Well... that was quite a premise.
What If...? Season 3 is almost halfway through its run — but even if we have yet to see five more episodes of the Disney Plus series, I'll call it right now: Episode 4 will be the weirdest one. As has been the case multiple times in the show before, audiences are presented with a brand new scenario that doesn't originate from a pre-existent event in a live-action Marvel Cinematic Universe project.
Instead, it's a completely original concept that dares to ponder the question: What if Doctor Darcy Lewis fell in love with that one character who had two cameos in the MCU?
Howard the Duck and Doctor Darcy Lewis have a baby
This tale begins right after Darcy and Howard meet at one of Thor's parties in Las Vegas (a story told in another What If...? episode from the first season). The two quickly fall in love, and even have a baby together. The only problem? That baby is an egg, and neither parent knows exactly when it will hatch. But while they wait for the big day to come, the pair are surprised by an unexpected visitor at their home. One of the Grand Master's henchmen appears without previous notice to give them tickets to the Grand Master's Grand Cruise Across the Stars, all expenses paid. The new parents aren't quite sure why they were invited, but they decide to go either way.
Soon after boarding the flying ship, the Grand Master himself greets the new guests of honor, persuades them to leave the baby with robot nannies, and invites them to a big dinner. Darcy and Howard, accept, and just when they are sitting at the table they discover a horrible truth: The main dish is their recently hatched baby. When things are about to go full Hannibal Lecter and guests are ready to eat, Jondu makes a big entrance and steals the egg for himself.
Howard and Darcy steal a "life raft" from the Grandmaster's ship (which is a smaller ship in itself) and attempt to follow Jondu until the kidnapper goes through a Jump Point and disappears in the stars. Desperate to find their baby, our two protagonists call the only man capable of dealing with such a strange situation: Nick Fury. The leading man behind S.H.I.E.L.D. answers the call and finally reveals the truth behind why the Ravagers and the Grandmaster are chasing after an egg. Turns out, the night the baby was born was also the night of the convergence — a cosmic event where all planets align with each other, signaling the birth of a "great new power". Yes, that same egg everyone's chasing is said great new power.
Howard and Darcy overhear Phil Coulson saying a Ravager's ship made a Jump Point to meet with The Collector, meaning that's where their baby is. The pair then goes to Knowhere, where they discover a new powerful being has also joined the party. Remember about Kaecilius? The villain in the very first Doctor Strange movie? Well, turns out the sorcerer also learned about the baby, trapped the Collector inside the Mirror Dimension, killed Jondu, and got the egg to himself. He then starts a ritual that would allow Dormamu to be reincarnated in a physical body once the egg hatches. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives on the scene to — you guessed it — confiscate the baby to themselves, and that's where all hell breaks loose.
Darcy and Howard manage to recover their child in the middle of all the chaos and escape to a remote place where no one would find them: Jotunheim. Loki — who's a Frost Giant in this tale — welcomes the new parents, and offers them to stay at a lodge. Unfortunately, peace doesn't last as S.H.I.E.L.D, the Frost Giants, the Dark Elves, Zeus and his army, the Grandmaster, Kaecilius, Thanos, and the Black Order all arrive at the scene in an attempt to steal the egg for themselves. A huge fight takes place, with all parties brutally attacking each other in an attempt to reach the same goal. Darcy, Howard, and the baby barely manage to escape, but they find themselves surrounded by different beings who'll stop at nothing to get their hands on the egg.
Just when everything seems lost, the egg begins to float and launch energy beams at anyone attempting to get near it. All the different villains start to drop one by one, and Darcy and Howard realize their kid is indeed special. To top things off, the egg finally hatches, launching a huge energy wave in the process that kills huge players such as Thanos and Kaecilius. The nightmare is finally over, and a little girl is born in the process. Nick Fury realizes the kid is safer with her parents, and decides to leave the "The Ducks" family alone.
After everything is said and done, Howard, Darcy, and their new baby girl all return home and have the happy ending they were hoping for. At least, until someone else attempts to get all the baby's powers for themselves, that is.