Spoilers What If...? discussion thread

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by The Nth Doctor, Aug 4, 2021.

  1. The Nth Doctor

    The Nth Doctor Infinite Possibilities... Premium Member

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    An excellent conclusion to the first season. I loved watching all of these different variants team up against a terrible threat to the multiverse. I especially enjoyed watching Captain Carter individually teaming up with Star-T'Challa and Last Survivor Nat with their different points of attack against Infinity Ultron. Captain Carter in particular felt like the episode's main focus with the battle mostly seen from her perspective and the overall narrative beginning and ending with her own story. Makes me really hope we'll get another episode with her story continuing in the second season.

    I also really enjoyed seeing glimpses of how each of the variants' stories continued after their first episode with Captain Carter's version of The Winter Soldier, Pepper and Shuri's team-up attack against King N'Jadaka, and Star-T'Challa dealing with Ego's alternate attack on the universe (I'm curious how Star-T'Challa knew to reach Earth as quickly as he appeared in order to save Peter). I loved how King N'Jadaka ultimately betrayed the group for his own purposes but under the guise of helping of everyone on the team. Considering how he and Infinity Ultron are now trapped in their own pocket universe under the watch of Dark Strange, I wonder if we'll see them again in the future, if not necessarily in the second season.

    One thing I thought was odd about Uatu's plan was how he didn't include Last Survivor Nat (with or without Zola in an Arrow) as part of the initial Guardians of the Multiverse. I guess that can be handwaved away as part of foreseeing how the whole battle would play out and not wanting to go to Zola in an Arrow right away, instead opening up with the Infinity Crusher. Nonetheless, I would've liked her to be included from the beginning instead of seemingly overlooked. At least she got to be part of the iconic rollcall moment as glimpsed in the trailer.

    Kudos to Grendelsbayne for correctly guessing Zombie Wanda would be the champion from the Zombie Universe in the fight against Infinity Ultron. I figured it would be a long shot to see Headjar Scott again if only because he wouldn't be bringing much to the team aside from witty remarks. I hope we get to see him again in the future, although I'm not sure how that'll work. That said, it's odd that the one man out from the Guardians of the Multiverse was Avengerless Fury. I guess he was held back to have the neat conclusion for Last Survivor Nat, but I think it would've been more interesting if Avengerless Fury offered Last Survivor Nat to join him after the fight against Infinity Ultron concluded.

    I'm guessing Gauntlet Gamora is the episode that was pushed back to the second season although I'm now even more curious as to why they weren't able to finish it in time considering her important role in this episode. I imagine her story takes the form of What If...Gamora Rebelled Against Thanos Sooner? or something along those lines. I'm curious to know how Stark fits into that story and the exact nature of his armor variation.
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2021
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  2. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    I briefly wondered if that was where Gamora came from, but the details didn't match.


    Oh, that would explain it.
     
  3. Samurai8472

    Samurai8472 Admiral Admiral

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    We even had concept art of the sakaarian hulk buster and a Lego set

    [​IMG]

    S1 was originally 10 episodes. COVID apparently slowed down production, so they moved a Tony/Gamora episode to season 2. But that decision was made well after production had started on the season as a whole, so the script for the finale - which references every S1 episode - was already locked in.
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2021
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  4. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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    I remember reading that the story they couldn't finish in time because of covid was a "light-hearted Tony Stark story". Seeing as Gamora was paired with Tony Stark, I assume that that was the episode that got pushed back.
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2021
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  5. Mr. Adventure

    Mr. Adventure Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It will be strange seeing that Gamora episode after the fact as it were. I'm curious where they go next season now that they've done the obvious meta "What is the Watcher did more than watch...?" type story. Not that said take wasn't well executed and enjoyable. It doesn't hurt that the animation has proven itself up to the task of depicting "epic" when asked. I was surprised because I usually find the more realistic animated shows to be stiff and flat.

    Speaking of What If scenarios I was thinking what an entertaining shit show it would've been if they brought Widow back to Earth-199999. Disney's synergy machine is working well having a big Nat story drop the same day Black Widow comes to D+. I'm assuming we'll get a behind the scenes next week if the pattern holds.
     
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  6. Oso Blanco

    Oso Blanco Commodore Commodore

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    Wasn't the story that the Gamora episode was too close to Guardians Vol. 3, so they had to drop it?
     
  7. The Nth Doctor

    The Nth Doctor Infinite Possibilities... Premium Member

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    No, we don't know what the story that was too close to Vol. 3 was going to be about and probably won't have an idea what that episode could've been until that film is out (and even then, it might still be guesswork until the producers decide to say something, if they do at all).

    What Samurai and Turtle says makes much more sense. I had forgotten COVID had been the issue for the episode delay, which we know was moved to season two. For some reason I thought it was something else (creative or time issues unrelated to COVID).
     
  8. Booji

    Booji Commodore Premium Member

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    The finale, and entire season, was fucking awesome.

    "Vegas!!!" :lol:
     
  9. FPAlpha

    FPAlpha Vice Admiral Premium Member

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    To be honest the episode had a major flaw that lessened any enjoyment - why would a 6 Stone powered Ultron need to fight at all? One thought or gesture and everybody is ash.

    Even if we assume the stones only work in the original universe why is Ultron then so powerful in all other universes if the stones supposedly don't work there? Just Visions body is not nearly enough.

    To me it was a weak finale after the brilliant setup episode just as in general the entire season was rather mediocre to weak with few exceptions.

    Ah well, the MCU needed to strike out sometime. It's good that it happened here and not in the normal movies but that's just my opinion.
     
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  10. Christopher

    Christopher Writer Admiral

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    They didn't say they don't work in other universes, but that they're slightly different in each universe.
     
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  11. Seven of Five

    Seven of Five Stupid Sexy Flanders! Premium Member

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    That was a very entertaining end to the season. There were lots of great character moments, even if it was a shame that Gomora's appearance here is random. If Covid delayed production on that 10th episode we were supposed to get, and I can forgive them for the mystery.

    I loved how it tied up all of the previous episodes pretty neatly.

    Everything Party Thor said in this episode was gold as well! :lol:

    Bring on season two. I look forward to seeing what story they'll tell next. :beer:
     
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  12. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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  13. Starkers

    Starkers Admiral Admiral

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    Tummy's getting rumbly :lol:

    That was an awesome conclusion to a mostly fun season.They really need to give us a live action Captain Carter and hurrah for Kilmonger's inevitable betrayal!

    Is that the last time we'll hear new Chadwick Boseman now though? :(
     
  14. Grendelsbayne

    Grendelsbayne Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    That was a reasonably enjoyable finale. I liked how it brought all the episodes together (and the fact that Gamora's episode was delayed is unfortunate but an understandable explanation for her odd out of nowhere appearance). I especially loved how Nat was able to get a new Avengers family in the Fury/Loki universe (though I also thought for a second there that she was coming to the mainline MCU).

    Having said that, though, the story was still a bit so so. Ultron just doesn't come off quite right in between one-shotting Thanos with only a single stone yet when he manages to use the stones against the Guardians all he does is time stone them away from him instead any of the million things he could've done in that moment to instantly win. Plus I still haven't really gotten used to this visual of Vision's body in an Utron shell armor. I figured there'd be some sort of explanation for it in one of the two episodes but at the end of the day it seems it's just there so Killmonger can try to steal it which is a pretty unsatisfying explanation for why Vision's already vibranium body somehow needs extra vibranium armor.

    More problematic than Ultron, though, is Captain Carter being *once again* limited to just going through the motions of Steve's pre-existing stories. I genuinely like this character. I would really like to see them get Haley Atwell back and do her in live action. But the writing they do for her on this show is just not how you do an *alternate* universe. It's really disappointing.

    So at the end of the day, I'd say the finale was ok, which is not terrible for what was largely an episodic series anyway (even though the finale did draw it together). It's just a bit unfortunate for me that this series really peaked all the way back at episodes 2 and 3 and has only been moderately engaging since. Though the Thor episode was still really funny, at least.
     
  15. Samurai8472

    Samurai8472 Admiral Admiral

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    For such a grand premise of multiverses they really dropped the shoe in the finale. Why didn't Uatu recruit 20 Thors and 60 Hulks to go against Ultron or 30 versions of Dr Strange?

    I guess it would have been overkill if Ultron also teamed up with other Multiverse Ultron. We might have had a.....Crisis on on hands ;)

    It might have just been time was short because Ultron was destroying universes quickly.
     
  16. JD

    JD Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I read an interview that said that the story that was too close to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 dealt with the Watchers.
    It wasn't just "Vegas" it was "Viva Las Vegas!"
    This was a lot of fun, it was nice the way they managed to tie everyone's stories up at least to some degree. This one really gave us some awesome action, but still managed to work in some nice character moments too.
    I'm glad I came here and got the explanation for Gamora, it seemed weird to me the way they just kind of tossed into the story out of nowhere. I had just assumed they decided to throw one completely new character in there.
     
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  17. The Nth Doctor

    The Nth Doctor Infinite Possibilities... Premium Member

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    Glad to get confirmation on that.

    ...that said, it's a bit weird that the missing story is focused on Tony but it's Gamora who is then recruited (although that would add an extra layer of humor to Uatu's recruitment of Gamora over Tony, "No, not you"). I'm also curious as to how Gamora's life would've been effected so much by Tony arriving at Sakaar instead of Earth. Something about his presence there causes her to rebel sooner, thus preventing the events of Vol.1?

    Yup, sadly this is the end. He recorded audio for four episodes and that's what we got. Much like Captain Carter, there's definitely still more story to tell with Star-T'Challa and I wouldn't be surprised if they had plans to revisit the character. :(

    Ah, I missed that tidbit. Where did you read that?
     
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  18. Booji

    Booji Commodore Premium Member

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    That was the first time Thor attacks Ultron. When they go back to nuked Earth he just yells "Vegaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!!!!" when they have him in the magic chains. It's around the 18:00 mark.
     
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  19. Turtletrekker

    Turtletrekker Admiral Admiral

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  20. The Nth Doctor

    The Nth Doctor Infinite Possibilities... Premium Member

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