Episode 2 of What If…? Season 2 concludes with the creation of a thrilling other universe in which Earth’s Mightiest Heroes banded together in 1988 to defend the planet. What if season 2 episode 1 ending Explained
As seen in “What if…Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?”, a young Peter Quill arrives on Earth in a reality where Yondu Udonta delivered the future Star-Lord to Ego after the death of his mother, rather than raising him on his ship to become Star-Lord and lead the Guardians of the Galaxy as seen in the main MCU. Instead, Peter seemingly became an extension of his Celestial father at the age of eight. What If…? Season 2, episode 2 closes with the beginning of an exciting and new chapter of the MCU, thanks to an early assembly of Avengers in 1988.
Assembled by Peggy Carter and Howard Stark of SHIELD, Hank Pym’s Ant-Man joined Bill Foster’s Goliath, Mar-Vell, The Winter Soldier, King T’Chaka’s Black Panther, and Thor Odinson, though their combined power was not enough. In What If…? Season 2, episode 2, it quickly becomes apparent that not even Earth’s Mightiest Heroes from the late 1980s can keep the world safe from a Celestial child as powerful as Peter Quill nor his father who ends up arriving on the planet himself.
What If…? Season 2: How The 1988 Avengers Stopped Peter Quill
No, Peter Was Not The Real Celestial Danger
After he first arrived on Earth, the 1988 Avengers team faced a young Peter Quill at Coney Island, only to discover that the dark Celestial’s Celestial powers made him extremely powerful. Thor’s unexpected arrival and a lightning bolt contained Peter, and the Asgardian warrior also revealed to the Avengers the existence of Ego’s seedlings and The Expansion, which confirmed the dark Celestial’s plans to turn the entire universe into extensions of himself (with Peter’s help).
But when Hope, Hank Pym’s daughter, grew close to Peter and discovered that all he wanted was to return home to Missouri, the 1988 Avengers decided to make an effort to assist Peter in the hopes of persuading him to assist in overthrowing his father prior to the Earthly Expansion. Hank Pym succeeded in making a connection with Peter by providing him with a new family and a path out of his loneliness and pain. Meanwhile, Howard Stark managed to reach the Winter Soldier and persuaded him to defy his Soviet handler Vasily Karpov’s orders to kill Peter.
Explained: Peter Quill’s New Triumph Over Ego | What if season 2 episode 1 ending Explained
His own ego was turned against him.
Pointing his hands into the shape of a gun, Ego was based with the full force of his own cosmic power, seemingly being destroyed on Earth for good (though it is mentioned his planet is still around). Peter Quil used the power himself to destroy his father, giving him enough energy to decimate Ego and end The Expansion. This also served as a defining moment that officially made him Star-Lord in this new alternate reality, referencing the name his mother always called him.
Notably, Peter Quill stated that he would always carry a portion of Ego’s power with him through the seedling he consumed. This implies that Peter Quill in this reality retains his Celestial power and abilities, in contrast to Star-Lord in the main MCU, who lost his power and immortality in the battle where he defeated his father. As a result, it is possible that after this new What If…? episode, Peter Quill became one of the youngest Avengers in the entire multiverse.
What Became of the Avengers Roster in 1988?
A Brand-New Group Is Formed for a Different MCU
The Winter Soldier was confirmed to have vanished following the battle with Ego; this was most likely because of a fragment of his past surfacing as a result of Howard Stark using Steve Rogers’ name to try and reach Bucky during the battle; given that Bucky Barnes had stopped wearing his mask and dark face paint, it appears that he had started the process of overcoming his Hydra brainwashing, if a few decades ahead of his appearance in the main MCU.
Moreover, it is also implied that Peter Quill moved in with Hank and Hope, along with Mar-Vell’s cat Goose, which she gives to the children in the last scenes of the episode. Nevertheless, the very last moment of this particular What If…? story features the 1988 Avengers roster in its entirety, a rather impressive group of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes who banded together in the face of a crisis as significant as the one faced by the 2012 Avengers in the main MCU timeline.
Without the Guardians, Peter Quill Still Finds a Family and Rises to the Role of Star-Lord
Peter’s Happily Ever After with the Avengers
Although Peter Quill was raised among the stars and went on to become a legendary outlaw in this alternate reality of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he still became a Star-Lord in this new episode of What If…? and found a family of his own with the 1988 Avengers. As a result, it is quite the satisfying and heartwarming ending for Quill in this alternate universe, even though he was delivered to Ego at the beginning.