9 Marvel Cinematic Universe moments that could be used for ‘What If…?’

5. What if Steve Rogers was never found?

Steve Rogers was found right when he was needed. Thanos and his army were about to invade New York. The world needed heroes, and Captain America was there to lead Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Hulk to victory. Sure, it took the entire team coming together to do it, but they succeeded in defeating Loki and the Chitauri. This was the moment the Avengers were born. And Steve Rogers never being thawed out would have had more consequences than you may think.

First, there would have been no one around to stop the Iron Man and Thor fight in The Avengers. This would have ended in Tony Stark’s death or Thor taking Loki and leaving Earth. Either way, this means the world would have been short heroes when the Chitauri invaded. If Tony Stark wasn’t around, who would have stopped the nuke from hitting New York?

Second, there’s Winter Soldier. Without Steve Rogers, no one would have been around to stop Hydra from taking over. Alexander Pierce’s Project INSIGHT Helicarriers would have destroyed their targets. Nick Fury was banking on Steve Rogers helping him after he faked his death. Black Widow is a capable spy, but we saw that she wasn’t a match for Bucky.