What If…? 2×08 “What If… The Avengers Assembled in 1602?” felt like the same song and dance all over again for Peggy and Steve. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good classic storyline. But there’s something so boring about watching an iconic sort of couple continuously in this loop where they don’t end up together. Even more so when the woman is fridged to help progress the male character’s story arc. We’ve seen it continuously with any version of Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy. And this season of What If…? has made it very clear that Marvel feels the same about Peggy and Steve. They will not end up together. Not in their original timeline on What If…? or in an alternate universe besides an Endgame situation that makes you go, “WTFFF!”. And I’m bored.
I’ve never truly been invested in Peggy and Steve if I’m being honest. They had a little bit of cute tension between them back in Captain America. Nevertheless, I didn’t think that it was something so riveting that it would stand the test of time. It just doesn’t feel earned or epic. This version of Captain Carter, she feels earned as a hero. But sticking her on this same path and loop that Steve went through in the live-action movies, works against her. It’s not because a woman can’t have romance. They can. It’s because that’s Steve’s storyline. And I feel like they’re co-opting his storyline to hers and trying to act like they aren’t just copying and pasting. Women can have more issues than love. And I feel like making it the core of Peggy’s character arc leaves me knowing less about her because I’ve seen this story before.
If anything, I think it would have been very interesting to see Peggy let Steve go, especially because this isn’t her Steve and she knows it. There’s growth in letting something go. It’s healing and catharsis. Plus she still has her own Steve trapezing around the world in the Hydra Stomper. but 2×08 makes it seem like she forgot that her version is still out there. For me, the Peggy that I know would understand the difference between this 1602 Steve and hers. Which, it felt kind of really stupid that they were looking for this Forerunner the entire time and they didn’t really explain if Steve knew all along that he was the being destroying the world or not. Because if he didn’t know, I could understand him just trying to build a life there and piece himself into something or someone. But if he did know, then that makes this version of Steve a big asshole who was willing to let all these people die because he didn’t want to face the truth that he didn’t belong there.
Altogether, I feel like 2×08 was a waste of time. There were really cool moments that reminded me of why I love movies that smash the past and the future together in the same way that other movies like Nimona did. But that’s where it ends. I didn’t want to see Happy become a weird purple Hulk again. I didn’t want to see that ugly little mustache on Bucky’s face. I did not want to see Thor basically call Peggy a witch and then start a witch hunt while he himself was employing a witch. I didn’t even want to see Loki acting like a bumbling Shakespearean fool. It just wasn’t fun. It was surface-level from start to finish with little Easter Eggs that sounded more interesting than the actual episode being watched. (Seriously, I need to see this 1602 version of T’Challa.)
What If…? 2×08 would have been more interesting if they focused on the Asgardian siblings Hela, Thor, and Loki. We just got a great episode about Hela in 2×07. and I’ve always been of the mindset that Odin is an old fart who got angry when “the weapon he trained” wanted to continue in his footsteps. That’s why I felt that this episode was a wasted opportunity for the Asgardian siblings. Because in the first couple of minutes, Hela was sucked into a portal like nothing, to never be seen from or heard of again. It’s giving “ let’s fridge the goddess of death after giving her an amazing episode where she sets her own path and destiny.” This feeling is especially prevalent also due to the fact that Loki does nothing but recite Shakespeare while having ladies groan around him in embarrassment and Thor just stomping around like a big old oaf. It was a missed opportunity for Marvel to do some justice to the title of What If…? and give us sibling hijinks, bonding, or just them saving the day together. But after a season that continuously ignored the point of the title of the show, I’m not even surprised that this episode missed the landing again.
What If…? seasons 1 & 2 are now available on Disney+. Season 3 has been confirmed.
