MCU: Plot Details Tease Ultron Victory In Alternate Reality Episode of Disney+ What If...?

By Nora Ambrose Posted:
Ultron Marvel Studios What If Logo

As more and more details slip out about What If...?the animated anthology series that will follow up Loki on Disney+ this August, fans only have more reason to be excited. Through the eyes of the all-seeing Watcher Uatu, viewers will get a chance to ponder what could have happened if some key moments in the MCU played out a bit differently.

Already confirmed storylines include a version of Marvel Zombies, Peggy Carter taking the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, and Prince T'Challa becoming Star-Lord rather than the Black Panther. The episodes will feature MCU actors doing the voices of their characters and will reportedly feel like watching MCU movies.

A new rumor gives a hint at another episode's storyline, this time featuring Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow.

BLACK WIDOW FACES AN APOCALYPTIC FUTURE

Ultron Avengers Age of Ultron
Marvel

A new rumor reported by the Illuminerdi says that Johansson's Natasha Romanoff will be "one of the only survivors of a cataclysmic event that came about due to the classic MCU villain Ultron."

She'll also be dressed for the apocalypse, as "her garb in What If…? will come with shorter sleeves and metal plating over her top, likely adjusting to her new darker surroundings."

Marvel Superheroes What If
Marvel

 

A MORE COMIC-ACCURATE RETELLING OF AGE OF ULTRON?

Since she features prominently in the new key-art shown for the series, it was almost a guarantee that Black Widow would appear in What If...?. Now it seems that there's a bit of a better idea of what it is she'll be up to.

2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron showed the MCU's version of the classic Avengers villain, but borrowed little from the comic book arc from which it took its name.

The comic, like the rumored What If...? episode, takes place in a post-apocalyptic earth where a victorious Ultron hunts down the remaining survivors of his global conquest. With Ultron already victorious, the heroes had to use time travel to undo his victory, which may have inspired the use of it to undo Thanos' in Avengers: Endgame in the MCU.

If this rumor is true, it's likely the What If...? episode will borrow heavily from the original Age of Ultron comic event and follow a closer version of the storyline than the Avengers sequel. Black Widow is one of the survivors in the original story, and the episode will likely see her finding a way to use Pym Particles to rewrite the genocidal synthezoid's victory.

Fans will have to wait to learn what alternate fates will be in store for their favorite MCU heroes, Black Widow included, until What If...? airs in August 2021.

- In This Article: What If...? (Season 2)
Release Date
December 22, 2023
Platform
Actors
Jeffrey Wright
- About The Author: Nora Ambrose
Nora Ambrose has been a Writer at The Direct since 2021. She specializes in all things Star Wars and Marvel, with a particular eye towards representation in media.