Here we are at the finale for another Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) series with the final episode of season 1 of What If…?! It’s been awesome to get back into watching so much MCU content in 2021 after a pretty long wait during 2020. This is the wrap-up of the 4th MCU series on Disney Plus since January, and we aren’t even done for the year! (Hawkeye - we’re ready to watch!) For now, let's get to our Ultron-filled finale!
A Quick Recap of the Series, So Far
If you’ve checked out any of our previous finale reviews, you know that the MCU has delivered some interesting twists and turns in each Disney Plus series. And, What If is no different. After the first six episodes lulled us into a sense that these were all disconnected stories examining interesting, but largely unimportant and disconnected stories each week. At least, that’s what we thought until we watched episode 8 last week.
Check out our review of last week’s episode to get you fully up to date, but the gist is that The Watcher, who has narrated these episodes from a detached point of view, was suddenly pulled into the story when Ultron became aware of his existence. Ultron broke into The Watcher’s inter-universe domain and the two had a pretty epic battle spanning the multiverse. It ended with the Watcher being forced to retreat and find a way to stop Ultron from effectively destroying the multiverse.
The Guardians of the Multiverse vs. Ultron
The Watcher recognizes that he can’t defeat Ultron on his own, so he begins recruiting. His first stop, at the end of episode 8 is the version of Dr. Strange who has been trapped in his own collapsed universe in episode 3, alone for who knows how long. But, episode 9 (the finale) picks right up on that theme as The Watcher begins selecting characters to join his team to defeat Ultron. He focuses mainly on characters we have met in previous What If episodes - Captain Carter (episode 1), Thor (episode 7), Killmonger (episode 6), and Star-Lord T’Challa (episode 2). Then he also picks up an alternate version of Gamora, who we have not met before. This version of Gamora was able to kill Thanos and destroy the Infinity Stones in her universe with a weapon she designed, called the Infinity Crusher.
It’s also interesting who The Watcher didn’t select - Captain Marvel, Iron Man, etc. He suggests this was a very specific team that he believed was up to the task of taking down the Infinity Stone-powered Ultron.
The new Guardians come up with a plan to defeat Ultron, involving first stealing the Soul Stone and using Gamora’s Infinity Crusher to destroy it. Initially, the plan goes more or less as expected, except for one small problem. The Infinity Crusher was apparently designed to destroy the Infinity Stones from this Gamora’s universe and it isn’t quite up to the task in a different reality. So, Ultron is able to defeat the team. However…
The Watcher is clearly not infallible, or he actually picked exactly the right universe for the final battle - the one where this version of Ultron defeated the Avengers and effectively destroyed the world once he gained control of all the Infinity Stones. The only Avenger left on this world - Black Widow. But, she was in possession of a way to possibly defeat Ultron. Taking a page from the classic alien invasion movie Independence Day, she has a computer program to upload into Ultron that might just take him down (the AI of Hydra scientist Arnim Zola. It is actually Natasha with an assist from Captain Carter who gets the virus uploaded into Ultron, which weakens him enough for the stones to be taken.
Victor… not so fast. We all wondered about Killmonger being included in this group of heroes. He isn’t exactly a selfless hero type. He takes the stones himself, along with Ultron’s armor and says the Guardians can use them to fix all their universes. But, the others aren’t having any of it and they try to fight him. Not easy, since he is now powered up by the Infinity Stones, but as it turns out Zola has now taken control of the Ultron/Vision body and he disrupts Killmonger’s stolen nanite armor. The two are locked in a stalemate, with the Infinity Stones between them. At this point, Dr. Strange realizes this just might have been The Watcher’s plan all along and that it’s up to him to use his powers and trap Zola/Ultron/Vision and Killmonger in a new pocket universe, much like the one he was trapped in himself. It felt a bit like the ending of Avengers: Endgame where Dr. Strange knows the plan and Tony Stark must make the sacrifice. This time the roles are switched and Strange takes on Stark’s role. Because Strange will now spend the rest of eternity overseeing that new pocket universe to ensure they never escape.
The episode ends with each of the Guardians returning to their own universe, except for Natasha. She is more or less the only person left alive on earth (it seems) in her universe. So, The Watcher breaks the rules again and sends her to another universe that can use her talents. In that universe, Natasha was killed. We get a scene of Black Widow arriving just in time to help defeat an invasion led by Loki. We also get the first post-credit scene in the series, where Captain Carter goes back to her time and discovers that Steve Rogers may still be alive. It’s a nice, feel-good, happy ending for her.
What does this mean for the MCU?
That’s the big question. Was this all just speculation or does any of this impact the MCU. It’s still hard to say after the finale. The potential is most definitely there. Could The Watcher show up in any of the upcoming films or series that focus on the multiverse? Loki season 2, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness all come to mind. If I had to guess, Loki might make a lot of sense for a live-action version of The Watcher to arrive. But, it’s anyone’s guess. The point is that these episodes could turn out to be important to the MCU or not, leaving viewers guessing a bit.
Watch it or Not?
I was kind of ambivalent about the first 7 episodes, in all honesty. I enjoyed some, found others to be overly depressing, and generally thought they were just thought experiments. But, the final two episodes ramped up my interest again. If you’re a serious MCU fan, then the answer is to definitely watch the series. If you’re just a casual fan, you could probably take them or leave them at the moment. That could change if it turns out they have an impact on the ‘real’ MCU. So, maybe to be on the safe side, give them a look.
