What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes? - Share your thoughts.
The third episode of What If... has dropped on Disney+, and things are starting to get more interesting! This is the first episode where the story itself really breaks away to stand alone as something different and it has me excited for what the creators have in store for us down the road. You can find a synopsis of this episode below, as well as some of my brief thoughts! I'd also love to hear your thoughts, so make sure you sound off in the comments.
What If... The Earth Lost Its Mightiest Heroes? Nick Fury struggles to launch The Avengers when candidates are targeted by a serial killer.
This episode is one hell of a wild ride. Taking place during the week in which Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, and Thor take place, Nick Fury's recruits for the Avengers keep getting killed as he tries to recruit them. And if you think they'll hold back in showcasing these murders because What If... is a Disney+ show, then you'd be mistaken.
What drives this episode is the mystery of who the murderer is, and how they're murdering each of the victims. With Tony Stark becoming the first victim, it then becomes a race to protect Thor and Hulk. Unfortunately, the prime suspects end up being Black Widow and Hawkeye. As each Avenger races to protect themselves or save their allies, the murderer continues to rack up a body count.
If the murderer wasn't enough of a threat to deal with, Loki arrives on Earth with his own mission and agenda. In the end, it's up to Nick Fury and Phil Coulson to put a stop to all of this and root the murderer out. Trust me, it's not who you expect, and their reasoning is quite an interesting one!
There are a ton of returning alumni here, but one of the biggest surprises is seeing Betty Ross - who has a decently sized role here - and hearing Mark Ruffalo deliver lines from The Incredible Hulk. After years of pretending like the movie didn't exist, it appears as though Feige and team are embracing it with open arms.
Suspenseful, gruesome, and violent, What If... Earth Lost Its Mightiest Heroes is easily the best episode of the series so far, and if you've been on the fence, I suspect this issue will seal the deal.
8/10 - Great
As a reminder, a full review for the season will post once every episode has aired. For now, we'll have to wait until next week to see what else Marvel has up their sleeves. Until then, follow us on Twitter @bypopped, and keep popping your culture!