Those who have been watching Marvel's What If...? over the past seven episodes are no doubt invested in how the last two episodes of the season will bring the multiversal story to a close. Although we've seen a promotional poster featuring the big bad in the form of Ultra-Vision/Infinite Ultron/Supreme Leader, little is known about how episodes 8 and 9 will play out.
Some of that has now been answered, thanks to comments from the creative team about what's to come. When speaking with Yahoo! Entertainment, head writer A.C. Bradley stated the following in regards to the last two episodes of What If...? Season 1.
"[Episode 8] is its own episode, it does flow into 9. You can watch 8 as a standalone, but 9 is — for once we actually answer the end tag." Jokingly, she added that the audience might view the finale as "What If the What If…? Writers Stopped Trying to Piss Off Twitter?" which suggests the ending will be much less bleak than previous installments. She then confirms what everyone has expected all along by clarifying, "It's more just: What If the Watcher Met His Heroes?"
During the interview, A.C. Bradley gave a breakdown of Uatu the Watcher as a character and how his journey through the season compares to the audience's own experience with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Humanizing the entity, she makes it clear that The Watcher is just as invested in these stories as anyone else on the viewer's side of the television.
"[The Watcher] starts off very distant and literally watching from afar, but for so many of us, Marvel movies have become more than just entertainment. Marvel movies have become more and more of a cultural touchstone and a bigger part of our lexicon, so the notion that, for the Watcher, as he peruses these multiverses, as he lives through these heroes, as he suffers their triumphs and their tragedies, he becomes also more emotionally invested, and therefore becomes more and more part of their world and wants to be more part of their world even though he knows he's not supposed to. Going into the finale, a major source of tension is: Will the Watcher ever break his oath? Or will he remain who he is? Will he stay the Watcher, only observing the triumphs and tragedies? Will there ever be a story that forces his hand?"
What do you guys expect will happen in the final two episodes of What If...? Season 1? Are you excited for The Watcher to finally meet his heroes? Regardless, be sure to share your take in the usual spot!
Enter the multiverse of unlimited possibilities. Marvel Studios' first animated series, What If...?, starts streaming August 11 with new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+. “What If… ?” features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist.
Marvel Studios' What If...? premieres new episodes each Wednesday, only on Disney+.