What If…? Episode 9: 7 Big Questions About The Guardians Of The Multiverse

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s What If…? episode 9.

The season 1 finale of Marvel’s What If…? has arrived, and it leaves some big questions unanswered going into season 2. The last few episodes of What If…? season 1 subverted the show’s anthology format by bringing together characters from a number of different previously shown realities, forming the Guardians of the Multiverse. That team then faced off against the Infinity Stone-wielding Ultron, ultimately saving all of existence with the help of the Watcher.

After glimpsing so many different corners of the MCU multiverse through What If…? season 1, it’s fun to see so many variants come together for such a climactic battle. The Guardians of the Multiverse – comprised of Captain Carter, Doctor Strange Supreme, Party Thor, Killmonger, Gamora, and Star-Lord T’Challa – is an intriguing collection of Marvel characters, and their alliance is one of the most interesting uses of the MCU multiverse since it officially sprung into existence at the end of Loki. Hopefully, What If…? episode 9 is a glimpse of what’s to come in season 2 of the show.

While What If…? episode 9 does cleanly wrap up the major plotlines and deliver a satisfying climax to the series’ first season, it also leaves some big questions unanswered. The Guardians of the Multiverse aren’t as fully explored as they could be, and the show leaves some intentional threads hanging for season 2 to presumably continue. Here are the biggest unanswered questions from Marvel’s What If…? episode 9.

What Happened In Gamora’s What If…? Timeline?

A new version of Gamora joins the Guardians of the Multiverse in What If…? episode 9, clad in golden armor and wielding a blade very similar to her Thanos’ from Avengers: Endgame. Initially, this Gamora was planned to have a whole independent episode in What If…? season 1, but due to budget constraints, it was bumped to season 2. For now, though, this new Gamora is entirely mysterious. She wields a machine capable of destroying Infinity Stones and apparently defeated Thanos herself, but how did that all come to be? And why is she working with Tony Stark to destroy the Infinity gauntlet in What If…? episode 9? Hopefully, season 2 will have the answers.

Why Did The Watcher Choose Party Thor For The Guardians Of The Multiverse?

By the end of What If…? episode 9, it’s revealed that the Watcher foresaw the entire battle between Ultron and the Guardians of the Multiverse, meaning that the team itself was all a setup meant to yield one specific outcome. But that doesn’t really explain why he needed What If…?’s Party Thor on the team. If he required a version of Thor for the use of Mjolnir and his lightning powers, why not recruit a less supercilious variant? Questioning the Marvel characters the Watcher recruits ultimately leads in circles because clearly, he assembled exactly who he needed, but that doesn’t explain Party Thor’s inclusion when there seem to be so many other candidates who are equally qualified and far more responsible.

How Did Ultron Surprise The Watcher?

The What If…? season 1 finale fails to answer the previous episode’s biggest question – how did Infinity Stone Ultron manage to surprise the Watcher? By his own admittance, the Watcher sees everything that ever has happened and ever will happen, yet he was shocked when Ultron gained supreme power and began to conquer the multiverse. In his plan to defeat Ultron, the Watcher still appears omniscient, as he creates an incredibly specific scenario that results in the AI’s defeat – an outcome the Watcher foresaw. So, if he could see how Ultron’s reign of terror was going to end, why couldn’t he see how it started? It seems like a plot hole that What If…? season 2 may not address at all, but it’s also possible that even the Watcher occasionally makes mistakes.

Will Strange Supreme Be In Doctor Strange 2?

The most important part of the Watcher’s Guardians of the Multiverse team is Doctor Strange Supreme – the all-powerful, occasionally monstrous version of Doctor Strange who ended up destroying his entire universe through his hubris. In What If…? episode 9, Strange Supreme gets a chance to redeem himself by helping the Watcher save the multiverse from Ultron, and in the end, he’s tasked with guarding the frozen reality that holds Ultron, Zola, and Killmonger. But does that mean the MCU has seen the last of Doctor Strange Supreme? Or could he show up in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness? It would be fun to see one of the variants from What If…? make the jump to live-action, and Strange Supreme could be a great choice if that happens.

What Happened To Steve Rogers In What If…?

The What If…? episode 9 end-credits scene shows Captain Carter and Black Widow during the inciting events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but with a surprising twist. After rescuing the Winter Soldier ship from terrorists, Natasha discovers a curious crate that was apparently the target of the hijacking. Within, she and Peggy see the Hydra Stomper – the mech suit used by Steve Rogers during Captain Carter’s World War II – and Black Widow says that someone is still inside. Could it be Steve Rogers? The scene seems to mirror Bucky’s reemergence in the original Winter Soldier, implying that if Steve is still alive, he could have been turned into a Hydra operative as well. Was he injected with super soldier serum? Has someone else been using the Hydra Stomper? For now, the answers will remain a mystery, but What If…? season 2 may be continuing the story of Captain Carter and Steve Rogers in some interesting new ways.

Will The Guardians Of The Multiverse Return In What If…? Season 2?

Bringing together so many different heroes in an Avengers-style crossover is a great way to end What If…? season 1, and it could set up even more such plotlines in What If…? season 2. The Watcher seems resolved to protect the multiverse from danger, and with so many realities now existent in the MCU, Ultron likely won’t be the last threat worthy of the Watcher’s attention. That could mean a reassembling of the Guardians of the Multiverse later on in the series, either with the same core characters or a different group of variants from across the MCU multiverse.

Will The Watcher Continue Breaking His Oath In What If…? Season 2?

Up until Ultron’s destructive rise to power, the Watcher refused to interfere in the affairs of the multiverse, having taken an oath to avoid all influence. But now that’s he’s broken that oath, it looks like he may be taking a greater interest in things going forward. He calls himself the protector of the multiverse at the end of What If…? episode 9, suggesting that he’ll still stay out of internal universal affairs, but that he might be more inclined in the future to step in when the fate of the entire multiverse is at stake. Could that mean the Watcher stepping into to contend with Kang the Conqueror later on in MCU Phase 4 and Phase 5? Possibly. At the very least, the Watcher will return in Marvel’s What If…? season 2.

About The Author

Rick Stevenson
(1221 Articles Published)

Rick Stevenson is a writer, editor and performer based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s written on TV, film and games for over six years, in addition to assorted stints in bookselling, carpentry, and TV production. Rick studied writing at the College of William & Mary and Oxford University, and can report with some authority that they are both old. He lives and dies for Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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