What If…?: What’s hidden in plain sight in episode 1
By Mike McNulty
One small change?
As the Watcher states in this episode, the conceit behind What If…? is “For want of a nail,” in that even the smallest, most insignificant of decisions can change the course of history for good or for ill. Or, in this case, create an entire new universe. Thus, we’re told that Peggy’s decision to stay with Steve rather than go to the observation booth during the Super Soldier Serum test is what made all the difference. Except when you compare the opening scene to the original one from Captain America: The First Avenger, that’s not entirely correct.
First, Dr. Erksine (Stanley Tucci) telling Peggy, “Ms. Carter, don’t you think you’d be more comfortable in the booth?” isn’t because of some 1940s “No women allowed” policy or a patronizing “this is too dangerous for a lady” mindset. It’s because she’s an officer, and the booth is where all the military brass like herself are already seated for them to safely watch the test. Yet for some reason, What If…? has all the military personnel and politicians on the ground floor while the experiment is taking place. What’s more, Steve was already in the capsule for the experiment when Peggy is asked whether she wants to go the booth, not standing right by Steve.
Second, John Flynn (Bradley Whitford) from the Agent Carter short film is one the observers of the experiment. However, Colonel Flynn was never at the original super soldier test. It’s even implied in that short film that Peggy never even met Flynn until after World War II when she was briefly assigned to his Strategic Scientific Reserve unit. The only reason he’s there at all is so he can replace the murdered Colonel Chester Phillips as head of the SSR and act as a foil for Peggy.
Third, in the original movie, Kruger sets the bomb off after Steve’s transformation into a super soldier, and the explosion occurs in now empty observation booth. But in What If…? Kruger decides to set the bomb off before the experiment, with the bomb exploding on the ground floor. Instead of being a distraction like it was in the original movie, it’s an act of sabotage. Not exactly sure how Peggy’s decision to stay with Steve made Kruger decide to completely change his plans all of the sudden, but anything to get the plot moving, I guess.
Finally, the Red Skull (Ross Marquand) obtains the Tesseract weeks after Peggy’s transformation into a super soldier. This is key because Peggy is able to intercept the shipment, arrest Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), and thus prevent Hydra from creating advanced weapons powered by the Tesseract. Except in Captain America: The First Avenger, the Red Skull gets a hold of the Tesseract in March of 1942, at least a full year before Steve Rogers even enlisted in the army. So what in this universe made the Red Skull think it was a better idea to postpone his plans for world domination until after the Allies had a super soldier other than because the story says so?
Yes, Peggy deciding to stay with Steve was a major change to the timeline, but it wasn’t the only change. And it certainly doesn’t seem to be the one thing which would’ve drastically changed the course of MCU history like What If…? alleges.