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Marvel Studios took a major risk with their animated show, What If…? The series is not only their first venture into animation but one that exists to bend beloved moments from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s history. The show proved successful in several instances during its first season: the origins of variants like Captain Carter, Star-Lord T’Challa, and Doctor Strange Supreme gifted viewers with refreshing takes on classic MCU heroes.
Further, it remixes several pivotal moments from the Infinity Saga including the birth of Captain America, the abduction of Peter Quill, Tony Stark’s imprisonment in Afghanistan, and Stephen Strange’s car accident, among others. A season two is confirmed and will likely contain more provocative takes on hallowed MCU heroes and moments; what viewers want to see regarding the events of the show remains an intense topic of discussion.
10 What If… Crossbones Killed Captain America?
Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting’s “The Death of the Dream” story arc depicts Brock Rumlow a.k.a. Crossbones’ assassination of Captain America. Appearing in Captain America #25, the event rocked the comic world and continues to be a point of debate among readers. The MCU doesn’t follow this sequence of events, allowing Steve Rogers to have his happy ending with Peggy Carter.
However, Crossbones does make an attempt on Cap’s life in the opening moments of Captain America: Civil War. Just as “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?” introduces the first season with an event widely familiar to viewers, the show’s sophomore season could explore a reality where Wanda Maximoff wasn’t present to contain Rumlow’s grenade and successfully caught Cap in the blast.
9 What If… Hank Pym Created Ultron?
Along the same lines as Crossbones’ alternate attempt on Cap, imagining a reality where Hank Pym created the A.I. supervillain Ultron rather than Tony Stark may please fans of the source material. Ultron’s origin in the comics is tied to Avengers #58, penned by Roy Thomas and drawn by John Buscema, where he is revealed to be the product of Pym’s experiments relating to robotics.
This could be tweaked to accommodate an MCU-friendly reproduction: Pym could create Ultron to assist in the search for his wife, Janet Van Dyne. How would this difference in origin affect Ultron’s behavior and perspective? It’s an interesting question given Stark’s evident influence on the character’s affectations in the MCU proper.
8 What If… Wenwu Captured Tony Stark?
What If…? may prove a valuable asset to Marvel Studios in the face of any potential fan backlash. The show allows for comic-accurate recreations or remedying storytelling mistakes. One of the earliest in the MCU’s history is that of the Mandarin’s appearance (or lack thereof) in Iron Man 3: several impostors appear to combat the titular hero but Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings establishes Wenwu as the legitimate bearer of the mantle.
It, therefore, begs the question… what if Tony Stark had faced the actual Mandarin before his death in Avengers: Endgame? Better yet, how would Tony’s journey have changed if he had encountered Wenwu when his world FIRST collided with that of the Ten Rings, during the events of the original Iron Man?
7 What If… Killmonger Was Raised In Wakanda?
The first season already pondered how Erik “Killmonger” Stevens’ journey may have altered given different choices or circumstances. The latter is the most logical thing to reckon changes his destiny as he is left orphaned by the forces of Wakanda following his father’s treachery against the nation.
T’Challa chastises his father in Black Panther for not bringing Killmonger home to Wakanda, triggering an interesting question: how would the young Stevens have ended up had he been adopted by his people at that critical moment in his life? Would it have curbed his aggressive tendencies or only enabled his villainy later on?
6 What If… Bucky Was Given The Shield?
A critical turning point for the MCU was presented in Endgame: Steve Rogers had chosen to return and live out a full life with his love, Peggy Carter. He briefly returned to bestow the shield onto his friend and protégé, Sam Wilson, a.k.a. the Falcon. Some viewers found this decision offensive to James “Bucky” Barnes as he had demonstrated his devotion to Rogers via their shared origin and history.
The choice to anoint Wilson the new Captain America ultimately proves a more socially-conscious decision, as the mantle had been held for a while by a white man already. Still, the tension between Barnes and Wilson regarding the shield in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier begs for the alternative to be explored. How may Barnes have conducted himself differently bearing the shield and how would the public react to a former HYDRA operative bearing the stars and stripes of America?
5 What If… Zombies Again?!
The Marvel Zombies universe, based on the excellent miniseries by Robert Kirkman and Sean Phillips, is first established in the fifth episode, “What If… Zombies?!” It proved enough of a draw to warrant its own animated spinoff series for Disney+, and another episode featuring the titular undead could lay the groundwork for it.
The first season left the MZ universe in a precarious position, with the zombified Thanos managing to nearly complete the Infinity Gauntlet while simultaneously conquering Wakanda; the follow-up chapter in the second season could pick up from that cliffhanger and essentially retell the Infinity Saga with zombies attached.
4 What If… Howard The Duck Had An Episode?
The viewers love to see him yet he hardly has any screentime; so goes the ironic fortune of Howard the Duck who made a surprise appearance in What If…?‘s first season episode, “What If… T’Challa Became A Star-Lord?” He similarly cameoed in the two Guardians of the Galaxy films but has yet to receive a One-Shot or Disney+ short dedicated solely to him.
The second season of the animated show could solve this problem by giving him his own self-aware episode, either following the same Howard from the first season or an entirely new variant. Seth Green would certainly return to the role, particularly if it’s as beefy as an entire What If…? episode is.
3 What If… Thor Went For The Head?
The question that plagued the broken-hearted following the release of Avengers: Infinity War: why didn’t Thor go for the head? What If…? presents a tremendous opportunity to explore this idea perpetuated by the fandom. Should Thor have slain Thanos that fateful day in Wakanda, would the world have been better for it? Or as the saying goes, do the ends that resulted from the Blip justify the means it took to get there?
It would undoubtedly have prevented massive heartbreak and loss but also the Avengers from becoming the characters viewers love them to be. In the end, perhaps the episode would at least bring a new appreciation to the moment in Infinity War.
2 What If… The Other Half Blipped?
It’s random, unbiased, fair to the mind of the Mad Titan, but how truly scattershot is the Gauntlet’s discretion when it comes to the Blipped? An episode of the animated show would have an enticing story to tell should the creators choose to explore this scenario.
Instead of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor leaving to pick up the pieces of IW, how would the universe have fared if it was Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy? Could they have implemented so dastardly a plan as seen in Avengers: Endgame? Strange has oftentimes been compared to Tony Stark in terms of intelligence and temperament, so perhaps it’s not incredibly out of the question that the Master of the Mystic Arts could figure out some way to reverse what happened.
1 What If… The Avengers Lost Twice?
The Avengers won by the skin of their teeth at the climactic battle of Endgame, and that was a one in 14,000,605 chance. Given the enormous quantity on the flip side, it’d make for a devastating half an hour to subject viewers to the possibility of Thanos “blipping” the universe once again. What would this new universe that Thanos created look like? Would familiar MCU heroes still exist in this reality?
It’d enhance the outcome of Endgame while providing adherents with a dreary yet celebratory think piece on how lucky they are to have the heroes of the MCU proper. Further, any opportunity to include the Mad Titan in the alternative realities is appreciated given the villain remains a compelling figure in the MCU canon.
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