What If…? Season one has reached its conclusion, the Guardians of the Multiverse assembled, Ultron fell and the multiverse was saved. So, what’s next?
We know a second season of What If is in development through multiple confirmations from writers and producers. We have also gotten several hints at what might be coming next season, so today, I’m going to be breaking down those hints and make some guesses about what we might see…
Confirmed: What If Tony Stark went to Sakaar?
In the finale of the first season, we met “Gamora, destroyer of Thanos and survivor of Sakaar” along with Tony Stark wearing a Sakaarian looking Iron Man suit. This reality was meant to have an episode in the first season but due to delays from the pandemic, it ended up being pushed to the second season.
The premise seems to revolve around Iron Man ending up in Sakaar rather than Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok. Based on the short scene in the finale, it would seem this was a positive change resulting in Thanos being stopped and the Infinity Stones being destroyed. No doubt this will be one of the first episodes of season two and will be given some good context for the Gamora we met in the finale.
Confirmed: What If Steve Rogers Was the Winter Soldier?
While premises have not been confirmed beyond that last one, this one seems almost a certainty. At the end of the finale, an end credits scene shows Captain Carter finding Steve Rogers’ HYDRA Stomper, with someone inside.
It would be safe to assume that person is Steve himself, but with HYDRA’s infiltration of SHIELD and the red paint accent on the HYDRA Stomper, it’s likely this is not the Steve Peggy remembers. Much like Bucky being taken and brainwashed in the main continuity, HYDRA securing their greatest threat after Captain Carter disappeared to use as their weapon, makes a lot of sense.
The episode is sure to be as tragic and heart-breaking as Captain America: The Winter Soldier with plenty of the twists we’ve come to expect from What If…?
Confirmed: Phase 4
Phase 4 is in full swing and while there was a significant lack of references to the most recent expansions of the MCU beyond some minor nods. Marketing was depicted on TVA displays in a reference to Loki, and Black Widow found and wielded Red Guardian’s shield in the last two episodes of the show.
But Kevin Feige has confirmed Season 2 will be tackling Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; “I will say, just as season one is tapping into films and storylines from the MCU that you’ve seen up to this point, season two will definitely incorporate movies from Phase 4.”
So, I’m going to discuss the possibilities of what these What If?… counterparts could entail and where they might take the new films’ stories.
Eternals
While the film hasn’t been released yet, the plot of Eternals seems to revolve around their interference with humanity to an extent. They’ve spent 7000 years watching over humans but unable to protect them unless their sworn enemies, the Deviants, are involved.
While they are inevitably going to begin taking a more active role in the protection of humanity by the end of the film, I imagine a What If premise might revolve around them interfering earlier. Perhaps helping the various Avengers throughout the first three phases of the MCU.
Perhaps giving us our first meetings between Avengers and Eternals before its inevitable occurrence in the main timeline. How the Eternals might alter major events like the Blip or the superhero Civil War would be a thrilling storyline for MCU fans.
Shang-Chi
Spoilers for Shang-Chi
Shang-Chi largely revolved around the title characters relationship with his father, Wenwu. A What If revolving around that aspect of the film seems like a safe bet, and there are a lot of ways that could play out.
The obvious premise would be a darker take on Shang-Chi. In the film, after he assassinated his mother’s killer he fled to the United States, but in an alternate reality, maybe he returns to his father; taking up the mantle of leader of the Ten Rings.
It would be a pretty compelling and compelling story to see a character that felt so good, kind and protective of those he was able to defend, turn to the more villainous aspects of his father. As much as I would love to see this idea, it would not be easy to watch a new fan favorite heroes turn into a villain.
Black Widow
The opening of Natasha Romanoff’s solo outing showed us her childhood with her adoptive family. When her “father”, Red Guardian, successfully stole SHIELD information they were forced to flee back to Russia; leading to Natasha and Yelena being inducted into the Red Room.
But what if they never left? What if the adoptive family continued to live together in the States and abandoned their loyalties to be happy? This could be an interesting exploration of how Natasha’s role influenced the MCU, how would the events of the Avengers movies play out without their iconic spy turned hero?
I also think it could be a heart-warming look at the family’s relationship in the best of circumstances. Getting the opportunity to see Yelena and Natasha reunited in another universe would be emotional but also very rewarding for fans of the film when the characters won’t otherwise interact again.
What If…? Season two is sure to be as wacky and fun as the first season with some brand-new stories playing on the most recent additions to the MCU. With lessons learnt for Season one and the pandemic hopefully not affecting production as much, it should be a great follow up.
