MCU What If...? - 10 Biggest Takeaways From Episode 5
Zombies in the MCU is just as crazy as you would expect.
Some episodes of What If…? have made minor tweaks to classic MCU stories, while others have taken one tiny detail in a story and explored the extensive ripple effects caused by it. Avengers have died, villains have rehabilitated, and Doctor Strange has turned evil, but episode five changed the game once again.
Every previous episode was titled with a concise, specific question, but this was just… zombies. From the Quantum Realm came the virus that, once it got hold of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, took over the entire planet, and as is to be expected with such a premise, this was possibly the craziest episode in the series so far. After the events of Doctor Strange destroying his entire universe, this is really saying something.
There were some huge moments in the episode, some call backs to earlier MCU movies, new team ups, and of course, the incredibly jarring feeling of seeing the franchise’s best heroes turned into the walking dead.
The spotlight was put on several characters who hadn't yet featured either much, or at all in this series so far, and what was produced was yet another contender for the best episode yet, with lots of talking points.
10. Another Reality Ruined By Hank Pym
Throughout the main MCU timeline, Hank Pym has been something of an important character while sitting in the background. He helped set up SHIELD, he was the original Ant-Man, and his Pym Particles and Quantum technology allowed the Avengers to go back in time and procure the Infinity Stones.
While he is yet to appear outside the Ant-Man franchise in live action, he has now made two huge appearances in What If…? across two different realities, and in both he has kickstarted cataclysmic events.
In episode two, after the death of his daughter, Hank took revenge on Nick Fury and SHIELD. He went through five of the original Avengers and killed them off in a fit of rage, however this is nothing compared to what he did in episode five.
As he went into the Quantum Realm to try and rescue Janet, without thinking of what else he might be bringing back with him, he unleashed onto the world the virus that would eventually turn almost the entire population into zombies. Who would have thought that Hank Pym would be one of the most dangerous men in the world across multiple timelines?