Skip To...
What If…? Season 2 Episode 1 is finally here after two years. The animated series focuses on the different events that happen in the multiverse, while Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher guides us through the stories. Each episode is about a different universe, and how the story of each timeline has changed from the one we have seen in the main MCU narrative. Episode 1 of What If…? Season 2 takes on Nebula joining the Nova Corp, and it’s by far one of the best Marvel stories, narrated through the glasses of Noir elements. But did you notice the hidden details of this part?
Season 1 Characters Are All Here
Starting every What If…? episode, The Watcher narrates the same lines, saying how the multiverse is shaped with infinite realities. We see some of the main figures of the Marvel Cinematic Universe like Black Widow, Iron Man, and Captain America, and then the glass shatters. Now if you pay close attention, we can see most of the main Season 1 characters in the smaller glass pieces here.
Looking at the image above, we see Gamora, Captain Carter, Frost Giant Loki, Doctor Strange, Ultron, Zombies Wanda, and Iron Man, all from What If…? Season 1. Then the glass shatters again, showing the new characters of this Season. This is a subtle detail that many fans might just skip.
The Watcher In The Background
If you remember What If…? Season 1, then you’re probably familiar with how the story gets narrated by The Watcher. At first, he’s completely in the background, not even showing a face when unfolding the tale. But after each episode, he gets closer until he’s in full contact with the timelines, talking to their characters. This is the same scenario in What If…? Season 2 Episode 1, where The Watcher is just a voice, and it’s even overtaken by Nebula right at the beginning.
Three Stars of Xandar
The last time we saw Xandar it was in Guardians of The Galaxy movies. However, the sunny, green, and lively Xandar is nowhere to be found in What If…? Season 2 Episode 1. In fact, this place has been a planet-size prison, only to shield it against Ronan.
The ones protecting Xandar and the Nova Corp are the Corpsmen. These are the brave soldiers we saw in Guardians Vol. 1, sacrificing their lives for Xandar and its people. And if you had noticed, even in the movie they had a unique suit with three lights on it. This detail is more evident in What If…? Season 2 Episode 1 when it’s night and those lights shine more than ever. These are the badges of honor for the Corpsmen, representing Xandar’s three suns.
Hulk Korg
Besides all the Blade Runner references and their similarities to this episode, there are other details that callback to the main MCU timeline. For instance, we have Korg, again voiced by Taika Waititi himself, playing a similar scene that Hulk did in Avengers 1. When Nebula and her team invade the Nova Corp, Korg manages to kill some of the guards while smashing them into the ground. We’ve seen a similar scene in Avengers 1 when Hulk smashed Loki with the same move.
Talk To Me Baby
Speaking of MCU references, What If…? Season 2 Episode 1 doesn’t skimp out in this regard. This time, it’s a reference to Tony Stark and the way he interacts with machines. In Avengers 2, Stark tries to fix the Barton family’s tractor, while telling it “Hello dear, tell me everything.” This is a similar dialogue we hear from Yon-Rogg in this episode.
Yon-Rogg is a returning character from the Captain Marvel 2019 movie, accompanying Carol Danvers as she grew among the Kree forces. Law voices this character for the What If…? series himself. And when Nebula and Yon-Rogg are trying to breach through Nova Corp’s mainframe core, he is in charge of opening a locked door. That’s where when he tries to figure out how the locks work, he says “C’mon baby, talk to me.”
Rock Paper Scissors
Watching Groot, Miek, and Korg play rock paper scissors is enough to enjoy a hilarious scene in What If…? Season 2 Episode 1. Korg is the rock, Miek’s hands are made of scissors, and Groot is a tree, which is obviously used for creating papers.
This scene is also a callback to when Thor met Korg and Miek in Thor: Ragnarok. In that first meeting, Korg warned Thor not to be scared of him, except if he’s made of scissors.
No Rocket, No Star-Lord
One of the most important details in What If…? Season 2 Episode 1 was about Yandu and Nebula having a friendly past. This is while Yandu didn’t work with the Black Dragons in the main MCU timeline, and Peter Quill was his ally instead. However, there’s no Peter here, meaning that he’s probably killed off by Ego, or he has never become Star-Lord. The same goes for Rocket, where he’s not around with Groot, meaning that he’s probably killed or kept in prison by the High Evolutionary in this timeline.
So far What If…? Season 2 Episode 1 was one of the best in the MCU, mixing the Marvel’s style with the Noir detective fiction. But the overall story is yet to be unfolded by revealing the main villain, and it remains to be seen where we’ll visit episode 1’s Nebula next.
What If…? Season 2 is currently streaming in Disney Plus.
