Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Episode 8 of What If...?
As Marvel Studios' released the penultimate episode of their first animated show, fans were treated to a series of stories that provide the closest thing to official fan fiction they have ever seen.
With a show like What If...? exploring the ins and outs of alternate realities within the Marvel Universe, the possibilities are endless. So far in Season 1, What If...? has displayed an array of familiar faces in a variety of new (and familiar) places. The concepts and story ideas chosen for each episode have been a walk down the path of variability as fans are introduced to the MCU multiverse and all of its different adaptations to the heroes they love.
The open-ended concept of the show combined with the use of animation has opened the doors for screenshots and moments that the most die-hard Marvel fans could have only dreamed of. Thanos as a Ravager, an Avengers murder mystery, and Peggy Carter wielding a vibranium shield are just a few moments that fans thought they would never see.
Along with the fan-fiction nature of the show, Easter Eggs opportunities are ripe for the picking in What If...?. Episode 8 was the installment that the What If...? faithful have been waiting for to (hopefully) tie everything together. But it also featured a Chris Evans-related Easter Egg that fed fans something they never knew they wanted to eat.
Steve Rogers, President of the USA
In the latest episode, "What If... Ultron Won?," Ultron gains a level of power that allows him to join The Watcher in the security footage room beyond the multiverse. A fight breaks out and the two super-beings break in and out of various universes throughout the multiverse.
One of these stops lands them in Times Square in the middle of the day, surrounded by the shocked people of Earth. Many of the spectators seem to have never seen alien life before, which prompts an immediate recording of The Watcher as he comes face to face with humanity for the first time.
While spectators watch in awe, there is a broadcast in the background that shows one of the faces of the MCU taking on one of the biggest roles Earth has to offer.
While the multiversal battle goes on, Chris Evans' Steve Rogers (voiced by Josh Keaton) can be seen being sworn into office as the President of the United States of America. The suit, the Washington D.C. background, and Cap saying "I, Steven Grant Rogers, do solemnly swear..." confirm that Captain America is the Commander 'n Chief in this universe.
This is the type of Easter Egg that MCU fans did not know they wanted to see.
Keep the Captain America Cameos Coming
This type of Easter Egg is likely nothing more than a nod to one of the most famous What If? stories in Marvel Comics, exploring the possibility of Captain America being elected President.
In the comic lore, this story is a perfect example of small adjustments to a familiar story that make for a great story within itself. Prior to this series, this would be nothing more than an Easter Egg, and something that would never come to fruition. But, with the seemingly endless possibilities, resources, and room to run What If...? has as Season 1 comes to a close, there is no reason a future installment of the show can't feature Steve Rogers in the oval office.
Season 2 is coming and the stories being told have no restraint of continuity moving forward. Steve Rogers has played a role in multiple episodes this season but has yet to star in his own alternative story.
While this could be the seed being planted for a What If...? adventure down the line, it also acts as the second Stever Rogers Easter Egg to perk the ears of the internet in the past month. President Steve Rogers is an Easter Egg that has a good chance of coming to life. "Rogers: The Musical," the Broadway show shown in the Hawkeye teaser trailer, is another Cap Easter Egg fans hope to see played out.
Some would say that the Easter Egg opportunity in an animated alternate reality show about the MCU was squandered. Others would say they have been finding familiar Marvel puzzle pieces since the show first premiered. Despite the mixed feelings about What If...? and how they handled the concept, no one can disagree that President Steve Rogers is not the President that America deserves, but the President America needs.
A vote for Rogers is a vote for more Marvel Easter Eggs in What If...?! Episode 8 of the streaming series is now available on Disney+.
