With the first season of What If...? finally over, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe can breathe a sigh of relief that the threat of Infinity Ultron has been dealt with. Season two of the series may come in 2022 at the earliest, and preliminary interviews and speculations suggest it will involve Shang-Chi, Natasha Romanov, and possibly even the Eternals.
While all the worlds still to be introduced by the Watcher are undeniably exciting, there are some plot threads from season one that need to be resolved. What If...?'s format, as well as circumstances and creative choices, left viewers with a lot of questions, some more deeply connected to the fabric of the MCU than others.
10 Gamora And Sakaaran Iron Man's Story Still Needs To Be Told
One of the most surprising appearances in the season one finale of What If...? is a version of Gamora that apparently kills her father. She is accompanied by a Tony Stark wearing armor very similar to his Hulkbuster. The What If...? Lego set describes this version of Iron Man as Sakaaran. It appears that, after Loki's invasion in New York, Tony doesn't fall back to Earth through the portal and lands on Sakaar instead.
At some point, he teams up with Gamora against Thanos and, after Thanos' defeat, they make their way to Nidavellir to destroy the Gauntlet and speak to Eitri. Beyond that, the details are unclear. The episode was postponed due to the COVID pandemic and will be part of season two. The delay has unfortunately affected the flow of What If's...?'s finale, but fans look forward to this story just the same.
9 The Watcher May Be Punished After Breaking His Vow
As a Watcher, Uatu has sworn a vow of non-interference. But when faced with the threat of Infinity Ultron, he breaks that vow to assemble the Guardians of the Multiverse. While this was undoubtedly the right thing to do considering the circumstances, there may be consequences in the future.
In the comics, Uatu's superiors don't take kindly to him breaching his oath. He is even tried and convicted, though he isn't punished too harshly. He also interferes far more than he should, to the point where his vow becomes somewhat irrelevant. It would be interesting to see Uatu's desire to help humans truly clash with his way of life even outside life-and-death circumstances.
8 Captain Carter Finds The Hydra Stomper Armor
The finale of What If...? delivers a shocking surprise for fans of the show. Upon returning to her world, Captain Carter rejoins her team on their mission. In an unexpected twist, they find the Hydra Stomper armor, with someone still inside. Created by Howard Stark and powered by the Tesseract, the armor was piloted by Steve Rogers and acted as Captain Carter's main air support unit. This ending heavily suggests Steve may have become this universe's version of the Winter Soldier, and is likely a plot thread the show will pick up after Gamora's episode.
7 Thanos Deserves A Portrayal That Respects His True Power
The terrifying Mad Titan who obliterated half the universe with a snap of his fingers doesn't have the best luck in What If...?. While he remains a powerful character, Thanos is almost insignificant compared to the threat he used to pose. As a Ravager, he is nearly taken out by his old underlings, and his confrontation with Infinity Ultron is practically insulting. The only version of Thanos that remains terrifying is his zombie self, but it's unclear what happened to him. It's understandable that the show's creators would want to focus on different threats, but Thanos deserves a better portrayal.
6 The Outcome Of Some Stories Remains A Mystery
Due to the run time of each episode, it's not unusual for individual stories to end on a cliffhanger. What If... Zombies?! is just one example. Thanos isn't the only character in the episode whose fate remains a mystery. Viewers never learn what happened to Spider-Man and the rest of the surviving Avengers. Some assumptions can be made, as Zombie Wanda's appearance in the finale clearly suggests she must have been the victor in her confrontation against Hulk.
It may also mean that the Avengers never succeeded in their quest to use the mind stone to destroy the zombie virus. Regardless, it would be interesting to find out their fate. Similar instances include Star-Lord T'challa's battle with Ego and the aftermath of Killmonger's takeover of Wakanda.
5 Infinity Ultron And Killmonger Are Trapped In A Pocket Universe
Ironically, the final confrontation of the series isn't between the Guardians of the Multiverse as a group and Ultron, but rather between him and a Killmonger who wishes to claim the Infinity Stones for himself. The Watcher anticipates Killmonger's betrayal and imprisons them both in a pocket universe, leaving them under the watch of Doctor Strange Supreme. It seems unlikely that the creators would want to rehash the same characters after the climactic ending, but it's not completely out of the question for something to go wrong that will shatter the prison of the two.
4 Loki's Abilities And Genderfluid Identity Would Be Worth Exploring Properly
Loki's portrayal in What If...? remains as confusing as the regular interpretation of his character in the MCU. In one of the last sequences of the series, Natasha is easily able to disarm him, despite his Jotun biology and his centuries of battle experience. This is one character who desperately needs a proper portrayal, far more so than Thanos. An episode dedicated to Loki would go a long way to fix this, and perhaps even address the fans' dissatisfaction with the Loki Disney+ series. If a genderfluid Loki hasn't made his appearance in MCU canon, What If...? can still offer it.
3 Tony Stark's Numerous Deaths May Have A More Complicated Reason
One of the most notable elements in What If...? is the fact that Tony Stark dies in almost every episode he shows up in. According to some interviews, this wasn't something that was done on purpose. However, there are online theories that suggest these deaths may have a more complicated reason. Some fans hypothesize that Tony's death may be a fixed point in time, much like that of Christine Palmer. Considering his appearance in the never-aired episode starring Gamora, this seems to be unlikely, but it is definitely a point worth addressing.
2 Thor's Intergalactic Party Has Deeper Political Implications
Despite Party Thor's participation in the final battle against Infinity Ultron, one cannot deny that his episode is far more light-hearted than all the others in the show. The immature brash Thor throws an intergalactic party on Earth. While Loki's presence is easily one of the most noteworthy elements, there are countless other party guests who show up. Valkyrie, Howard the Duck, Korg, and Miek are joined by the Sovereign and the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Grandmaster even acts as the party's DJ.
All the cameos are amusing, but they also create deeper implications. The most important example would be Surtur. His mere appearance at an event thrown by the Prince of Asgard throws much of his motivations out the window and places Ragnarok into question. The episode may not have been meant to be taken seriously, but this strange peace between all factions would certainly be something worth coming back to.
1 Vision's True Potential Is Still Unexplored
What If...? has challenged many of the fans' opinions on different characters, sometimes in not very favorable ways. Infinity Ultron creates another interesting dilemma. Vision's role in the MCU – and his unceremonious demise in Infinity War – has long disgruntled fans of the character. Infinity Ultron makes matters even worse, as Vision's body turns Ultron into an almost invincible being that easily kills Thanos.
After claiming the Infinity Stones, he goes on to destroy his whole universe, but he's clearly immensely powerful even without them. Considering this, Vision's true potential as a character remains sorely unexplored. Perhaps season two of What If...? could address this problem or, if not, White Vision in the main arc.