While Loki is already shaping up to be huge for the MCU, following close behind it will be another series that promises to be a complete departure from what fans have seen before. What If...? will deliver riveting tales of alternate versions of fan-favorite heroes in animated form, and things only get more exciting as more details emerge.
The first episode is set to feature Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter taking the Super Soldier Serum rather than Chris Evans' Steve Rogers, with Steve suiting up in a World War II version of an Iron Man suit. Fans are certainly eager to see the beloved characters fighting side by side, even in an alternate reality.
While details have been scarce outside of these main ideas, some new information is coming out about exactly why it's Peggy becoming the Captain rather than the Star Spangled Man.
STEVE SUITS UP IN THE HYDRA STOMPER
According to the The Illuminerdi, Peggy Carter, voiced by Hayley Atwell, will receive the serum after Steve becomes unable "due to an undisclosed injury" in Marvel Studios' What If...?. In his place, she'll be taking up the shield and the mantle of Captain Carter.
Steve won't be sitting the war out, though. Thanks to Howard Stark's ingenuity, he'll be suiting up in a very early version of an Iron Man suit called the "Hydra Stomper."
HAYLEY ATWELL'S FIRST AVENGER
As with previous rumors about What If...?, these leave an image of a different take on a classic MCU film. While Black Widow will face a different kind of Age of Ultron and Thor will go without the lessons taught in his first film, it seems Peggy and Steve will live out a different version of Captain America: The First Avenger.
While the story regarding Red Skull and the Tesseract will likely remain the same, it will be interesting to see how Peggy tackles the war with Hydra. Scenes from the trailer show her in front of the Brandenburg Gate in the German capital of Berlin, so perhaps the Allies end up having more success than they did historically with Captain Carter on their side.
It still remains to be seen how and why Howard Stark created an Iron Man suit over 50 years before his son Tony would in Iron Man. The tech has a distinctly WWII vibe to it but is definitely reminiscent of the first suit Tony built in the cave in Afghanistan. Perhaps he always had plans for such a suit but never needed to use them in the main timeline.
These answers and more will ultimately be brought to light when the Watcher reveals the first episode of What If...? on Disney+ in August 2021.
