Why What If...? Episode 7's Lightheartedness Has MCU Fans Worried
There have been seven episodes of "What If...?" so far, and the most recent installment was a breath of fresh air. For one too many episodes in a row, we saw some rather devastating stories, including a zombie apocalypse, the literal destruction of the universe by Doctor Strange, and a world where Hank Pym murders all of the Avengers. Episodes 3, 4, and 5 were a far cry from the relatively happy nature we saw in Episodes 1 and 2, where Peggy Carter became Captain Britain and T'Challa saved the universe as Star-Lord, respectively.
The last several "What If...?" episodes were full of death, but luckily that wasn't the case in "What If... Thor Were An Only Child?" The story centers around the God of Thunder, who grows up without Loki by his side. Not having a brother changes Thor's trajectory, who becomes somewhat of a frat bro after not being challenged to become a hero in his younger years. Most of the episode sees the god partying on Earth with his intergalactic pals and ends with him asking Jane Foster on a date. Sure, there was some fighting with Captain Marvel, but it was fun to watch and never amounted to someone's defeat.
The lightheartedness of the episode has some MCU fans worried, however, and for a good reason.
Was Episode 7 too good to be true?
Things just worked out all too well in Episode 7 of "What If...?" The guy got the girl, the Earth was saved, and Darcy Lewis married Howard the Duck. While Thor's story was fun and lighthearted, the last few seconds of the episode effectively ended its happy-go-lucky feel when Infinity Ultron walked into the desert from another universe. The ending shocked fans, leaving them feeling anxious for what's to come. It wasn't just this new Ultron's appearance that was worrying viewers, but the episode's too good to be true nature as a whole.
Redditor u/LumpyJones cited the history of storytelling to explain why they were worried about the next two episodes. "Given storytelling traditions in serial television, that means the next episode is likely going to be a real nut punch and they wanted to get us to drop our guard before it connects," they wrote. Ultron's appearance in the episode definitely hints that something big is about to happen, especially given the Watcher's surprise at his appearance. This episode probably was too good to be true, and we should brace ourselves for what's about to happen in the coming weeks.