With the Disney+ series What If...?, Erik Killmonger has cemented his place in the pantheon of Marvel Cinematic Universe villains. Already one of the most memorable antagonists after his showing in Black Panther, Killmonger manages to make his potential even clearer through the episode What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?.
But as much as fans can appreciate the manipulative brilliance of some of his choices, the fact remains that the consequences of his actions would have been devastating. Many of the movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe wouldn't have happened at all because of his intervention, or if they had, there would have been significant changes.
10 The Iron Man Movies Have Lost Their Protagonist
The biggest change created by Killmonger involves Tony Stark's whole character arc. Killmonger rescues Tony in Afghanistan before he is ever kidnapped by the Ten Rings. As a result, Iron Man is never created. No longer lacking resources, Tony scraps the idea of crafting a miniaturized arc reactor and chooses to go a different route to help Killmonger with his drones.
James Rhodes takes charge of the operation to procure vibranium, and War Machine's subsequent death removes another big player from the picture. Finally, the biggest and most important event is Tony's death. Upon realizing what Killmonger has done, Tony confronts him using his own drone. That isn't quite enough, and Killmonger defeats the drone, then kills Tony. This eliminates one of the biggest pillars of the MCU as fans know it.
9 T'challa Dies Before He Can Become King
The other highly relevant death in Killmonger's episode is that of T'challa. During the mission to acquire vibranium, Killmonger also targets his cousin and kills him with Tony's sonic taser. He frames the death on Rhodey, then ingratiates himself into the favor of the Wakandan royal family. By the end of the episode, he has become Black Panther and has presumably started a war.
That doesn't mean the title of Black Panther is completely doomed, of course. Shuri could still take it over and confront Killmonger, just like T'challa does in his movie. Of course, that would completely change Black Panther and make it entirely unrecognizable. This is one movie that would be utterly doomed.
8 Loki's Invasion In Avengers Would Be Drastically Different
Killmonger's actions would likely have little to no effect on the events in Thor, so Loki would still fall from the Bifrost and then reappear on Earth to start his invasion. Some elements may, however, be significantly different. Killmonger's actions have created a war and given the U.S. government access to Stark assets. It seems unlikely that they'd be inclined to rely on enhanced individuals, particularly after a possible confrontation with Black Panther.
The absence of Tony's arc reactor means Loki would require a different power source for his portal. He would no longer go to New York. He may actually be drawn to Wakanda, as Yondu and the Ravagers were in episode two of What If...? But launching a nuclear missile on Wakanda wouldn't be so easy. Assuming the World Security Council did decide to take this step, the results would be drastically different. There would be no Tony there direct the missile at the Chitauri through the portal.
7 Age Of Ultron Can Still Happen With A Different Creator For Ultron
Assuming the Avengers survive Loki's invasion, Age of Ultron may still happen. In the comics, Hank Pym was the one who originally created the rogue robot. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff may or may not become involved depending on the fate of Loki's scepter, but Ultron himself remains a possibility. Vision's creation without Tony would have been next to impossible, though, and the original path from the comics isn't one the movie could take. Either way, Age of Ultron doesn't completely hinge on Tony's survival, but the resolution of its conflict would come in a different manner.
6 Ragnarok May See Changes In The Aftermath Of A New Ultron
With all the differences accumulating until this point, it stands to reason that even the Thor movies would eventually be affected. While they take place off-world, they're not completely isolated from the other films. Thor Ragnarok, for example, would be affected by the outcome of Age of Ultron. Depending on the events of that particular movie, the Hulk may not end up as a cosmic gladiator on Sakaar, and he would not join Thor's team of Revengers. While Hulk's presence isn't essential for Ragnarok, the Revengers do benefit from having him on their side.
5 Civil War Would Need To Focus On Other Characters With Different Motivations
Captain America: Civil War revolves around the conflict between Iron Man and Captain America. While the movie ostensibly involves the Sokovia Accords, in reality, it is more about James 'Bucky' Barnes. The Winter Soldier's assassination of Tony's parents is at the root of Baron Zemo's plan to divide the Avengers. For obvious reasons, this would no longer be the case. That doesn't mean Civil War would be a complete impossibility.
Without Steve and Tony's personal dispute involved, Civil War could reference the actual event from the comics: the Superhuman Registration Act. Though Tony was a big supporter of it, Hank Pym was also a factor. While he doesn't have Tony's charisma and influence, Hank can be a terrifying opponent when crossed. Additionally, considering the background of the war with Wakanda, it wouldn't be out of the question for the document to reference the Black Panther.
4 Spider-Man: Homecoming Would Lack Important Elements
The basis for Spider-Man: Homecoming is set in Civil War when Tony reaches out to Peter and offers him a suit of his own. But Hank Pym is far too protective of his suits to share the technology with a random teenager, even if he did figure out Peter was Spider-Man.
Spider-Man would have to continue using his previous suit during his Homecoming. This doesn't necessarily make the movie impossible, as Spider-Man has proven himself a capable combatant without having the admittedly powerful armor given to him by Tony, but the movie would lack important elements, and the relationship between Tony and Peter would be sorely missed.
3 Infinity War And Endgame Would Be A Shadow Of What They Are
The finale of the MCU's Infinity Saga, Avengers: Endgame is one of the movies that most depends on Tony. He is the one who creates the time travel technology that allows them to go through with the Time Heist, and he ultimately defeats Thanos by using the Infinity Gauntlet. During Infinity War, Tony is even the only Avenger who is able to even draw Thanos' blood.
Infinity War and Endgame could still happen, but they would likely be a shadow of what they are today. Significant modifications to canon would have to be made, though, as Dr. Strange already established the only way to defeat Thanos was through Tony.
2 Spider-Man: Far From Home Relies Too Much On Tony's Legacy To Exist Otherwise
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a movie about Peter trying to get accustomed to the idea of being Tony's successor. Tony leaves him the powerful A.I. E.D.I.T.H., which grants him control of all Stark Satellites and a small army of weaponized drones. The insecure Peter decides to pass E.D.I.T.H. to Quentin Beck, who turns out to be an old disgruntled employee of Tony's.
Quentin's alter-ego, Mysterio, is one of Spider-Man's classic enemies, but his MCU equivalent is motivated by his hatred of Tony. Similarly, the plot focuses on Tony's technology. In truth, Far From Home relies so much on Tony's legacy that it couldn't exist without him.
1 Shang-Chi Would Lack An Important Element That Could Make All The Difference
While Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings stands very well on its own, it does have a huge connection to the Iron Man movies. Its main villain is the Mandarin, an ancient warlord who possesses the mystical Ten Rings. He isn't happy when Iron Man 3's Aldrich Killian uses Trevor Slattery to impersonate him, but ends up leaving Slattery alive because he is amusing. This proves to be strikingly important, as without Trevor, Shang-Chi wouldn't have been able to make his way to his mother's dimension of Ta Lo. The Dweller in Darkness may have been unleashed upon the world.