‘What If…?’ Episode 8 Recap: [Spoiler] Returns to Help the Watcher
For those of you who thought that What If…? was going to be a fun show with no real consequences to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you might just be wrong. But that information will have to wait until the finale. At the very least, the stories of season 1 will intertwine, thanks to one delusional android. The multiverse is in danger in What If…? Episode 8, and it seems as though two unlikely people will have to team up to save it.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from ‘What If…? Episode 8, “What If… Ultron Won?”]
Ultron Vision showed up at the end of ‘What If…?’ Episode 7
What If…? Episode 7 was, for the most part, a fun outing that featured Thor as a party-obsessed man-child. Thanks to Odin returning Loki to the Frost Giants when he was a baby, Thor grew up as an only child. If you add that quality to the fact that he is a god with thunderous powers, one can understand how he ended up the way he is. Thor’s tendencies led him to throw the biggest party in the universe on Earth in the episode.
In the end, after Jane Foster called Thor’s mother, Frigga, and convinced her to come to Earth, Thor cleaned up his mess. In the final scene, Thor asks Jane out on a date. As he’s walking away, an army of droids arrives on Earth led by Ultron Vision, who wields the Infinity Stones. Even the Watcher was surprised by this dramatic turn of events.
Head writer AC Bradley and director Bryan Andrews recently talked with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the final episodes of What If…? Bradley said, “Going into the finale, a major source of tension is: Will the Watcher ever break his oath? Or will he remain who he is? Will he stay the Watcher, only observing the triumphs and tragedies? Will there ever be a story that forces his hand?” Well, fans were about to get the answer to that question, thanks to the arrival of Ultron Vision. His story continued in What If…? Episode 8.
What happened in ‘What If…?’ Episode 8?
What If…? Episode 8, “What If… Ultron Won?,” showed how Ultron Vision came to be. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers stole Vision’s body from Ultron, but they never did so in this universe. So, Ultron uploaded his conscience into Vision’s body and gained control of the Mind Stone. From there, he completed his mission and destroyed almost all of humanity.
When Thanos arrived on Earth with five Infinity Stones on his gauntlet, Ultron Vision used the Mind Stone to split him in half. If only Vision did not get wounded by the Black Order early in Avengers: Infinity War, the fight against Thanos in the MCU could have ended very differently. But in What If…? Episode 8, Ultron Vision wielded all six Infinity Stones. The stones allowed him to realize that there were other civilizations in the universe. He reformed his army of droids and set about destroying all worlds, including Asgard and Saakar. Ultron Vision even defeated Captain Marvel.
When Ultron Vision finished, he reached god-like status. This abled him to hear the Watcher and feel his presence. Ultron Vision set his sights on wiping out all beings from all corners of the multiverse. Ultron Vision and the Watcher fought, and the Watcher is eventually forced to flee. Meanwhile, the last surviving Avengers, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, uploaded Armin Zola’s intelligence into an Ultron droid to oppose Ultron Vision. Clint died in the process.
In the end, the Watcher called upon Strange Supreme to help him defeat Ultron Vision.
What’s coming next?
Per Entertainment Weekly, Bradley discussed the writers’ plan for What If…? Season 1. She said, “I’m excited for people to see that we’re not going in there clueless, that there was a bit of a bigger plan. I’m aware that many of the episodes end tragically, and there might be a reason. I’m hoping people have enjoyed the ride so far and that the finale gives them everything we promised.”
It seems as though What If…? Episode 8 was only a tease of what’s to come in the season 1 finale, episode 9. There’s no doubt that the epic episode will feature the return of many What If…? heroes, including Party Thor, Captain Carter, and more. Perhaps Strange Supreme will recruit a team of heroes to help the Watcher defeat Ultron Vision. Whatever the case may be, the finale will likely wrap up the first season by tying all of the individual stories together. And it might just set up the second season or future MCU films.
The What If…? season finale airs on Oct. 6 on Disney+.
