Things are in motion in the multiverse in episode 8 of What If…? as Ultron wins. wrecks his entire corner of the universe, and then sets his sights on the multiverse, much to the Watcher’s dismay.
The development should be a big moment for the series but, instead, “What If Ultron Won?” is full of the same frustrations as earlier episodes.
1. We Don’t See the Choice That Allows Ultron to Win
In this universe, Ultron obtains the cradle with his “Vision” and evolves into VisionUltron, thus basically destroying all human life on Earth by unleashing nuclear war. However, we never are shown how this happens. There are numerous possible scenarios.
Does Wanda never look into Ultron’s mind and thus never breaks with him? That would lead to Ultron having the time to upload himself into Vision. If that happens, would Wanda and Pietro eventually oppose their overlord? Remember, Wanda can destroy the Mindstone, meaning she’s the key to defeating Ultron. But neither her nor Pietro’s fate is mentioned in this.
Perhaps the Avengers fail to grab the cradle because Clint makes the choice to rescue Natasha instead of leaving with Vision. If that happened, Hawkeye is the cause of the death of his family. He’s in despair in this episode due to their fate, but think of the pathos that could be wrung from this scenario. Instead, there’s little emotion in his death, given everyone dies anyway.
There are other story questions to Ultron’s victory that have no answers:
Why isn’t Wakanda in play as a place for survivors? What happened to all the wizards? How did Thanos get the Timestone, since it would be in the possession of the Ancient One at this point? How does Thanos get the Soulstone given that it seems UltronVision wiped out the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Gamora, already? How does a Thanos with all four Infinity gems get killed by an UltronVision who has only one Infinity Stone? Thanos can literally rewind time. Plus, Loki established that the Infinity Gems do not work outside time. Yet they do work in Watcher’s fortress.
One last discrepancy: Ultron’s goal in Avengers: Age of Ultron was for beings to evolve, not for peace above all. That would lead to him creating more AI beings like himself–as he does in the comics— and that would assuage his loneliness. I also wonder why Ultron never encountered more UltronVisions in the Multiverse. Was this the only universe where he won?
These questions might sound like nitpicks but this is a series specifically built on MCU continuity. If it doesn’t follow the rules or events that the MCU established, then what’s the point of the series at all?
2. Mea Culpa on UltronVision
When UltronVision showed up at the end of Party Thor, I said it was ridiculous. He did turn out to be the UltronVision from another universe. But given that Thanos and his minions often transport directly to Earth from other parts of the universe with the stones, his appearance seemed in keeping with that established fact.
The show failed to indicate that this was a multiverse transport, rather than a space-time one. Surprise in one thing. Confusion another.
3. James Spader is Sorely Missed
For the most part, the substitute voice actors for What If…? have been terrific, with Lake Bell as Black Widow a standout. But Ross Marquand as Ultron does not work. It could be because James Spader is so good that any substitute would seem inferior in comparison. Or it could be that Marquand’s performance is simply subpar. I’d say it’s somewhere in between these possibilities. Marquand doesn’t sound like Ultron, his performance is bland and fails miserably next to Spader’s performance as Ultron.
The blandness diminishes Ultron’s menace, his wry sense of humor, and his ability to terrorize.
On the flip side, Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher has a lot of fun with his frustration that Hawkeye has given up hope.
4. Hawkeye is Us
Hawkeye (voiced by Jeremy Renner) is as world-weary as he becomes in Avengers: Endgame but even more so because there’s no one to vent his anger on. What does Hawkeye do without a bunch of criminal minions to kill? Give into despair, naturally. (Have I mentioned I think MCU Hawkeye is the worst?)
Continued belowBut here, I identify with him. Hawkeye says more than a few times that he’s tired of fighting, that things will never get better, and he’s ready to give up the struggle. That’s close to how I feel as a viewer. If everything gets destroyed all the time, no matter how hard anyone tries, and it’s inevitable, that makes it predictable and hard to enjoy.
5. Next Week is the Last Show in Season 1
This episode ends on a cliffhanger, with UltronVision readying to destroy the Multiverse, having defeated the Watcher. I assume there will be returning cast members from earlier episodes in the finale, as the Watcher gathers a team to save the Multiverse. That team already includes Dark Dr. Strange, who arrives at Watcher’s call in episode 8, arrogant as ever.
That might mean that Strange is the tentacle monster who appears at the end of episodes one and two, grabbing Captain Carter and Peter Quill. (Definitely Captain Carter, I suspect.) Will season 2 see the formation of an Exiles-style team to protect the Multiverse? (Possible.) Does any of this relate to the Loki show? (Unlikely).
At least we’ll have answers next week, though I doubt the Multiverse will be destroyed, given that might affect the rest of the MCU just a little bit.
Bonus Thought:
As Watcher and UltronVision battle across the Multiverse, they fall into a Times Square featuring Steve Rogers on the JumboTron, being sworn in as President of the United States. This is a What If scenario from What If Volume 1 #26, which follows up on Captain America #250, a classic Roger Stern/John Byrne story in which Steve declined to run for president. The What If? tale ends tragically, as so many do, as President Rogers dies to save America. (But, at least America is saved.)
Steve also becomes President in the Ultimate Universe.
