'What If..?': Six Characters Who Could Become The Avengers In The Aftermath Of Episode 3

The third episode of Marvel's What If..?, set in an alternate version of the game-changing 'Fury's Big Week', delivered the series most shocking scenario so far, as four of the five founding Avengers were brutally murdered by a grief-stricken Hank Pym before the team had a chance to form. Worse still, Loki, who originally arrived just to avenge Thor's death, decided to stay on Earth and take over the planet. Luckily, all hope wasn't lost, with the episode's closing scene suggesting that Fury may have been planning to build a new team and take back the planet.

Here's six characters who could become The Avengers in the aftermath of What If..? episode three.

1. Captain America

In the closing moments of the episode, Fury discovers Captain America's shield frozen in ice, hinting that he has discovered the location of Steve Rogers. The original Fury's Big Week ended with the discovery of the frozen Super Soldier, and Fury's joy at the idea of completing his Avengers team.

Sadly, there is much less joy to be found in this new timeline. Now, Steve will be the only survivor of Fury's original Avengers Initiative plans, having still been in the ice during Pym's killing spree. And while Steve had at least a little time to relax and adjust to the new world before Loki's attack in the original timeline, there will be no rest for Captain America this time around. He will wake after one War to dive directly into a new one.

2. Captain Marvel

At one point in episode 3, Fury fetches the upgraded Beeper that Carol Danvers left him after the events of Captain Marvel. He is about to use it to summon her back to Earth, before becoming distracted when he suddenly deciphers Black Widow's final message. However, the episode's ending reveals that he did in fact use the Beeper after Loki's takeover, when Carol arrives to meet with Fury just as he discovers Rogers.

Captain Marvel's presence could provide a boost to Earth's few remaining heroes at a time when they will probably be feeling low, but that doesn't mean the fight ahead will be easy. This time around, Loki has the might and loyalty of Asgard behind him.

If What If..? returns to this scenario in a future season, it will be interesting to see whether Captain America or Captain Marvel emerges as leader of the Avengers.

3. War Machine

While Tony Stark may be no more, their may still be a user of Stark armor among the alternate Avengers. In the original timeline, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes and his War Machine armor do not officially join the team until the very end of Avengers: Age Of Ultron, after Tony tries and fails to retire for the second time, in What If..? episode three's timeline, Rhodey may join the team in honour of his fallen friend. Assuming, of course, that Fury could find another way to release Rhodey's armor from Ivan Vanko's control, seeing as Black Widow, who accomplished this task in Iron Man 2, is dead.

If this storyline is one day continued, having Rhodey and Carol Danvers serve on the same team could be a way to test the waters of the War Machine/Captain Marvel romance from the comics before possibly bringing it to the big screen in a future film.

4. The Falcon

Like Rhodey, Sam Wilson of the original timeline does not join The Avengers until the end of Age of Ultron. But in the dark world of the alternate timeline, it's possible that he could have joined the team a lot sooner.

Steve is alive in the new timeline, so there's no reason to think that he would not still meet and befriend Sam at some point. And, if Fury were to learn of Sam's past, he could probably find some way to access the Falcon wings. In this timeline, the heroes will need all the help they can get.

5. Black Panther

In the films, King T'Challa, aka the Black Panther, has been an ally of the Avengers, but never an official member of the team. However, he, along with everyone present during the final battle against Thanos, gained honorary Avenger status in Endgame. But in a timeline where most of the original Avengers are dead, T'Challa could be called up for duty a lot sooner.

A comic prelude to the Black Panther film revealed that T'Challa first inherited the mantle of Black Panther from his father, King T'Chaka, at around the same time as Tony Stark revealed himself as Iron Man. This means that T'Challa would have been Black Panther for six months at the time of Hank Pym's killing spree against the original Avengers. Loki's magic would most likely be able to bypass the tech that kept the true Wakanda hidden from the world, which would up the stakes for T'Challa. He might join an alternate Avengers team in a plan to overthrow Loki in order to keep Wakanda safe.

6. Spider-Man

In the original timeline, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is recruited by Tony Stark after he discovers videos of him using his powers online. However, by his own choice, he is not named an official Avenger until both branches of the team find themselves in dire straits in Avengers: Infinity War.

Peter was a child at the time of What If..? episode three's events, so he would not have been recruited right away. But assuming he was not killed by Hammer Drones (Tony Stark saves him from this fate in Iron Man 2, but the drone attack may not have happened anymore after Tony's death), and Loki's invasion did not prevent him from eventually getting his powers, Spider-Man would possibly have been discovered and recruited by Fury at a later point in time. Fury knew Tony Stark was Iron man long before he revealed it. He had Tony under surveillance for months, and Bruce Banner possibly for years. There's no way he would have failed to notice a kid with spider powers swinging around Queens.

'What if the Earth lost its mightiest heroes?' may have been the darkest What If..? episode so far, but it is also the one with the most interesting implications for the future of it's world. Let's hope we see more from this scenario in the future.