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The second episode of Marvel's What If…? brought back late Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa in the new avatar of Star-Lord.
However, along with T'Challa as Star-Lord, the episode set in an alternate reality, also showcased the Mad Titan, Thanos as a reformed "nice" guy. Furthermore, fans got to see Thanos' adopted daughter, Nebula in a new look.
Several other previously seen characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy series like "Drax, the Destroyer", "Korath, The Pursuer", and "The Collector" were brought back in a new light.
The episode also included Seth Green's reprise of "Howard: The Duck" in a voice role.
What If…? Episode 2 was highly anticipated for the return of the late Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa's voice. But the episode also spawned a few interesting theories about the future of the series.
Here's a list of Easter eggs and theories from Episode 2 of Marvel's What If…?
"We don't do that here" reference
At the beginning of the Episode 2, T'Challa is seen at Morag trying to recover the power stone's orb. The scene initially mimicked the Guardians of the Galaxy until Korath recognized T'Challa as the Star-Lord, contrasting with the original 2014 movie.
In one scene, Korath turns out to be a Star-Lord fanboy and asks T'Challa if they should be bowing to him. This scene mirrors the iconic, much-memefied scene from Avengers: Infinity War, where Bruce Banner asks the same question.
T'Challa's spaceship is named "Mandela"
In the Guardians of the Galaxy series, Peter Quill's Star-Lord named his ships Milano and Benatar (actress Alyssa Milano and singer-songwriter Pat Benatar, respectively).
Meanwhile, in the alternate "What If…?" reality, T'Challa names it after former South African President and renowned freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela.
Drax and Nebula's different lives from the Guardians of the Galaxy series
Later, in the episode, a 'nice' Thanos variant shows up who is talked out of his genocidal plan with the Infinity Stones by T'Challa.
Now, since Thanos never pursued the stones, Ronan (the Accuser) never led an attack on Kylos (Drax's homeworld) to decimate half of the population. This prevents the deaths of Drax's wife and daughter.
Similarly, Thanos never decimates half of the Zehoberei race in this reality. So, Gamora is never associated with the Mad Titan. This results in Nebula never competing with Gamora while growing up.
Furthermore, this also implies that Nebula never got her body parts "upgraded" after losing fights with Gamora.
Korg's potentially tragic fate in this reality
At The Collector's museum (in Knowhere), the "Elder" alien boasted to T'Challa that he hacked the arm (gauntlet) off a "chatty" Kronan.
This, unfortunately, could be the adorable whipster Kornan, Korg, from 2017's Thor: Ragnarok and 2019's Avengers: Endgame.
The Collector's similar fate as Grandmaster's in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
At the climax of the episode, T'Challa and Yondu trick 'The Collector' into his cage. Furthermore, his servant and daughter Carina free the caged "collections" and offers him to them.
This scene mimics The Collector's brother, Grandmaster's fate from the deleted scene of Thor: Ragnarok (2017).
Other Easter Eggs:
Here are some theories which spawned from What If...? Episode 2:
Supreme Doctor Strange will assemble a team from different realities to fight against Ultron
While a promo showcased Supreme Doctor Strange meeting Captain Carter, What If...? Episode 2 confirmed that most of the episodes would occur in different realities.
This is plausible because The Collector's weapons collection included a Mjolnir and Captain America's shield, proving that this reality is different from that of Peggy Carter in What If...? Episode 1.
This spawns the theory that the "supreme" Stephen Strange will bring together a team of these heroes to fight against Ultron in the What If...? finale.
Potential Easter Eggs for Ex Nihilo - Gardeners
What If...? episode 2 showcased cosmic dust known as "embers of genesis", which has the power to terraform ecosystems. This ability is quite similar to that of Gardeners' race in the comics.
Gardeners were an alien race created by the Builders (the oldest race in the universe). The species could create organic life in worlds. Ex Nihilo was one of the most prominent representatives of the race.
T'Challa is expected to return in three more episodes. What If...? series' executive producer, Brad Winderbaumderbaum, has confirmed that T'Challa (voiced by Chadwick Boseman) will appear in four What If...? episodes.
Note: The article reflects the writer's own views.
