branch-2
Explanation
This comic tackles the philosophical tension between the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and traditional theology.
A figure (implied to be recently deceased) stands before a divine gatekeeper at heaven's entrance and demands entry: "Gimme the halo and wings." The gatekeeper responds, "Right this way, Mr. Hitler." The narration at the top explains the premise: in a multiverse with infinite branching timelines, every possible version of every person exists, including a version of any evil dictator who enslaves and murders -- but also a version whose wicked ambitions were defused by "billions of minor coincidences over and over and over."
The caption reads: "Reconciling theology and multiple worlds theory turns out to be difficult."
The humor lies in the genuinely thorny logical problem this creates. If the many-worlds interpretation is true, then for every murderous Hitler, there exists a version of Hitler who, through sheer quantum luck, never did anything wrong. That version would be morally innocent. A just God would presumably have to let "good Hitler" into heaven -- creating the deeply uncomfortable scenario depicted in the comic. The joke exposes how combining two different frameworks (theological moral judgment and quantum multiverse theory) produces absurd results, since identity, moral responsibility, and cosmic justice all become incoherent when every possible version of a person actually exists.