Warning: Contains spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX episode #9.The Gundam franchise is bigger than ever thanks to its latest show, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Not only is it made by Studio Khara of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame, but the story itself has been one of the most engaging Gundam stories in years, thanks to its strong character and narrative writing, all of which is complemented by consistently gorgeous 2D and 3D visuals, as well.

There’s no denying that Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is big, and it just got bigger than anyone could have imagined. Episode #9 received a lot of hype for being the formal introduction of the GQuuuuuuX timeline’s version of Lalah Sune, and as big as that was, Lalah Sune’s appearance in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX led to a reveal that completely changed both the anime and the Gundam franchise as a whole. There’s no telling what this means for Gundam as a whole, but whatever the case, GQuuuuuuX has never been as exciting as it is now.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Completely Changes The Franchise With A Multiverse Twist

Mobile Suit Gundam's Biggest Twist Explained

When Lalah Sune first appeared in GQuuuuuuX episode #9, she spoke about having dreams of falling in love with Char and Amuro and Char ultimately being killed by Amuro, a clear reference to the events of the original Universal Century timeline. All of that could have been chalked up to Lalah’s Newtype powers, but then the episode ended with the reveal of what the fabled Rose of Sharon was: the Elmeth, a Mobile Armor that never went into production in the current timeline, and an alternate version of Lalah Sune who traveled to the current timeline from an alternate universe.

The alternate version of Lalah Sune being in the Elmeth references how Lalah originally died piloting it to protect Char, although the fact that the Elmeth isn’t destroyed implies that this Lalah isn’t from the original timeline and instead from a slightly different version of it. All of that is a moot point, however, as everything that happened with Lalah Sune in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX episode #9 formally establishes a multiverse within the Gundam franchise, a notable change from nearly every anime existing in a separate continuity.

Mobile Suit Gundam's Big Twist Copies The Best Part Of Evangelion's Magnum Opus

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX Pulls Out Another Major Evangelion Inspiration

GQuuuuuuX formally establishing a Gundam multiverse is huge, and what makes it even better is how it takes after Hideaki Anno’s magnum opus, Rebuild of Evangelion. While the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy was framed as a remake of the original anime, it was eventually revealed that it was actually the latest instance of reality resetting after everyone’s deaths, making every adaptation of Evangelion equally canon. Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and Rebuild of Evangelion are both stories framed as alternate takes on older works while secretly establishing a multiverse, and with Anno’s involvement, it’s hard not to see that as intentional.

All of that, of course, will only be to GQuuuuuuX’s benefit. Rebuild of Evangelion masterfully used its multiverse elements for meta commentary on the larger Evangelion franchise to bring the franchise, as a whole, to an end, and while Gundam won’t be ending anytime soon, the similarities between Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and Rebuild of Evangelion implies that GQuuuuuuX will also use its multiverse plot for engaging and thoughtful meta commentary. Kazuya Tsurumaki, who directed Rebuild of Evangelion, is also directing GQuuuuuuX, and with how much Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX already takes after Evangelion, that idea is all but assured.

What Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX's Big Twist Means For The Gundam Franchise

Everything About Gundam Might Change Forever

If Gundam’s anime officially exist within an interconnected multiverse, that, of course, could mean big things for the franchise. For starters, back in 2000, Turn A Gundam revealed that every Gundam anime took place in the same universe and would eventually be destroyed by the Moonlight Butterfly, a reveal nearly unanimously disliked, but Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX revealing that there’s a multiverse within the Gundam franchise effectively kills the idea of every show taking place in the same universe as posited by Turn A Gundam. It’s unclear if that was intentional, but nevertheless, it’s nothing but great to see.

More to GQuuuuuuX, specifically, the twist sets up big possibilities for the finale. With episode #9 establishing the existence of the multiverse, not only does it mean that other characters from the original Universe Century timeline can show up in GQuuuuuuX, but Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX’s establishing of the multiverse can allow for characters from anime to appear in the last few episodes. That sort of fanservice would be an amazing way to cap off the series, and with how great the writing has been so far, it would surely be a sight to behold.

Will Future Gundam Stories Use GQuuuuuuX's Massive Twist?

How Much Will Gundam's Big Twist Really Change Things?

Gundam’s big multiverse reveal also has major implications for the franchise, going forward. With the multiverse now a fully defined concept in Gundam, there’s no reason to leave it to just GQuuuuuuX, so whenever the next Gundam anime comes out, the multiverse can become a recurring concept in Gundam anime to allow older characters to interact with new ones. That sort of writing is common in any franchise that uses the multiverse, and there’s plenty of room for that in the Gundam franchise, as well.

That might not be for the best, however. A common criticism with multiverse stories is that they’ve become a cheap way of pandering to the audience without putting any real effort into the story, with Marvel and DC’s recent multiverse stories being some of the biggest offenders. With that in mind, Gundam continually using the multiverse in the future could run the risk of repeating the common issues with multiverse stories, so it would probably be best for future Gundam stories to not use it too much, if at all.

None of that should be a problem for GQuuuuuuX, of course. GQuuuuuuX has been an amazing series so far thanks in large part to how tight the writing is, and even with its recent twist being as massive as it is, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX should be plenty capable of getting the most out of its multiverse twist and paving the way for its use in future Gundam anime. This massive twist adds more excitement to Gundam than ever, and even if it only shows up in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, it will be great to watch it play out.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX releases new episodes Tuesdays on Amazon Prime.