‘What If…?’ Recap: ‘What if… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘What If…?’

Marvel is back at it again with another wonderful series on Disney+. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait too long after Loki for this series, and really, I didn’t know how much I needed this show in my life until I watched it. The series asks the important question of ‘What if?’, and they really didn’t hold back. Now, the episodes are not movie length, and I am a bit sad about that part, but they are still fun and filled with great story arcs. So, let’s dive right in and explore the multiverse! Without the TVA around to stop variant moments from happening, the multiverse is taking off without much to hold it back. What If…? takes a deeper look into possible outcomes as the first episode shows us… what if Agent Carter stepped up and became the First Avenger? How would one single decision change the outcome of an entire future? Well, we got to see just that. In this universe, Agent Carter stayed to watch Steve get the serum and a Hydra Assassin crashed the party early.

With Steve injured there is limited time before the experiment fails. Good news though, Agent Carter is there, and she steps in on Steve’s behalf, taking the Super Soldier Serum. Captain Carter is born, and the world has a new kind of superhero. Things aren’t any easier for Carter as they would have been for Steve. In fact, it’s slightly worse since she’s a woman. Good news though, Steve spends a lot more time with Peggy, and the two keep kindling their budding romance while Peggy tries to prove herself. An opportunity arrives in the form of the Tesseract. Peggy is quick to charge in and show just how awesome the serum made her. She’s able to take the Tesseract from Dr. Zola before it can reach the Red Skull. With it, Howard is able to give Steve his chance to fight too. That’s right, Steve gets an Iron Man-like suit. Of course, it’s not exact, it’s massive and bulky, but hey it works.

Together Peggy and Steve have no problem punching Nazi’s and destroying Hydra bases. Even better is they both go to rescue the 107th, and most importantly Bucky. Without being tortured and given a serum of his own, Bucky never becomes the Winter Soldier. He does still become a Howling Commando, and he does fight alongside Peggy and Steve. The train scene ends a bit differently, with the Red Skull taking down Steve’s suit, and Steve supposedly falling to his death. Peggy takes that hard. But weirdly Bucky doesn’t. That part was a little off, but we were in luck. Steve’s death was a total fake out. Captain Carter and the Commandos storm the last Hydra base with Red Skull in it, only for Bucky to find Steve and his suit, and for Peggy to find Red Skull.
 
The Red Skull used the Tesseract to open an inter-dimensional portal though, and the monster it releases is not too keen on anything around it. Of course, the Hive is a formidable opponent. Thankfully, Howard can close the portal if they can get the creature to back up enough. This is where the show really takes a turn. Peggy sacrifices herself in a unique manner. Steve isn’t able to save her, he’s forced to watch helplessly as Peggy goes into the Tesseract with the monster.

Peggy is of course freed, 70+ years later when Fury and Barton open the Tesseract. Captain Carter is now a woman out of time. It’s a wonderful take on how Captain America: The First Avenger could have easily been Captain Carter: The First Avenger. The first episode is not only a fun one, but it also sets the tone for so much more to come from this series. I’m excited to see how other storylines could have played out and what small changes could have dictated the entire MCU as we know it.

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