‘What If…?’ Recap: ‘What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘What If…?’
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Alright, so the last two episodes of Marvel’s What If…? Series were super fun, cute, and somewhat fluffy. The darkest thing we dealt with happened in the last episode when there were jokes about Thanos’ plan being genocide. Beyond that, the series has been lighthearted. Sure, we know Marvel Zombies are coming, we saw that in the trailer, but little did we know how dark it really could get. And then Episode Three happened and I am really trying to cope with the heartbreak. It’s an alternate reality, but it’s a reality, nonetheless. With that, we really got a truly shocking end to that episode and even more so after processing the events that led up to it. The whole thing takes place over Fury’s Big Week, which has the events of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Thor happening all at the same time. It’s a pretty big week, to say the least, and the Avengers are not a thing, yet. The concept is there, and really that’s what matters the most. Natasha and Fury tackle Tony, which is great until he dies.

It gets worse, because shortly after dealing with that and helping Natasha escape, Fury has to deal with Thor. Which quickly turns from bad to worse when Clint fires his arrow and actually kills Thor. He swears he didn’t do it and he doesn’t make mistakes, not that anyone listens, and they still detain him. Also, as long as I live, I really wish we could have gotten the comic version of Clint. Something about him being the dad and family man character just doesn’t sit right with me. It’s very strange. But in this universe, we don’t have to worry much about it because Clint suddenly dies shortly after Thor. What about Bruce and Natasha? Don’t worry, whoever is killing the Avengers candidates is not about to leave them out.
 
I didn’t think it was possible to kill the Hulk, although it has happened in the comics. It’s actually the catalyst to the second Civil War, but that’s neither here nor there. Whoever is attacking them has found a way to take them all out, and that includes exploding the Hulk. Literally. Not figuratively. Natasha figures everything out just before she’s taken out and she’s able to get a hint to Fury before it’s too late. Still, she is not able to make it out alive, and with that, all five of the founding Avengers are down. Steve has yet to be found, so he gets a pass from the murder spree.

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If that wasn’t bad enough, Fury has to deal with Loki showing up with an Asgardian army to get revenge for Thor’s subsequent murder, because for some reason he cares that Thor is dead. Well, he cares that he wasn’t the one who got to kill him. I guess this also means that Loki knew he was a Frost Giant and adopted and was fine with it? I mean… he showed up with Thor’s friends so, I’m not entirely sure which events did and did not take place in this instance. Either way, Fury strikes a deal with Loki, promising his brother’s killer in exchange for leaving Earth. I’ll admit, I didn’t see them doing down this dark of a path, because finding out who killed everyone was a big shock. Hank Pym was not who I was expecting, even though that does make sense. He’s not the most stand-up guy in the comics. 
 
He’s actually an abusive jerk, really, although I thought murder was a beyond his reach; especially with the MCU version of Hank. In this universe, Hope joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and was killed. Hank lost his mind and decided to take it out on the Avengers before they could become Avengers. He justifies it by blaming Fury for everything. It wasn’t Fury’s fault; possible death comes with the job. Hank is arrested by Loki and then Loki takes over Earth, because of course he does. Fury finds Steve and calls Carol home, and a new Avengers team is starting to come together.

Now, the darker part? I think I know how Hope died. Come with me on a crazy fun fan theory! In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Natasha explains to Steve that she had a run in with the Winter Solider before and lives to tell the tale. She was on mission protecting a target when the Soldier attacked. Natasha left with a lovely bullet wound, and the Winter Soldier killed his target and moved on. It’s mentioned in episode 3 of What If…? that Hope died on a mission. In Odessa. Is it possible she took Natasha’s place on the mission and ran into the Winter Soldier? We will never know… it’s still fun to think about though.

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The Avengers 2.0 Takes Shape in Episode Three of ‘What If…?’