What If…? episode 3, “What If the World Lost Its’ Mightiest Heroes?” dives into a darker timeline, one that reminded me of the “and everybody died” endings from the comic series that inspired the show.
Episode one was a by-the-numbers retelling of Captain America: First Avenger only with Peggy Carter in the lead. Episode two was an outrageous and fun heist and a lovely final appearance by Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa. But “What If…The World Lost Its’ Mightiest Heroes” has the most coherent plot, a murder mystery featuring Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, of course), and Black Widow, this time ably voiced by Lake Bell.
Here’s what you should know about this episode.
Warning: EVERYTHING ABOUT THE EPISODE IS SPOILED BELOW:
1. It’s Dark
Yes, I know, the comic series was dark, and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame also featured death, not to mention that morgue scene in Captain Marvel, but there’s something about seeing almost all of our heroes die that hits hard in this one. Adults can handle it but if you’ve been showing this to your kids as an entry into the Marvel Universe or viewing it as more all-ages friendly than some of the MCU movies, be forewarned.
“What If Earth Lost Its’ Mightiest Heroes” contains the deaths of five heroes, several scenes of the morgue, one moment that showcases the death of Thor, an unexpected moment with Hawkeye’s death, and Hulk literally exploding. We’ve seen Avengers die before but none of these deaths are heroic or a deliberate sacrifice and, well, Hulk’s death is brutal, though the gore is off-screen.
2. It’s More of a S.H.I.E.L.D. Story
The murder mystery of this episode gives it a driving force that perhaps the first two episodes lacked, as instead of waiting to see how something is different, I tried to solve the crime along with Widow, Fury, and Coulson. (Clark Gregg, reprising his role once more.)
That means this episode features fewer super-heroics and more snooping, though there is one great moment inside a truck when Natasha breaks free of custody that harkened back to Cap’s scene in the elevator in Captain America: Winter Soldier.
I admit to being skeptical of the idea that anyone could murder, in order, Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Hulk, and Widow, but the reveal of the murderer worked, along with why that character would go to those lengths.
3. The Unlikely Fury/Loki Team-Up
One of the joys of this episode is Fury dealing with all this…mf’ing…stuff derailing his plans for the Avengers Initiative. His best moments are negotiating with Loki, who has shown up to avenge the death of his brother, Thor.
Loki being Loki, he shows up with an army. Fury being Fury, he is unimpressed. They exchange barbs, jokes, and a little violence until Fury hits on a plan to use Loki to help him catch the real killer. Loki uses his illusion powers to avenge his brother, with Fury supplying the setup.
The alliance doesn’t last because Loki is still Loki, and he declares himself ruler of Earth at the end. But Fury still has a couple of aces left to play.
4. Never Say Ant-Man Is A Joke Again
I should say that Yellowjacket is not a joke, I suppose, given that Hank Pym wears the suit during his murder spree. I twigged to a miniature hero being the killer about halfway through the episode but I originally landed on Hope. That annoyed me because becoming a killer would require Hope to be an entirely different person.
But the killer being bitter, angry Hank makes more sense, as the difference in this timeline is that Hope Van Dyne joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and was killed in the line of duty. The added grief plus wearing the Yellowjacket suit, which can cause insanity, turned Hank into a killer. But a smart one, as he took out the Hulk and an Asgardian God. I totally bought the way the murders worked as well.
Continued belowEveryone likes to make fun of Ant-Man. But that technology is as dangerous and deadly as the Iron Man suits. Perhaps more so, given Pym particles were used for time travel. No wonder our universe Hank railed at people not appreciating his genius and misusing his tech.
5. Maybe I Should Watch the Hulk Movies Now?
The success of the Iron Man movies and the original Avengers has overshadowed the Hulk movies that were less successful, though there are fans of the Edward Norton version of the Hulk. “What If Earth Lost Its’ Mightiest Heroes” calls back to Hulk’s origins, with Banner hiding out with Betsy Ross, who’s diligently working on a cure.
Betsy is a huge part of Hulk’s long history that has been mostly lost in the movies, especially given that the MCU seemed determined to pair Bruce with Natasha. Endgame’s five-year gap could have included Betsy as part of Banner’s future, especially since he gained control of his alter ego. But Betsy was yet another victim of the snap. We could use more scientists in the MCU and more women. I’d welcome the return of Betsy, along with the return of Claudia Kim’s Dr. Helen Cho.
What’s next? It seems like episode four is a darker retelling of Dr. Strange’s origin. That’s not hard, given Strange is an insufferable, arrogant ass before he becomes sorcerer supreme and, well, he maintains the arrogance even now. But the plot seems to hinge on the fridging of a woman and that makes me wary because it’ll be the second now in four episodes that this happens, given episode 3’s uses of Hope Van Dyne as a throwaway character.
We’ll see.
