The first animated entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is as close to an anthology as it can be despite the crossover culmination in the finale, What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath? Throughout the series, The Watcher shines the light on eight different universes, though by the end of the season only six of them still exist.
It's important to keep in mind that a ninth universe was involved in the crossover finale, but considering we won't actually see Gamora and Tony on Sakaar until Season 2, it really doesn't count. Also, while the Black Widow variant from Episode 8, What If... Ultron Won?, survived and was placed in the universe from Episode 3, What If... The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?, the world she came from was decimated and has no future.
The universe from Episode 4, What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?, was destroyed by the end of the solo outing, leaving "Supreme Strange" alone in a pocket dimension. Although this is revisited in the finale, he ultimately remains in the prison of his own making with The Watcher leaving him there. While the Sorceror will likely return in Season 2, we aren't expecting his universe to reanimate itself.
The remaining six universes followed the focal point of Captain Carter, Star-Lord T'challa, Nick Fury, Zombie-Hunter Spidey, and Killmonger. Although the finale left Killmonger trapped in a prison he won't likely escape, his universe still exists and will continue without him, so these are the six that we will be exploring in this series of theories, starting with the Captain herself.
What If... Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?
The first outing of What If...? was arguably the most boring, however, given the post-credits sequence at the end of Episode 9, it is clear that we'll be returning to this particular universe in Season 2. With Peggy discovering the Hydra Stomper and Steve Rogers heavily implied to be inside, the question is - how?
Some prevailing theories on the internet posit that Anton Vanko likely played some part in the project, considering it was mentioned that the Soviets were involved. In this universe the original Iron Man armor existed 70 years before it should have, making Howard Stark the one with the armored legacy instead of Tony. With his partnership with Vanko in the mainline MCU, the theory is that Captain Carter's next outing will feature a mash-up of events from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Iron Man 2.
Does this mean that Ivan Vanko will appear as a villain who believes the Hydra Stomper belongs to him? More importantly, what is the deal with the variant of Steve Rogers in this universe and how did he survive? It seems like he could have a Winter Soldier-type role where he was experimented on or even brain-washed into carrying out missions over the decades. Sure, someone else could be in the armor, but Natasha heavily implied that it was Steve, and the Captain America theme can be heard when Peggy finally finds the armor.
Let's not forget that the finale episode also featured Peggy and Steve's bar as the location Strange conjured for her, nor the fact that when Peggy asked the sorcerer what happened to him, he stated, "The same thing that happened to you. Love." All of these seem to pieces that add up to a Peggy and Steve reunion puzzle - but will it be a happy one?
Outside of Peggy and Steve, it looks like the close friendship between Natasha and Peggy will continue. After all, Peggy stated that she was one of only three people that Widow trusts, likely following Hawkeye and Fury, both characters who greeted Peggy after her trip through time.
It's important to note that we left Captain Carter on the Lemurian Star which should put her right around 2014, the year which Hydra came out of the shadows with Zola's algorithm. This means that Peggy could be facing her own Hydra issues, possibly with Steve as a Captain Hyrda/Crimson Dynamo mash-up, which could make for an interesting plot device. In any case, let's hope the follow-up to Captain Carter's episode is less of a shot-by-shot remake than the first one was.
What do you guys think of our theories and where do you think Captain Carter's story is headed? If you're interested in a deeper breakdown of what could happen, the below video from New Rockstars is the perfect place to start.
What If...? is now streaming all of Season 1 on Disney+.