The Deep-Cut Marvel Easter Egg You Missed In What If...?'s Season Finale
This week's season finale of "What If...?" pulled out all the stops to deliver an action-packed thrill ride of an episode featuring a plethora of characters from across the multiverse in an epic battle not merely to save the world, but existence itself. The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) assembles a team of champions from across the series' episodes (among them Captain Carter, Killmonger, Star-Lord T'Challa, a variant Gamora, and Party Thor) to battle an infinity stone-upgraded Ultron (Ross Marquand), who is on a mission to bring about peace throughout the multiverse by killing every living thing in every possible reality. "What If...The Watcher Broke His Oath?" is action-packed and filled with moments of jaw-dropping action, humor, and some surprisingly touching moments, too.
The episode also maintains the show's tradition of providing many an Easter egg that leaves fans' jaws dropping and collectively reaching for the pause button on their remote. Sometimes these references are for other films in the greater MCU saga, but sometimes they're also a nod to a character's comic book origins. Such is the case with one Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), who gets a serious (and very familiar) upgrade in the season finale.
A familiar face in a unique place
During the final battle on Earth-Ultron (the reality in which Ultron won and obtained the Infinity Stones), Black Widow deployed an arrow that contained the disembodied consciousness of Arnim Zola. Zola's mind quickly overwrites Ultron's own and he makes a bid for the Infinity stone-infused armor that Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) is attempting to seize for himself. As the pair battle for supremacy, it's revealed that Ultron/Zola's chest now contains an image of Zola's leering digitized face, similar to his appearance onscreen in both "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "What If...Ultron Had Won?" It's a moment that mixes serious and silly, but it is also a fun little nod to Zola's comic book origins.
In his Marvel Comics appearances, Zola uploads his consciousness into a series of robotic proxies and (for reasons known only to himself) elects to have his face in the center of the robot's chest rather than between its shoulders. This has been part of his visual design since the character was created by Jack Kirby (via GameSpot), whose designs are known for being wildly imaginative. The moment allows the "What If...?" creative team to tip their hat to the talented comics creators whose vivid imaginations bring these heroes and villains to life.