What If…? Episode 8 Reverses A Controversial MCU Moment
Marvel's What If...? has reimagined many of the longstanding MCU storylines that fans have grown to love. The animated series' eighth episode combines elements from a few Avengers films to explore what an earlier Avenger loss could've done to the MCU. "What If... Ultron Won?" tackles the events of Age of Ultron as well as Endgame in order to explore what may have come of the Avengers if they had failed to stop Ultron.
By utilizing events from both Age of Ultron and Endgame, What If...? also reimagines a storyline that has remained a sore spot for many MCU fans. Since The Avengers, the relationship between Natasha and Clint has been something the MCU has offered several hints toward, without delving too deep into its history. Their relationship ultimately led to the duo's trip to Vormir during the time heist in Endgame that resulted in Natasha's unfortunate sacrifice of her own life for the soul stone.
Many MCU fans criticized Marvel's decision to kill off Natasha instead of Clint, as many fans felt that between the two, Natasha had a reason to stay alive. First appearing in Iron Man 2, Natasha has demonstrated her friendship with Tony Stark, Nick Fury, and Maria Hill, and went on to become close with others like Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, and even Thor. The family Natasha grew to have within the Avengers isn't something Clint was ever shown to have found. Unlike Natasha, Clint was never shown to have developed any strong connections with his fellow superheroes, leading many to believe that aside from his family, Clint had no reason to be the one that lived. With the next Disney Plus Marvel series centering around Hawkeye, Marvel's choice for keeping Clint alive may begin to make more sense. For now, "What If... Ultron Won?" corrects Natasha's death by having Clint sacrifice himself for the greater good.
"What If... Ultron Won?" allows Ultron to trump the Avenger's attempt to steal what originally became Vision's body from him. Instead of Natasha successfully getting the cradle in Age of Ultron, allowing the Avengers to create a hero out of Vision, Ultron gets his own wish. Hoping to use Vision's body as an upgrade from his current state, in What If...? Ultron is successfully able to upload himself into the body. Now adorned in what the main MCU timeline has recognized as Vision's body, Ultron becomes a powerhouse. He not only defeats the Avengers but becomes a much bigger threat than even Thanos posed in Infinity War and Endgame. With only one stone missing, Thanos makes a brief appearance in What If...?, with the remaining five infinity stones. Thanos is immediately cut down by Ultron, allowing Ultron to become the owner of all six infinity stones. His newfound power allows him to gain knowledge of words outside of his own, allowing him to destroy pivotal MCU locations including Asgard, Sovereign, Sakaar, Ego, and Xandar.
With so much lost hope, Captain Marvel tries to put an end to the high-level threat, similar to her actions in Endgame. As Captain Marvel charges at Ultron, not even her strength and power are enough to overcome him, and Ultron kills her. In order to combat the brutality Ultron has committed, Natasha and Clint have gone off to Russia in hopes of finding something capable of stopping Ultron. In need of something that Ultron hasn't hacked, Natasha is reminded of the Hydra base computer she and Steve came across in Captain America: The Winter Soldier that housed Arnim Zola's brain With that base destroyed, Natasha and Clint discover the super-soldier base in Siberia.
The Siberian base was seen once before in Captain America: Civil War. It was the same place that Steve, Bucky, and Tony had their first massive falling out after Zemo revealed the truth behind the deaths of Tony's parents. In this episode of What If...?, the base is now the location that Clint sacrificed himself for Natasha and the greater good. Noticing that Ultron's army was gaining on them, Clint offers a fatal (and explosive) shot to one of Ultron's soldiers and falls into the pit of robots. His sacrifice allows Natasha to drag the robot that Zola was successfully able to integrate himself into, to safety.
Clint and Natasha's search for anything that would help them combat Ultron, Clint makes it clear that he's tired of fighting. His attitude toward the superhero life he has lived for so long is similar to Natasha's in the first half of Endgame. Feeling defeated that they failed to beat Thanos the first time and were unsuccessful in regaining the stones to bring everyone back, Natasha found that sacrificing herself was her last chance at being able to be the hero Nick Fury always believed she was. For Clint, his decision to sacrifice himself in order for Natasha to still stand a chance at defeating Ultron came from a similar place of anguish.
While Clint's sacrifice in What If...? may not have brought upon the same emotional response that Natasha's death did in Endgame, the connections Marvel makes between both deaths are effective. Because of the bond that Clint and Natasha shared, the choice was going to be hard for either one of them to make. What makes Clint's sacrifice in What If...? different, is that there is a small chance that both of them would've somehow made it out alive. In Endgame, in order to get the soul stone, one of them had to die and there was no way of getting around it. Regardless, their bond solidified that whatever Clint or Natasha died, one of them was going to have to live with the guilt the sacrifice guaranteed. Even though "What If... Ultron Won?" wasn't a battle for an infinity stone, Clint's sacrifice still cost a piece of Natasha's soul.
What If...? is now streaming on Disney Plus.
Source: Gamerant
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