The following article contains mild spoilers of the first season of What If…?
After a fantastic nine-week run, Marvel Studio’s What If…? came to an end this week. While it aired on Disney Plus, the series presented a unique take on some popular tales from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, the season finale tied up the multiple stories together and brought several heroes from the different universes into one single realm. Fans got to meet the Guardians of the Multiverse, which was definitely a cheer-worthy moment.
While most of the first season of What If…? led fans to believe that the incidents in each episode were individual, the finale proved that all the heroes’ lives were in fact interconnected. The way the finale brought everything, and everyone, together was evidence of the great storytelling that Marvel takes pride in. Seeing all the loose ends tied up does, however, make one wonder what season 2 of the series would focus on. How could the show possibly top this ending?
With What If…?, Marvel has already taken a step closer to its comic book roots by going from making traditional films and television series to a completely animated show. Many of the actors from the MCU films returned to reprise their roles, albeit in animated form, and some new members were introduced into the Marvel family. Some familiar MCU events played out very differently over the nine-episode season, which got fans thinking about the vast possibilities in the Multiverse.
To recap, the series introduced fans of the MCU to some of their favorite heroes in a completely new light. The journey began with Peggy Carter taking the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers, and becoming Captain Carter in her respective universe. Fans then got to meet T’Challa as Star-Lord, an evil (but extremely powerful) Doctor Strange Variant, and party Thor who was nothing like his responsible version that fans have seen in the MCU since 2011.
Some other interesting moments stood out in the series, including the death of several of the world’s Avengers, and the same heroes being transformed into zombies in an alternate universe. In one episode, Killmonger even went on to save Tony Stark when his vehicle was attacked in Afghanistan, resulting in a universe without Iron Man. While all these incidents took place, The Watcher stood on the sidelines, without interfering.
In episode 8 of What If…?, the viewers got to meet the big bad of the season for the first time. As Ultron arrives, with a mission to destroy the world, he realizes that there is more to discover. Engaging in a conversation with The Watcher allows Ultron to uncover the Multiverse. An epic battle later, he manages to dethrone The Watcher, and is in a position to take down the Multiverse from the inside out.
The Watcher is a cosmic being that has been assigned to watch over the timeline, and has taken an oath of noninterference. It is quite similar to the Time Variance Authority in Loki, a powerful entity that was apparently established to ensure that the events on the sacred timeline do not deviate off track. This means that The Watcher was aware of how things were going to turn out. The fact that he cannot interfere essentially means that he cannot do anything that affects the sacred timeline. But, bringing together a team of Guardians of the Multiverse does not fall in that category.
During the finale, there is a moment that is reminiscent of 2019’s Avengers: Infinity War where Doctor Strange was able to see fourteen million six hundred and five possible outcomes of how things would end. While the Guardians of the Multiverse are fighting the ever-powerful Ultron, who has possession of all the Infinity Stones, he realizes that The Watcher was aware that this was how things would end up, further confirming the fact that Uatu was aware of the final outcome.
The final episode of the first season of What If…? showcases a battle of epic proportions. It would be stretching it to say that it was as great as the one in Avengers: Endgame, but the What If…? final battle is definitely worth watching, especially as it ties the various episodes, heroes and Multiverse together. The conclusion of the season beautifully wrapped everything up to the extent where the first post-credits scene in the season had Carter returning to discover the Hydra Stomper.
When Avengers: Endgame ended, fans were truly satisfied with how the Infinity Saga had been wrapped up, but at the same time wondered how the story would move forward. The latest What If…? episode manages to get a similar reaction from fans, as all the stories blend in and lead to Ultron’s eventual defeat. Where do things go from here? It is already confirmed that What If…? will have another season, but does that mean that another villain could be introduced?
Following the end of the Infinity Saga, Phase 4 of the MCU has already introduced a variant of Kang the Conqueror in Loki, confirming the villain’s imminent appearance. To take things forward in the What If…? universes, the Guardians of the Multiverse will require a purpose. Of course, they are all busy fighting evil threats in their respective universes, but an entire season about just that would not be enough to satisfy hardcore fans.
However, with that perfect season 1 ending, it is hard to imagine the direction that season 2 would go in, without theorizing over the next possible big villain of the series. Ultron and Thanos are both dead in What If…?, similar to the MCU films. So, could the show possibly take a cue from the live-action version of the MCU and introduce Kang in the next season? That’s something fans could possibly think over while they wait for more What If…? content to arrive.
What If…? is streaming on Disney Plus.