What If...? represents the best parts of Marvel’s multiverse. As the animated anthology thrives in the hypothetical, it’s free to imagine worlds in which heroes and villains traverse different paths, or team up with characters they might have never encountered in the MCU proper. It’s not unlike fan fiction, especially when the series gives audiences a crossover they didn’t know they needed. But not every idea introduced in What If is technically a one-off, especially as Marvel’s Multiverse Saga inches closer to its grand finale.
With the lines blurring between the “Sacred Timeline” (where almost every Marvel story takes place) and the alternate realities surrounding it, What If is becoming a point of inspiration. A few ideas introduced in it have gone on to inform Marvel’s live-action projects, like the appearance of Sinister Strange in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The series’ third season is continuing that streak in earnest, even if it doesn’t directly inform canon. Its latest episode not only reimagines the origin story of a fan-favorite anti-hero, but sneakily sets the stage for a highly-anticipated team-up.
“What If... Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier?” remixes events depicted in Captain America: Civil War, pitting a fully-indoctrinated Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) against Russia’s Red Guardian, aka Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour). The latter interrupts Bucky’s defining mission, thwarting him before he can successfully assassinate Howard and Maria Stark. While that’s probably great news for the Tony Stark of this universe, it paints a target on our duo’s back, forcing them to team up to escape the wrath of the Red Room and S.H.I.E.L.D.
The results are surprisingly endearing, as the Red Guardian’s boisterous energy slowly chips away at the Winter Soldier’s staunch H.Y.D.R.A. programming. Their dynamic samples from the best of buddy comedies and spy thrillers, reframing their adventures in a more optimistic light. As this is an alternate reality, we may never see such a friendly rapport in live-action. But the Bucky and Alexei of the main Marvel timeline will soon be forced to partner on a different mission, alongside Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) and the U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell) in Thunderbolts.
Thunderbolts follows a team of operatives recruited by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and as Harbour recently told Inverse, their dynamic is one of “provocation.” Thunderbolts is “the opposite of a love triangle,” Harbour said. “This person hates this person, hates this person, hates this person, and is annoyed and wants to get rid of this person.”
It’ll be interesting to see if his Red Guardian can play nice with the Winter Soldier in the Sacred Timeline: Bucky might have escaped from the clutches of H.Y.D.R.A., but he’s still all business. We may see glimmers of the heroes who become friends in Thunderbolts, but getting these super soldiers to trust each other won’t be as easy as it was in What If. Still, if the animated series has taught us anything, it’s that friendship is possible. What If is a clever prelude for Marvel’s upcoming slate — it’s careful not to fudge with canon, but it could be setting the stage for future events all the same.
What If...? streams new episodes daily on Disney+ until December 29.
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