from a black hole in another, older universe. When a black hole sucks enough matter, it would provoke a Big Bang and give birth to a new universe (that doesn't mean that the parent universe ceases to exist, it just is unaccesible to us, being in another space-time continuum).

Now the fun part: Some scientist have combined that theory with the "holographic reflection" theory, which says that our universe is a "reflection" of a higher, "more real" universe.

The combined theory says that not only our universe originated from a black hole...We are still inside the black hole! They say that the higher, older universe is a four-dimensional space universe, as opposed to our three-dimensional space universe. Our whole universe would be within the event horizon of a black hole in that four-dimensional space universe, and our Big Bang would correspond to the collapse into black hole of a four-dimensional star in said universe.

Awesome. Thank you for making me aware of this.

[Wikoogle]

I can’t wait to see Hickmans FF, New Avengers and TRO story arc adapted to the MCU as the next grand phase.

I really hope they hint at this simulation theory as well when they do.

As I noted on page 3, Hickman ended the series exactly as I predicted in the OP and the only people that maybe aware of the fact that all of Marvel’s history was a simulation are the Maker (now dead) and Doom (he’s turned over a new leaf since having this insight).

Imagine in 2080, we have a simulation filled with superheros and we can peek in and watch what they’re up to anytime we want. Ratings dip so we try to delete the simulation and replace it with a Star Wars simulation but the simulated beings manage to hack into the bios of the very similuation we coded and salvage their world. Something like that would certainly get lots of news coverage, surge the ratings up again and make more people interested in tuning in, wouldn’t it?

We are the Beyonders, they are our avatars when we peek inside.

[The Cheat]

Thanks for bumping this, missed it the first time. Very interesting.

[CentralPower]

I can’t wait to see Hickmans FF, New Avengers and TRO story arc adapted to the MCU as the next grand phase.

I really hope they hint at this simulation theory as well when they do.

Is there a plan to adapt Hickman's run for the movies?

[Wikoogle]

Is there a plan to adapt Hickman's run for the movies?

No one knows what Disney is planning.

However tons of fans are clamoring for it.

https://www.cbr.com/mcu-phase-4-jona...ers-world/amp/

Many tweets asking Disney to have its post credits scene for Avengers 4 next year to be Reed Richards saying “Everything Dies”

[Muffinman]

A video game tried this story twist in "Star Ocean, till the end of time". In short, it did not go over well with fans. So I'm hoping marvel doesn't make the same mistake. And to be honest, I'm pretty sure that not going to be the case.

I for one, LOVED that game! It was extremely long, but I loved everything about it.

[JKtheMac]

While this thread is bumped I have to say I am not sure Hickman is writing with this theory in mind. My main reason for thinking this is his use of the Superflow, which is a kind of meta-level idea space that the universes are all a part of and migrate through. Indeed I suspect his plans or perhaps the original Fraction Inhuman plans were going to make more use of this but something stopped him.

I don't see the Superflow and the idea of the universe being a simulation as very compatible.


P.S. Habis, should I be worried when a crazy theory like 'we are inside a Balck Hole' actually makes sense from my knowledge of physics. It does feel like a Douglas Adams "some scientists claim this has already happened" moment.

[CentralPower]

No one knows what Disney is planning.

However tons of fans are clamoring for it.

As much as I loved Hickman's run, I do not want it used for the movies.

There is no way that the movies will do it right. Or, if they do, it might kill the franchise. (How well are audiences going to handle grey morality or heroes behaving less than heroically in a mainline superhero movie?)

Better it not happen than it happen badly.

[JKtheMac]

As much as I loved Hickman's run, I do not want it used for the movies.

There is no way that the movies will do it right. Or, if they do, it might kill the franchise. (How well are audiences going to handle grey morality or heroes behaving less than heroically in a mainline superhero movie?)

Better it not happen than it happen badly.

I think some feel a similar process could be used, not as a movie pot, but as a thread through future movies, a little like the Infinity Stones, which could eventually end in 'Avengers Battleworld' and then a merging of the different movie franchises.

Not sure it would happen but it's an idea.

[Evan]

Hickman sadly left marvel on bad terms, I doubt he ever works for them again

[CentralPower]

He may still be willing to answer questions (at a convention or something).

[Kirkpatrick]

Hickman sadly left marvel on bad terms, I doubt he ever works for them again

That's a shame. What happened?