The first episode of What If...? definitely feels standalone in nature, but it's hard to believe Marvel Studios isn't using this animated series to set the stage for at least some future stories. The most obvious is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, especially as that movie will explore alternate realities just like the ones we're going to see in What If...? each week.
So, did today's premiere set the stage for that highly anticipated sequel? The answer is...maybe?
Near the end of the episode, the Red Skull uses the Tesseract to welcome Hydra's "champion" to his world, only to be promptly crushed. We never really get to see the massive creature's full form, but it's basically a huge, green squid-like creature that looks an awful lot like it could be Shuma Gorath.
Rumour has it that this villain - who reportedly wants to use America Chavez to travel from world to world and conquer the Multiverse - will be the Doctor Strange sequel's big bad. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense for this episode of What If...? to have teased his MCU debut, especially if this clash with Captain Carter is what leads to him eventually crossing paths with the Sorcerer Supreme.
We've also heard that Peggy will eventually work with The Watcher in this show, while there's a lot of speculation online that we'll see her suit up in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If that's the case, then it's possible Captain Carter is enlisted to help put Shuma Gorath down once and for all.
It's hard to say for sure, but something tells us this creature wasn't just a random space squid...
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