Marvel’s What If…? season 3 brings the original six Avengers back, but reminds viewers how lucky they were in the MCU’s main timeline. The MCU’s original six Avengers were only active as a team for a couple of years between Phase 1’s The Avengers and Phase 2’s Avengers: Age of Ultron before disbanding in Captain America: Civil War and briefly joining forces to fight Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. However, their missions together were mostly successful, as they stopped Loki’s invasion of Earth, thwarted Ultron’s apocalyptic plans, and undid Thanos’ Snap — feats unmatched by most Avengers variants across the multiverse.
Previous What If…? seasons have offered a glimpse at alternate timelines where the Avengers weren’t as successful as their Earth-616 counterparts. For instance, What If…? season 1 episode 3 showed how an out-of-control Hank Pym could have assassinated the original six Avengers one by one, and What If…? season 1 episode 4 showed how Doctor Strange could have destroyed his whole universe before the Avengers even realized it. Now, What If…? season 3 episode 1 features an especially powerful team of Avengers who also struggles to match the success of Earth-616’s heroes.
What If…? season 3 episode 1 opens with an in-universe TV show recounting the Avengers’ previous battle. According to the narration, Iron Man designs a set of giant robotic armors for the Avengers, with the sole purpose of fighting the kaiju creatures that the Hulk spawned. These Mecha-Avengers — nicknamed the Hulk-Busters — are equipped with high-tech weapons that resemble their respective heroes’ abilities, such as Thor’s Mjolnir, Hawkeye’s arrows, and Captain America’s shield, plus extra features such as jet repulsors and wings.
Hulk’s Gamma-irradiated kaiju offspring are stronger than Iron Man and his Hulk-Busters thought, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes quickly succumb to their injuries inside their mecha armors. Fortunately, Iron Man designs enough mecha Hulk-Busters for a new generation of Avengers, who defeat most of Hulk’s giant creatures. These new Mecha-Avengers are led by Sam Wilson and include Bucky Barnes, Monica Rambeau, Shang-Chi, Marc Spector, Red Guardian, and Nakia.
Although the original six Avengers introduced in What If…? season 3 episode 1 seem more prepared for battle than their Earth-616 counterparts, they all die unceremonious deaths off-screen. The Mecha-Avengers’ premature deaths goes to show how luck factors in each timeline’s history, as some variants could be even more powerful than the rest, yet they still die tragic deaths because an even bigger, meaner, threat arises. Luckily for the second wave of Mecha-Avengers, the original Hulk steps in to become the Apex and leads his kaiju offspring away from civilization.
