Spoilers What If...? discussion thread

[Christopher]

I don't think that one opinion negates the other.

I just get tired of hearing people talk about continuity as if it were the only thing that gave a story meaning or purpose. Nobody stops to enjoy a story anymore because they're worrying about what comes after it rather than just experiencing it in the now.

 

[theenglish]

In the case of AoS though, it was initially marketed as "in-universe". Even the first season was released around The Winter Soldier--so, when Inhumans and other comics characters were introduced, there was an anticipation that some of these elements would be followed up on.

 

[Christopher]

In the case of AoS though, it was initially marketed as "in-universe".

Obviously I know that. I was there. But things change. Life doesn't always give you what you want, and I think it's better to adapt and make the best of it than just moan incessantly about things you can't change.

There's nothing new about a story being intended to be in-continuity and later abandoned. It happened with the Star Wars TV movies and animated shows in the '80s, with an entire season of Dallas, with sequels in a surprising number of horror movie franchises, etc. It's just the way fiction works. Continuity is never an ironclad guarantee. And it's not the only thing that makes a story worthwhile. A story you enjoyed is out-of-continuity now? Okay, fine. Doesn't matter. It doesn't invalidate the things you enjoyed about it, so just keep enjoying it.

 

[theenglish]

I always thought that Dallas twist could have been way ahead of its time. In the modern era, the following season would probably have played the same storylines to examine how they would have turned out if Bobby had still been around. IDK, maybe it did. I never watched that series.

 

[Kor]

When exactly did AoS 'split off' from the MCU continuity?

Kor

 

[Caretaker]

When exactly did AoS 'split off' from the MCU continuity?

Kor

It depends - it seemed to be fit until the final episode of season five ("The End") because it was the lead-up to and ran simultaneously with Endgame. But since the Snap didn't happen on the series, one could theorize it had something to do with the season four finale/season five time travel to the broken Earth future. I leave the 'hows" and "whens" and "whys" to people smarter than me to hypothesize.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

That whole time travel storyline also fundamentally contradicted Endgame's most central plot point because the Agents of Shield changed their own past.

 

[David cgc]

That whole time travel storyline also fundamentally contradicted Endgame's most central plot point because the Agents of Shield changed their own past.

No, they didn't, we saw the future with the Earth being shattered continued even after the team returned to the past.

 

[DonIago]

I'm just making my way through S5 for the first time right now.

I was expecting the Darkhold to be the divergence point, but I guess not?

 

[Christopher]

I'm not convinced AoS ever does diverge from the MCU. Season 6 could be post-Snap, but people are just in denial and trying to pretend life is normal. By Endgame, though,
denial has given way to despair.

 

[dupersuper]

I repeat: "AoS gave us a complete multi-year saga about the Inhumans, and that has value in itself, whether or not it's followed through elsewhere." So what if it's now an "alternate" Marvel universe? They're all equally imaginary anyway.

And hey, there's a multiverse now. Just think of it as a seven-season What If...? episode.

Nope: AoS will always be prime timeline for me.

For me it comes down to the probability we will not see those characters again in the MCU. It would have been great to see Coulson return to the movies, Daisy appearing in MCU productions, etc.

Well, we did get to see him again in Captain Marvel and versions of him in What If?...

That whole time travel storyline also fundamentally contradicted Endgame's most central plot point because the Agents of Shield changed their own past.

No they didn't: the stops where they did make changes created branching timelines (presumably not pruned by the TVA because this was long after the variant Loki of alternate 2012 was captured leading to the events in Loki).

I'm not convinced AoS ever does diverge from the MCU. Season 6 could be post-Snap, but people are just in denial and trying to pretend life is normal.

Plus the, like, 3 separate alien invasions kept them busy...

 

[Grendelsbayne]

No, they didn't, we saw the future with the Earth being shattered continued even after the team returned to the past.

When exactly? They certainly seemed to prevent the earth from shattering.

No they didn't: the stops where they did make changes created branching timelines (presumably not pruned by the TVA because this was long after the variant Loki of alternate 2012 was captured leading to the events in Loki).

The other time travel story.

 

[Samurai8472]

Season two of What If...? will come out in early 2023 and will feature a new assortment of characters including at least Hela, Shang-Chi, Red Guardian, Yelena Belova, Kate Bishop, Ikaris, and a road-warrior version of Agent Jimmy Woo, as well as the return of Peggy Carter.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

You forgot to mention the best part: One of the episodes is inspired by Neil Gaiman's 1602.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Are those the heroes from What If? Or Marvel Zombies?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

What If...?

You can see the art for the Zombies characters in the Marvel thread.

 

[Skywalker]

You forgot to mention the best part: One of the episodes is inspired by Neil Gaiman's 1602.

I need that one in my life immediately. Loved 1602.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

What If...?

You can see the art for the Zombies characters in the Marvel thread.

Looks like the same image at the bottom to me...
https://collider.com/marvel-zombies-animated-series-images-disney-plus/