Credit: Marvel StudiosMarvel Studios has certainly had fun expanding the Multiverse in recent years, but perhaps no MCU show has stretched the boundaries of the MCU as we know it more than Marvel’s What If…?, an animated anthology series that explores alternate timelines featuring variants of beloved characters such as Captain America, King T’Challa, and Peggy Carter.
And now, according to a new report, it looks like a fan-favorite MCU staple could be thrown into the mix for What If…? Season 2.
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As of late, the MCU has been riddled with uncertainty. From pandemic-related delays to Disney+’s historic content purge to Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger flat-out admitting that Marvel “diluted focus and attention” from fans by offering so many TV shows, it’s safe to say that it’s a strange time to be a fan of the superhero franchise.
It doesn’t help that recent Phase Four and Five releases such as Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and the more recent Samuel L. Jackson-led Secret Invasion miniseries garnered overwhelmingly negative reviews, casting doubt on the once-bright future of the MCU.
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But with Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) on the not-so-distant horizon, it’s clear that Marvel still has a plan in place for the remainder of Phase Five and Phase Six. And with upcoming releases like Season 2 of the smash hit Disney+ Loki series and the sequel to Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel (2019), The Marvels (2023), right around the corner, there’s hope for the MCU yet.
It seems like Marvel’s current approach is to greenlight sophomore seasons of their more successful Disney+ entries, including What If…?, which first premiered on the streamer in August 2021 with the episode, “What If…Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?”
Many of the show’s nine episodes saw MCU alums like Michael B. Jordan, Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell, Benedict Cumberbatch, and even the late Chadwick Boseman reprising their roles, voicing their animated counterparts as they set off on different adventures across the Multiverse.
Jeffery Wright’s mysterious “Watcher” character, who acted as What If…?’s narrator and the de facto audience surrogate, bound each of these stories together, culminating in the Avengers team-up style finale, titled “What If…The Watcher Broke His Oath?”
In the episode, which follows the climactic battle between various heroes plucked from their respective timelines and the Infinity Stone-powered Ultron (Ross Marquand), audiences see The Watcher interrupting a conversation between two familiar characters, who don’t exactly make sense for the story: Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams) and Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man (Mick Wingert).
Oddly enough, Gamora never received a solo episode of her own, which had fans raising eyebrows considering just how vital to the story she was throughout Marvel’s Infinity Saga. Tony Stark also sported an unusual choice of a suit in their brief scene together, which seemed to be from Sakaar, the planet ruled by Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok (2017).
As for Gamora, she appeared to be wearing Thanos-like (Josh Brolin) armor of her own, nodding to an alternate timeline where she perhaps stayed loyal to her Mad Titan father. She then joins Captain Carter, Starlord, and Party-Thor (Chris Hemsworth) while Tony is left behind.
We don’t get much context as to what Gamora and Tony’s squabble was about, other than the fact that it has something to do with building a “suit or armor” around the world. Eitri (Peter Dinklage) also eavesdrops on the conversation as it takes place in his workshop on the Dwarven space station, Nidavellir.
Many were quick to point out how unusual it was that Gamora was the only member of this multiversal crew who didn’t receive her own alternate tale; although, according to the show’s writer A.C. Bradley, that wasn’t the original plan.
Due to numerous COVID-19 shutdowns and delays, What If…? was forced to push “another comedy episode,” presumably starring Iron Man and Gamora, from Season 1 to Season 2. But according to a new report from trusted Marvel insider Can We Get Some Toast, it seems like we now have a better idea what to expect from Tony and Gamora’s multiversal romp.
Earlier this week, the source revealed the rumored episode titles and release order for What If…?‘s second season, which, at last, will hopefully give some new insights into Gamora and Iron Man’s heated discussion on Nidavellir in Season 1’s missing episode.
While story specifics have yet to be made public, Episode 205 is reportedly titled “What If… lron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?,” which sounds like it will put a spin on Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok storyline.
The actual episode titles for #WhatIf Season 2 (release order subject to change):
• Episode 201: What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?
• Episode 202: What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?
• Episode 203: What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?
— CanWeGetSomeToast (@CanWeGetToast) October 2, 2023
It’s important to note that Gamora and Iron Man’s team-up episode was always part of the plan, even if it’s just now being (presumably) confirmed by these leaked What If…? Season 2 episode titles. This is further proven by a LEGO set which featured Tony Stark and his Hulkbuster suit on Sakaar, on top of reports that Jeff Goldblum recorded lines for the series — only for it to be cut at the last minute.
Based on the deleted episode’s title, and a line from The Watcher in which he declares Gamora a “survivor of Sakaar,” there’s a good chance Gamora crash-lands on the planet with Tony sometime after the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2017).
However, this version of Gamora is supposedly “hunting” the genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist, so seeing how they set aside their differences to fight a common enemy will be interesting. But one likely possibility is that Tony may initiate the Multiverse’s next big threat, which could very well be another super-powered version of Ultron.
Either way, a tête-à-tête or two between Iron Man (even if he’s not voiced by Robert Downey Jr.) and the Grandmaster will be nothing short of entertaining. It’ll be interesting to see how — or if — Gamora comes into the picture when the new batch of What If…? episodes arrive on Disney+ sometime in 2024.
Are you excited for the new episodes of Marvel’s What If…? to arrive on Disney+? Share your thoughts in the comments below.