10 Ways What If... Could Change The MCU
9. What If Crossbones Had Killed Captain America?
This was one of the smaller details in the MCU, but it has massive consequences and reversing it could make for an interesting What If episode. In Captain America: Civil War, we see Crossbones set off a suicide bomb to take Captain America out with him. Before the blast hits him, Scarlet Witch intervenes, but ends up accidentally deflecting the impact into a building full of civilians.
The What If scenario simply removes Scarlet Witch and sees Crossbones and Captain America both die a fiery death.
There’s a couple of immediate consequences; Captain America dies and Scarlet Witch is absolved of guilt. The chain reaction then makes the Sokovia Accords less likely, stopping the rift between the Avengers that Zemo exploits.
How would this influence the Avengers going forward? With no break up, would Tony Stark have reached out to Spidey in the way he did? Would Scarlet Witch’s powers have grown without her self doubt? It has a curious knock on with Thanos too.
Without Cap, Black Widow and the rest in hiding and without Iron Man avoiding them, might they have beaten Thanos at the first time of asking? Would Fury have ever called on Danvers? There’s lots to delve into here.