Marvel’s What If…? series might have been more tethered to Marvel’s cinematic universe than we were let on. This could be the cause of further anticipation amongst the MCU fans, alternatively recognized as “Marvelites” as briefly mentioned by Chaz Kemp.
The Disney+ animation series What if…? appeared to be nothing more than an entertaining side project that would eventually run its course, but the latest news of Benedict Cumberbatch’s upcoming Doctor Strange movie seems to have stirred the pot.
Marvel’s most awaited movie, Doctor Strange 2 is rumored to be a follow-up of the Disney+ series that aired last year. Although, we already speculated the concoction of certain occurrences from the series for it to have such a resemblance was honestly quite surprising.
You might want to consider streaming “What if…?” the series prior to the movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and here’s why:
We are already aware of the existence of the infinite timelines in the movies Doctor Strange and Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the movie, Multiverse of Madness, Benedict Cumberbatch, encounters the Multiverse and assembles several Marvel Characters and the plethora of timelines, where each character has their different versions
Amongst the alternate realities screened in the animation series, a couple of them have been shown in the upcoming movie.
In the series, one of the most essential episodes would be ‘What if…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?
Beginning with that fateful drive where Strange lost the use of his hands, the episode differed from the main timeline in the sense that he was not alone when Stephen Strange’s car crashed which results in the loss of his beloved Dr. Christine Palmer, played by Rachel McAdams.
The episode is darkly perceptive and depicts what would happen if Strange were to lose his wits over his lover’s death. He’s the occultist supreme and would head to extreme lengths to urge her back. His arrogance would make him defy even the traditional One. However, the traditional One had other plans. She halved Doctor Strange into two. One is evil and hunting for more power and the other solacing himself that Dr. Palmer’s death might be beyond repair.
Another episode that made quite an impact would be ‘What If…Zombies?’
As a result, Tony Stark, Strange, and many other superheroes are infected by a virus first contracted by Janet van Dyne in the Quantum Realm. She infected Hank Pym and then the virus was unleashed on the world.
When the world’s most powerful superheroes became infected, there was little hope for others. Only a few like Spider-Man, Hope van Dyne, Okoye, Sharon Carter, and Happy Hogan resist. In the trailers we have seen zombified Strange which might have been an inclination to the ‘What If…?’ An episode or maybe Strange visits this dead universe where a zombie apocalypse has hit the earth.
The final episode to have plot effects on the Multiverse of Madness was entitled ‘What If…Captain Carter was the First Avenger?’
The first entry deals with the scenario where Peggy Carter was injected with the Super Soldier serum and became First Avenger: Captain Carter. Peggy became Captain Carter, while Steve Rogers stayed his usual frail frame all the while being equipped with the prototype suit of Iron Man named Hydra Stomper by Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s father, thus becoming the Iron Man of this reality show.
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