The midpoint of a TV season usually turns into the purpose the place the story feels its darkest. Whereas this construction is frequent for serialized exhibits, it’s refreshing to see What If…? Season 3 take this method in its anthology format.
Episode 5, titled “What If the Emergence Destroyed the Earth?” plunges into one of many bleakest moments within the collection.
The episode doesn’t fail however challenges the everyday superhero narrative by presenting a world teetering on the sting of hopelessness. In a style the place heroes are all the time anticipated to save lots of the day, this chapter pushes towards the norm, displaying how fragile hope could be.
Even the Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) units a somber tone, calling this “the ultimate act of a tragic story.” As he narrates, he reveals that he’s witnessed many worlds fall, not due to villains alone however as a result of heroes couldn’t rise to their challenges.
This episode’s focus is one such world the place despair outweighs hope. The story facilities on Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), often known as Ironheart, who has but to achieve any model of this specific universe.
Riri Williams: Earth’s Final Hope
Riri strikes stealthily via a dystopian world managed by the Iron Federation, following a path to a hidden vacation spot. Her journey leads her to an previous Avengers brand and the codeword “Rushville,” which directs her to a rundown lodge.
Inside, Riri meets Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), who is supposed to offer her with a easy analog machine, an equipment of little obvious significance. Regardless of their change, Sharon warns Riri in regards to the Federation’s relentless pursuit of her. Riri denies the accusation that she’s constructing a weapon, but Sharon betrays her to the Federation moments later.
Riri, anticipating Sharon’s actions, escapes together with her prize, utilizing her powered glove to struggle off sentinels despatched by the Federation. Among the many enemies is the Imaginative and prescient, who seems as an imposing power.
After a chaotic rooftop confrontation, Riri narrowly escapes with the assistance of a barge led by Ying Nan (Michelle Yeoh), accompanied by Wong (David Chen), Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), and Okoye (Kenna Ramsey). They introduce themselves as members of the Alliance, a resistance group preventing towards the Iron Federation’s management.
A Damaged Earth and a Divided Resistance
The Watcher explains the state of this fractured Earth, left in ruins after the catastrophic Emergence of Tiamut, an occasion the Eternals failed to stop. This catastrophe shattered the planet, leaving its remnants suspended in area.
Benefiting from the chaos, Quentin Beck (Alejandro Saab) seized energy by taking on Stark Industries and forming the Iron Federation. His military suppressed resistance teams just like the Alliance, leaving humanity in a determined state.
On the Alliance’s barge, Riri learns about their dwindling numbers and their determined want for her weapon, which has the potential to disable the Imaginative and prescient. Although hesitant to belief them, Riri follows the group to their headquarters—a wrecked ship lodged on a jagged rock. Inside, she finds a lab geared up with every little thing she wants to finish her weapon.
As Riri begins her work, an alarm indicators an incoming menace. The Imaginative and prescient has arrived, wreaking havoc on their forces. With Wong’s safety spell shopping for her only a few minutes, Riri works underneath intense strain to complete the weapon. Regardless of the Imaginative and prescient’s relentless assaults, she fires the weapon, disabling him and securing a small victory for the Alliance.
A Pyrrhic Victory
Though the Imaginative and prescient is destroyed, the price is devastating. The remainder of the Alliance has been worn out, leaving solely Riri, Ying Nan, Wong, Valkyrie, and Okoye alive. The group realizes they have to transfer rapidly, as Beck now is aware of their location. Worse, the Imaginative and prescient transmitted footage of Riri’s weapon again to Beck, exposing their final hope to the enemy.
Decided to strike again, Riri proposes a plan to destroy Beck’s phantasm community—a system powered by nanotechnology that creates pretend sentinels and disrupts their efforts. Nevertheless, this community is closely guarded, positioned on a fraction of Earth close to the asteroid belt.
Regardless of the risks, Riri makes use of components of the Imaginative and prescient’s physique to create an artificial swimsuit, fusing herself together with his know-how to establish illusions and differentiate them from actual threats.
A Dangerous Mission
The Alliance launches its mission to infiltrate Beck’s headquarters. Utilizing her enhanced talents, Riri leads the cost, going via illusions and disabling actual threats. Nevertheless, her swimsuit takes harm, inflicting her to crash close to Beck’s base. Separated from the others, she encounters Ying Nan, who helps her push ahead.
The pair infiltrates Beck’s base, finding the nanite community. Riri begins dismantling it, however the scene immediately dissolves. It was an phantasm, and Beck reveals that he himself is the nanite community. Beck, now resembling a withered husk, explains that he fused the know-how together with his physique, sacrificing his well being for management over the remnants of Earth.
Beck’s plan takes a sinister flip when he makes an attempt to graft Imaginative and prescient’s know-how into his physique, intending to realize immortality. He traps Riri, draining her power whereas mocking her efforts. At this second, even the Watcher, who has seen numerous tragedies, turns away, unwilling to witness one other failure.
The Watcher Intervenes
In an sudden twist, the Watcher breaks his oath, providing Riri phrases of encouragement. Impressed, she regains her will to struggle and turns Beck’s nanites towards him. Regardless of the overwhelming odds, Riri manages to flee her jail, defeating Beck by absorbing his community into her swimsuit.
Although victorious, Riri’s journey is much from over. She makes use of her newfound energy to ship a message of hope, projecting the Avengers image into the sky above the Earth’s shattered stays. Whereas the gesture provides a glimmer of optimism, the battle towards despair and oppression continues.
A Troubling Finish
The episode closes with a startling revelation. The Watcher, having interfered as soon as once more, faces penalties from increased powers within the multiverse. The Eminence (Jason Isaacs), together with the Incarnate (DC Douglas) and the Executioner (Darin De Paul), prepares to carry the Watcher accountable for his actions.
Reflection on the Episode
Episode 5 of What If…? Season 3 pushes the boundaries of conventional superhero storytelling, presenting a story of resilience within the face of overwhelming despair.
Riri Williams emerges as a compelling protagonist, embodying the willpower to struggle on even when the percentages appear insurmountable. The Watcher’s choice to intervene provides a layer of complexity, highlighting the high-quality line between statement and motion.
This chapter stands as a poignant reminder of the facility of perseverance and the enduring hope that even within the darkest occasions, a single act of braveness can spark change.