“Oh, Peg, have I got a story to tell you…”
That’s how the most recent episode of What If…? season two had ended.
Now, we’ll learn the story in the season finale. Let’s talk about What If…? episode 2-9, the one that’s just plain dumb.
Never Trust Kahhori
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What does the recently redeemed, formerly soul-stealing Dr. Strange need with Peggy?
Apparently, the “good guy” is stopping some multiversal threats, just like he did at the end of season one in helping Peggy stop Infinity Gauntlet Ultron.
Image: Disney
I doubt that the dude we watched devour dozens of creatures would say something like that if he didn’t mean it, right?
After all, during that Ultron fight, Strange fought with the Guardians of the Multiverse. So, he could never do wrong again.
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Sure, the Christine from his realm remains dead, and his universe still vanished from existence.
He’s probably not still hung up on that, though. He’d totally say something if he were.
Source: Marvel Studios
If you can’t tell, I’m extremely annoyed with this episode straight down to its basic premise.
As a reminder, I hated the episode where Strange lost his soul, which most other people seemed to enjoy.
Doctor Strange Supreme in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. Photo: Marvel Studios
I suspect many of them have come around to my point of view with this episode, though.
In fact, since we’re three months down the line, I know it was.
T’Challa, Captain Carter, Doctor Stranger Supreme, and Party Thor in WHAT IF…? on Disney+. Photo: Marvel Studios
The season one episode was the second-highest ranked for that year.
This one we’re recapping now is the lowest of the final four in season two.
Doctor Strange Supreme, Gamora with Blade of Thanos, T’Challa, Military Special Ops Killmonger, and Party Thor in WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. Photo: Marvel Studios
What’s the frustration? Well, Dr. Strange turns heel again, thereby negating his (marginal) redemption at the end of season one.
The gist is that Strange claims he’s collecting Infinity Ultron and other overpowered villains in a pocket dimension to protect the multiverse.
Gamora with Blade of Thanos, T’Challa, The Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright), Military Special Ops Killmonger, Captain Carter, Party Thor, and Doctor Strange Supreme in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. Photo: Marvel Studios
Strange needs Peggy to track down one of them that he can’t. It’s Kahhori.
Yes, I mean the same Kahhori we just adored in episode 2-6.
Which is more likely, Strange returning to evil or Kahhori suddenly becoming a monster? Exactly.
Revealing the Stakes
Photo: Marvel Studios
Since Peggy knows Strange and considers him a friend, she stupidly takes him at his word.
Last episode, Peggy showed that she could talk to The Watcher. Maybe she should ask him first? Or at any time?
No, that doesn’t happen. Instead, Captain Carter grabs her shield and jumps into another void.
That brings Peggy’s void-jumping total to three this season. Really, she just walks into this reality, though.
After Peggy enters another universe. And The Watcher is there waiting to explain that HYDRA won in this one.
If he’d showed up at Strange’s house, he could have saved Peggy plenty of aggravation.
The Watcher claims he may be unable to bear narrating what happens next.
Of course, all that happens is Peggy briefly fights with a glowing dot we already recognize as Kahhori.
Peggy throws her shield, which Kahhori catches easily before stating, “Let me guess. He asked you to help him save the Multiverse.”
Hey, remember what happened to Kahhori at the end of her episode? Strange took her.
Kahhori explains that Peggy is not her enemy; Strange is.
Suddenly, a magical void appears and transports Peggy back. That’s four void-jumpings!
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Kahhori explains The Forge, a creation of Strange’s to recreate his own universe.
The madman is capturing more souls to throw into The Forge in hopes of bringing back his Christine.
Image: Disney
Hey, the usually evil Dr. Strange is doing something evil. How shocking.
Strange turns on Kahhori and eventually admits the plan to Peggy as well. She describes his actions as “madness.”
Strange counters that she’d do the same thing for Steve. After (too long) a moment, she stops Strange’s assault against Kahhori.
Okay, now we got a ballgame. It’s soul-swallowing mega-evil Dr. Strange vs. Kahhori and Peggy Carter.
Dr. Strange vs. Kahhori and Peggy Carter
Peggy assists Kahhori, and the two women agree that they must destroy The Forge.
As part of the process, the women liberate all the souls that Strange has captured for his project.
Maybe the mad scientist should have taken a one by one approach rather than saving them all to the end?
Hasn’t this version of Dr. Strange ever seen a movie?
Anyway, everything that has happened until this point is merely the elaborate setup for the writers and animators to have fun.
What ensues is an epic battle featuring a motley crew of MCU What Ifs.
Source: Hasbro/Marvel Studios
We’re talking about Hulk/Thor combo, Western Gunslinger Loki, and…Zombie Wanda.
Yeah, remember Zombie Wanda from last season? Apparently, soul-swallowing Dr. Strange has got to collect ‘em all.
Source: Marvel Studios
Peggy describes the plan as “starting a prison riot of Universe Killers.” Hey Hollywood, I’d pay to watch that movie.
Anyway, as soon as the two women encounter Zombie Wanda, they regret everything.
Hilariously, as Peggy tries to explain what not to do, Kahhori interjects with, “Yeah, zombies are pretty universal.”
A battle ensues, but then all the zombies pause. Something they fear has arrived. It’s the Hela we watched get taken at the start of 1602.
We quickly answer the previously posed question of whether this Hela is good. She really, really isn’t.
Before the women must fight her, another surprise contender emerges, proclaiming, “I am Asgard’s doom.” Yup, it’s Surtur from Thor: Ragnarok.
Obviously, Hela and he quickly forget everyone else and start fighting. Weirdly, the zombies join Hela and try to eat Surtur.
So Many Infinity Stones
Peggy and Kahhori make their escape from the Surtur battle, only to encounter something worse. It’s Infinity Gauntlet Thanos.
Before they can fight him, he turns to dust. And then something even worse appears. Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around.
Doctor Strange Supreme, Gamora with Blade of Thanos, T’Challa, Military Special Ops Killmonger, and Party Thor in WHAT IF…? exclusively on Disney+. Photo: Marvel Studios
This time, it’s Infinity Gauntlet Killmonger. Peggy tells Kahhori they need that armor to have a chance against Strange.
In a demonstration of badassitude that would impress Mr. Torgue, Kahhori teleports his body out of the armor.
Image: Marvel
The unarmored Killmonger appears in the middle of the prisoner escapee fight, just below two fighting Thors.
Peggy arms herself with Infinity Stones, and everything feels right with the world.
In two seasons, Peggy Carter has become the multiverse’s greatest champion. Well done, writers!
The women appear at The Forge, with Strange right behind them. He points out that he has defeated that armor once before.
Unphased, Carter retorts, “I wasn’t in it.” Another winner, writers!
Alas, everything else happening here is so stupid. We’re ruining Strange’s redemption arc by tearing him down brick by brick.
The dude has once again become a remorseless killing (and soul-swallowing) machine.
Peggy and Strange had worked together to stop Infinite Ultron. They’re pals.
Despite this fact, Strange does everything he can to kill Peggy and take her very essence. It just doesn’t pass the laugh test.
Noble Sacrifice(s)
Anyway, they fight, and when I say “they,” I mean hundreds of Peggy and Strange clones.
As the two fight, it’s obvious they’re evenly matched. Finally, in a desperate attempt, Strange tries to trick Peggy.
We cut to the moment when Peggy took the Super Soldier Serum, with Steve still alive and healthy.
Peggy knows it’s fake, though, because she sees a flaw with the illusion. So, she calls Strange on the falsehood.
Back at The Forge, Kahhori has similar boy problems, as Ahtaraks is falling into the forge, as is Hela.
The latter woman, even though she’s not redeemed, isn’t fond of the man trying to kill her.
So, Hela wills her powerful helmet to Kahhori and Peggy. Soon afterward, other superpowered beings offer their relics as well.
Kahhori capitalizes on her newfound powers to create ports to send the various beings to their homes.
We probably shouldn’t think about the fact that many of them are closer to being Infinity Gauntlet Killmonger than kindly Ahtaraks, though.
Rationalizing the Irrational
Anyway, the women eventually beat up Strange so badly that he reverts to the hideous Strange demon form we saw in that one terrible episode.
As you might imagine, this Strange isn’t prone to reason or agreeable to dialoguing.
Strange starts the spell to bring Christine back and punches Peggy so hard that he knocks the Infinity Stones from her armor.
As a last-ditch effort, Peggy jumps in the air to strike Strange. Kahhori flies the Infinity Stones to her new BFF.
Peggy uses them to create the kind of super-punch that Roman Reigns has tried to do for his entire career.
Demon Strange makes one more attempt to pull Peggy down into The Forge with him.
At this point, the redeemed Strange from season one finally appears.
This version offers enough assistance that the grief-ridden Demon Strange falls into the Forge.
Final Thoughts
Peggy instantly awakens at The Watcher’s, I dunno, Multiverse Lounge. She says, “So, this is where you do your watching.”
The Watcher shows her a new universe, the one Strange had just created by falling into The Forge.
Christine sits on a bench, appearing lonely. Her Dr. Strange never existed in this world.
Then again, if he had, he would have been ignoring her texts while pulling a double shift in surgery.
Let’s be honest that he’s a terrible person and an even worse boyfriend.
Anyway, the episode inexplicably tries to redeem him at the end by claiming it was Strange, the villain in the piece, who saved the day.
Now I’m taking back the previous praise I offered to the writers because WTF?!
I understand what happened here. The entire MCU team wanted to create the ultimate What If…? hypothetical about hundreds of characters.
Alas, the skeletal story structure they used wasn’t just senseless. It actively flew in the face of things that had already happened.
This episode was a sloppy fun mess, but it’s like the eight-year-old Peter Quill episode.
If you put any thought into it whatsoever, it’ll just make you angrier and angrier.
Overall, season two of What If…? was night and day better than the first one.
Image: Disney
However, the season finale was an absolute trainwreck in terms of storytelling.
They’ll pretty much have to pretend it never happened except for the part about Kahhori and Peggy becoming friends.
Image: Disney
The fun part is that The Watcher promises to return Peggy to her home, but she asks to “take the scenic route.”
Season three, here we come!
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