What If…? episode three focuses on deadly consequences for the formation of the Avengers in this alternate world! It begins with the looming title, MONDAY”, and then a closeup of Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) face. He talks about the Avenger Initiative, but Fury is cut off by Black Widow (Lake Bell) in the car. Bell voices Poison Ivy in the Harley Quinn animated series. She points out Iron Man sitting on marquee at the Randy’s Donut from Iron Man 2 (2010). Fury brings Stark (Mick Wingert) into the bakery. Wingert voiced Iron Man in the 2017-2020 Spider-Man cartoon. He is suffering from the poisoning of the palladium core that powers his suit. Fury orders Black Widow to inject lithium dioxide to help with the poison, but Stark collapses! Black Widow reports that he died! The Watcher tells the story of one week where Iron Man faced Whiplash, the Hulk is first seen, and Thor arrives on Earth.
Then, we get “TUESDAY”, Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) reports to Fury about Mjolnir. This is the first time since we’ve seen Coulson, outside of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., since The Avengers (2012). Yes, it is a flashback and an alternate world, but still it’s nice that Coulson is back. Fury tells Coulson to set a perimeter to block the locals and that he will be heading there. Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo), last seen in Avengers: Endgame (2019), escorts Black Widow to Fury. She is later to be taken to New York to see Alexander Pierce, Secretary of the World Security Council, he also appeared in Endgame. Fury speaks to Black Widow confidentially and wants her to investigate the assassin who is inside S.H.I.E.L.D. and replaced the antidote. She is taken away in a truck, Rumlow is in the front seat, and Black Widow easily takes down the agents. The thumping is heard by Rumlow who has the truck stopped, he opens the cargo doors, and finds only unconscious agents.
At the Puente Antiguo, New Mexico site, thunder rumbles from an incoming storm. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) debriefs Fury on what they know about the hammer. A guard is tackled by a dark figure. Fury wonders about who will come for it as more agents are taken down from the shadows. It starts to rain, Coulson has found one of the agents, and sounds the alarm. The intruder is seen by Coulson and he reports to Fury that he has “really great hair”, funny. Hawkeye spots Thor from his bucket and agrees with Coulson. Fury wants Hawkeye to wait, lightning crackles in the sky, and an arrow strikes Thor killing him! Hawkeye repeats that he didn’t loose the arrow! Agents target Hawkeye with laser sights from their rifles. This should be very suspicious to Fury, two Avengers down, who both claim to be innocent of assassination. Kinda sad we didn’t get Hemsworth’s voice. The episode does remind me of the What If? comic book issue #3 (1977), "What If The Avengers Had Never Been?"
Hawkeye goes over the events in his cell while Coulson and Fury watch from behind the privacy wall. Fury says the blood tests on Thor read that he is a thousand years old and from another world. He goes in to talk with Hawkeye. The agent seems to be asleep, when Fury taps him with his boot, he collapses! Hawkeye has also died and Coulson says they are running a tox screening. If the first team falls, I think there may be replacements; Falcon, Agent 13, War Machine (if he can work out Stark’s tech), possibly Sif if they investigate Thor’s death, or Spider-Man (maybe too early)? The others may be too early before they get powers or in distant outer pace. “WEDNESDAY”, we shift to Culver University, Virginia, Dr. Elizabeth Ross (Stephanie Panisello) is walking when she is met by Natasha Romanoff. Panisello takes over from Liv Tyler and is a voice artist working in video games and the Camp Halohead (2019) animated series. Black Widow needs Betty’s help in examining the syringe that killed Stark. Betty determines that it is clean, but suspects that a dart was sent from the needle.
Natasha says that it may be nanotech. Betty sends her away, but Natasha notices the Stanley’s Pizza Parlor hat on a table. The same place Bruce Banner was working at in Incredible Hulk (2008), this really sets that movie into the MCU where we only saw glimpses of scenes in other movies. Natasha gets a call from Fury that Clint Barton is dead, she wants to kill his murderer, Fury says that the assassin is targeting candidates on the Avengers Initative list. The last candidates are Natasha and Bruce Banner. She is about to enter a closet, but Betty tries to block her, and out comes Banner (Mark Ruffalo)! This is the FIRST time, Ruffalo voiced Banner in a Hulk project outside of the Avengers movies! Natasha wants them to leave hearing helicopters in the distance which is the arrival of General Ross and the army! Coulson drives to the hammer location when a beam comes down from Asgard. It is the arrival of an army of Asgardians carrying spears, the Warriors Three, Sif (Jaime Alexander), and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) with the Destroyer! Loki has the Casket of Ancient Winters and wants the killer of his brother! Natasha and Fury have to uncover the murderer before Loki brings down his army! There are a few more cameos, but the ending really weakens a great episode of What If…?
Four Lithium Dioxide Antidotes out of Five!
#WhatIf, #WorldLostItsMightiestHeroes, #LakeBell, #Mick Wingert #StephaniePanisello
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