They are finally here!
Ever since it was announced Disney completed the acquisition of 21st Century Fox, us Marvel fans have had the same question in mind: When will the Mutants get to share the screen with other Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes? Well, that day is finally here ladies and gentlemen.
Now, I know it all technically began when Logan and Wade Wilson shared the big screen alongside many other Mutants such as Cassandra Nova and Pyro. And if we're being even more technical, Ms. Marvel was revealed to be a Mutant in her stand-alone series way before Deadpool & Wolverine was released. Nonetheless, What If...? Season 3 episode 7 further cemented the idea that Mutants are finally here by featuring Storm teaming up with the likes of Peggy Carter. The best part? It's all we could've asked for.
All pieces are set up for a big finale
To understand this tale, we must go back to episode six's ending. The Watcher saved a young Jun-Fan (better known as the Iron Fist) from a terrible ending, and with that, he sealed his very own fate. The other watchers couldn't bear witness as one of his peers broke the oath they all swore to keep: Never intervene. So the traitor was violently apprehended when he was on the Observational Plane — a fifth dimension from where all the multiverse can be seen. A piece of the Observational Plane was shattered in the process, and its shards landed on Earth 625 where the Exiles were conducting a mission.
Remember how The Watcher recruited Captain Carter to protect the multiverse itself? Well, she formed a super team consisting of Storm: the Goddess of Thunder, Byrdie: the daughter of Darcy and Howard the Duck introduced in episode 4, and Kahhori: who made her debut in season 2 of the show. The four heroes travel through different realities cleansing them of dangerous multiversal anomalies. After the Exiles defeat Hydra's champion (that big octopus that likes to make brief appearances throughout the series) they come across three shards of the Observational Plane.
Peggy comes to the conclusion that The Watcher is in trouble since the last time a similar event happened was when Infinity Ultron almost whipped out the multiverse as a whole. The four heroes then embark on a mission to access the Fifth dimension and save their comic friend from whatever danger it is in. Byrdie first attempts to use science to create a ship that — powered by one of the shards — is able to break the multiversal barrier and access the Observational Plane. Unfortunately, that plan doesn't work and the shard is destroyed in the process. With only two more chances left, Storm grabs another shard and performs a ritual to access the Watcher's homeworld. Yet again, the results are negative and the super team has just one shot left.
When contemplating their remaining options, The Exiles come to a realization: Someone (or rather, something) already accessed the fifth dimension a long time ago. Infinity Ultron accomplished this task in the finale of What If...? Season 1. So the team decides to find a reality where the killing android collects all the Infinity Stones and wipes out all life in the universe only to get a jump on him, reprogram his A.I., and give him the last shard. Then, they could ask him to open the door to the fifth dimension once again. It's a risky plan, especially because it can go sideways really quickly. On the bright side; the Exiles can just prune Infinity Ultron's reality if he overpowers them in battle. That way he'll never be a threat to other parallel universes. The only problem? Our heroes would also be pruned in the process.
Captain Carter knows this is a very heavy price to pay. So determined not to lose any more friends, she grabs the last shard and goes to Infinity Ultron's reality to face him alone.
The next day, all remaining Exiles note there's a missing ship and quickly chase after their leader. Once in Ultron's realm, they discover Peggy's broken shield and mercilessly attack the killing robot believing he is the culprit. However, Ultron stops time and explains he wasn't the one to take down their friend. Instead, another Watcher — The Eminence — suddenly appeared out of nowhere and kidnapped her. Much to the Exile's surprise, Ultron has had time to reflect on his actions after spending eons alone. He claims not to have created a world filled with peace, but one devoid of life. Coming to the realization that there's no peace without life, Infinity Ultron joins the Exile's crusade to save The Watcher and Captain Carter.
The end of the episode sees the whole team finally breach into the fifth dimension, and then we're hit with a big "to be continued" text. All pieces are set up for an explosive finale of a series that has increased in quality as more episodes have passed. Now, we're merely hours away from finding out how everything will conclude. So fingers crossed it's a memorable ending!