WARNING: The following contains spoilers for What If...? Season 1, Episode 6, "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?," streaming now on Disney+.
Marvel Studios' What If...? has shown fans how the most minor decisions can create alternate paths to realities that no one could have expected. However, even in realities unlike anything seen before, some constants show how certain factors from the main timeline remain the same. This has been demonstrated with Doctor Strange taking on magic and Steve Rogers still fighting the Nazis. In the latest episode, What If...? proved another unspoken truth of the multiverse -- Pepper Potts is always right.
During "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" the Watcher shows viewers a reality where Tony Stark is never injured in Afghanistan. Instead, he's saved by Erik Stevens, aka Killmonger, who uses Tony's gratitude and connections to work his way to the higher end of the company ladder. What no one knows is that Stevens is trying to control both the United States and Wakanda in a plan to have both sides fight each other. While most of the people he encounters are unaware, Pepper remains suspicious. Sadly, her concerns aren't confirmed until it's too late, and Stevens kills Tony. That being said, she does learn of Stevens' treachery not long after. This reality's Pepper will get to avenge the death of Tony alongside Shuri, while also proving that no matter the universe, Pepper will always be there to clean things up.
Pepper is the foremost authority on Tony Stark in the main Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline. She cleans up Tony's mistakes, deciphers potentially dangerous situations and through it all, remains his moral compass. The first film showcases this perfectly by having her be the one to gather intel on Obadiah Stane. After Stane confronts Pepper, she knows he may try to kill her, so she makes sure she's accompanied by S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, as a way to keep herself safe.
As CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper also makes executive decisions that help keep the company from being an accessory to countless deaths. This is shown in Iron Man 3 when Aldrich Killian tries to sell his Extremis technology to Pepper, and she politely shuts him down. She reasons that the technology's potential applications could be weaponizable, which the company isn't interested in anymore. Ultimately she is correct, as Killian's real plan was to use a fake terrorist called the Mandarin, along with the Extremis soldiers, to fabricate terrorism and sell his weapons to the highest bidder.
Pepper's judgment also saved lives during almost every major battle in the Avengers films. For example, in the first Avengers film she tells Tony to help Coulson and S.H.I.E.L.D., which ultimately leads to him saving New York from a nuke. She also encourages him to participate in the Time Heist when Tony is hesitant to abandon his family. Her importance is further bolstered by all the wrong decisions people made while she and Tony was on a break, and she wasn't around to bring common sense. Pepper's character and morals ground not just Tony, but the people around her, and when she isn't around, sometimes rash decisions are made.
The MCU has shown that Pepper Potts is an invaluable addition to the universe, and she never misses a beat when it comes to judgment calls or doing what is right. As a result, she has helped, in her own way, save billions of lives in the prime timeline. On the particular timeline of the latest What If...?, however, Tony has been killed and it will be up to Pepper to once again be the voice of reason and right the wrongs made by Stevens.
To see Pepper's suspicions confirmed, the latest episode of What If...? is streaming now on Disney+.