This series started with a simple hypothetical question and has not looked back. Spanning numerous characters and universes, What If…? has finally concluded, and what a conclusion it was. From the teases of a much larger story being told starting in Episode 2, audiences finally have seen the expansive world that A.C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews have created over their first season.
Marvel has built a reputation for teasing one thing to happen within their movies, only to fool audiences and give them something else. The most prominent example of this is the trailers for Avengers: Infinity War (2017) seeing Hulk fighting beside Captain America in Wakanda, only for Hulk barely being seen after he lost his fight against Thanos in the opening scene. This is brought up because the promo material for What If…? presented their show as individual episodes that would lack any connection to the established movies and cinematic universe. However, now that all nine episodes have premiered, we know how this is just not the case.
To start, The Watcher has slowly but surely increased his prominence within the episodes starting as a vague silhouette narrating in the background, to a humanoid body interacting with the characters. This eternal viewer is the one factor connecting the whole series and every character brought in to defeat Ultron for this season finale. Jeffery Wright and his velvety smooth voice was the best decision for this character and that was proved throughout the nine episodes. In a multiverse that focuses on multiverse-conquering villains and the heroes that stop them, the gravitas and command which Wright’s voice carries is the basis for The Watcher being the most interesting character.
Because of the last episode’s development seeing Ultron defeating the Avengers, collecting all the Infinity Stones, and discovering the multiverse, The Watcher enlists some characters we have watched throughout the previous eight episodes. Captain Carter is invading the Lemurian Star. Star-Lord T’Challa is stopping Ego from absorbing Peter Quill’s celestial power. Shuri discovered Killmonger’s true self and Pepper Potts is about to be ambushed, and Thor is battling a sentry of Ulton’s bots in Las Vegas. Also joining the team is Gamora, who is described as Champion of Sakaar and defeater of Thanos. Although we have not seen this story, this version of Gamora and what she has accomplished is anything but surprising. The Watcher and Sorcerer Supreme Strange informs this new team of their mission, the infinity stones, and christens them the Guardians of the Multiverse.
This new team travels to a world with no lifeforms to execute their plan to defeat the all-powerful Ultron, and this is where the episode picks up speed. They plan to separate the soul stone from the evil vibranium suited android and use Gamora’s infinity stone crusher. Using some of Doctor Strange’s mystical protections and after some distractions with Thor and Strange, T’Challa uses his ravager skills and sticky fingers to snatch the soul stone off Ultron’s chest. Part two is to escape this world and Ultron so they can execute the rest of their plan without having to fend off any superpowered robot.
The world the Guardians of the Multiverse travel to just so happens to be this Ultron’s origin universe which means lone survivor Black Widow is around to help. After the stone crusher fails because the device was not designed to crush these versions of the Infinity Stones, the new ally in Black Widow comes in handy. Natasha Romanoff ends up using Hawkeye’s virus-infested Zola arrow and finally compromises Ultron after failing to do so during the last episode. Arnim Zola takes over Ultron’s body and defeats the evil program once designed to be a peacekeeping tool.
Killmonger, however, has been in the background hatching his own plan. Using a loose sentry bot’s head and his own vibranium armor, Erik Stevens is able to take Ultron’s suit and attach the infinity stones onto his person. In true Killmonger fashion, unlike in Episode 6, he plans to use the stones to build his world back in his image and offers to do the same for all the other Guardians of the Multiverse. While this is a tempting offer, Erik is unable to execute it because Zola awakens in his new body and begins taking the stones from Killmonger’s armor. Zola and Erik Stevens are dueling over the Infinity Stones when Stephen Strange realizes The Watcher’s entire plan. The Sorcerer Supreme traps Killmonger and Zola in the singular moment where the infinity stones are not attached to a body and are unable to do any more destruction.
Following this, the Guardians of the Multiverse are returned to their primary timelines. T’Challa is seen fighting alongside Peter Quill, Thor is reunited with his lovely Jane Foster, and Peggy is back on the Lumerian Star. This last one is the most exciting since this version of Black Widow discovers what is being transported on the pirates’ vessel. Down in one of the ship’s lower levels, Peggy sees the Hydra Stomper which audiences will recognize from Episode 1. Not only is Steve Rogers’ armor on the ship, but Natasha informs Captain Carter that someone is inside the old hunk of metal, and that is where the first season of What If…? ends.
There was a lot to enjoy from this first season of Marvel Studios venturing into the animated medium but there was also a lot not to. Basically, everything other than Killmonger’s arc in episode six and Jane Foster’s ditsy behavior in episode seven was done in a way that was beautiful and well written.
Season 2 of What If…? has already been teased by the showrunners and they also promised to be less apocalyptic with their sophomore season. When this second season will premiere is still very much in the air, but it is safe to say A.C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews have a lot to live up to after these initial nine episodes.
Stream the entire first season of Marvel’s What If…? only on Disney+
