Throughout three years, audiences watched no shortage of whacky and shocking Marvel Cinematic Universe tales on the small screen thanks to What If...?. The Disney+ series introduced us to parallel realities where the stories we know and love didn't pan out the way we expected. Slight variations in popular scenarios could result in completely new and unexpected events. But even if there was an unlimited potential for an infinite number of episodes, every show must come to an end.
What If...? Season 3 episode 8 marks the conclusion of the first animated MCU project. It's packed with big action set pieces, well-choreographed fight sequences, and a few heartbreaking moments. But before we dive into its story, it's important to note that there will be spoilers ahead. So if you don't want any surprises ruined, now's the perfect time to bookmark this page, watch the episode, and then return for the breakdown.
Still here? Great, then let's kick things off.
The end is here
Before the story truly begins, we get a flashback to when The Watcher first became... well, a Watcher. Think of it as the calm before the storm. The latest member of this cosmic council was trained under the tutelage of The Eminence — an all-powerful being who explains that you must give up on everything and turn into no one to properly fulfill the duty. Devotion to the Watcher's missions means not having any judgments to ensure your emotions will never take over. That's the oath every member of the club has to take: Observe, and never intervene.
Unfortunately, the newest Watcher has broken the oath multiple times throughout the series. As a result, his peers apprehended him and her appointed knight, Peggy Carter. Ready to face judgment, our two protagonists brace themselves for the worst. But then, the impossible happens: Something breaches through the multiversal barrier and gets to the Fifth Dimension, better known for being the Watcher's homeworld. Remember Infinity Ultron? The big bad of the first season of the series? Well, he arrives at the scene and isn't looking happy. Thankfully, he isn't there to destroy the multiverse as before, but rather to save the two captured heroes.
The Exiles — a superhero group consisting of Byrdie, Storm, and Kahhori — recruited the android to help save their leader, Peggy Carter. The three then arrive on a ship, save the two hostages, and take off as Ultron is left behind to stop the other Watchers. Unfortunately, the reformed supervillain is no match for the all-powerful cosmic beings who quickly overpower him and go on a crusade to capture the ship carrying the fugitives. Soon enough they find it, and things take a dark turn.
The fifth-dimensional beings easily best the Exiles and the nameless Watcher in combat. But just when they're about to be taken down, the latter has an idea: He makes the four superheroines take the Oath he himself took eons ago and turns them into other Watchers. The playing field is finally leveled as the Exiles get brand new powers to aid them in battle. And the entity responsible for giving them said new powers? Well, he finally reveals his name, and that's Utau (the same name as the Watcher assigned to Earth in comic book pages).
A huge anime-like battle takes place as Peggy Carter, Byrdie, Storm, Kahhori, and Utau battle the three members of the Watcher's order. Captain Carter's shield gets thrown, Thor's hammer is launched, and portals are created. However, even if the Exiles did everything in their power to give a good fight, they soon fell. The three evil Watchers unite themselves to perform one last, desperate move: To erase their opponents from every single plane of existence. Every version of Peggy, Byrdie, Storm, and Kahhori across the multiverse starts fading into nothingness. Soon, their names will be forgotten, and all their actions will be undone.
Determined not to lose any more friends, Captain Carter gathers strength to send the battlefield to a different dimension — one where Doctor Strange has absolute power over the universe and is able to block The Watchers' powers. But while this move proved to be successful, Peggy paid the ultimate price. The protagonist we've seen across many different What If...? episodes is suddenly gone for good, and no one can bring her back. However, her sacrifice allowed the rest of the Exiles to live, and Utau to have one more conversation with his former master, The Eminence.
Utau states that The Watchers will have to do more than simply observe. They'll need to go beyond what something is and understand what it means. That way, they can truly help people and save the multiverse that they all swore to preserve. After saying those touching words and sparing the lives of the rest of his peers, Utau joins the remaining Exiles to honor Peggy by releasing her shield across the fifth dimension.
In the final moments of the episode, we get a glimpse at the brand-new realities that Utau will now watch over. In them, we see a six-legged Spider-Man, a Samurai Ghost Rider, Riri Williams as the Punisher, Thanos with the Wolverine claws, Maestro as the Sorcerer Supreme, and many more characters. Unfortunately, now that What If...? is officially over, we'll never get to see all these branching realities with all these unexpected heroes. On the bright side, Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are on the horizon, meaning things will only get crazier from here. The multiverse is set to play an even bigger part in upcoming MCU projects, and we can't wait to see how it all plays out.