There’s an in-joke in Marvel’s What If…? comics that no matter how the universe changes, Spider-Man always dies. So far, the Web-Slinger has survived in the Disney Plus show, but his morbid mantle has been taken up by Tony Stark. The billionaire playboy has been assassinated by Hank Pym, turned into a zombie and beheaded, and now cruelly impaled by Killmonger.
This journey into the unknown – ‘What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark’ – showed Michael B. Jordan’s Erik Killmonger embarking on a Machiavellian scheme to seize the Wakandan throne. Over the course of the episode, he successfully pulled the wool over Stark’s eyes, manipulated the US military into war, murdered several beloved characters in cold blood, and eventually became the new Black Panther.
Perhaps this is all a good reminder that trusting guys called ‘Killmonger’ isn’t a smart move. Here’s how it’s going down on Twitter:
This episode was also the second in a row that ended on a cliffhanger, with Shuri and Pepper Potts teaming up to expose Killmonger’s crimes. The recent mid-season trailer dropped hints that some episodes will get follow-ups, but as we have a fairly good idea of what the remaining stories will be, a proper resolution probably won’t arrive until the second season.
But so far this has been one hell of a ride. I really want to see how Killmonger’s victory affects the wider MCU, especially when Thanos inevitably arrives seeking the Infinity Stones and Stark isn’t there to formulate the time heist.
Next week’s What If…? appears to be the debut of ‘Party Thor’, which should hopefully be a much more lighthearted story, though I wouldn’t be surprised if, once again, Stark somehow bites the dust.
