Top 20 Darkest What If Moments
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 20 darkest “What…If” moments. Beware of a multiverse of spoilers ahead. What “What…If?” reality would you never want to live in? Let us know in the comments below!
#20: Black Widow’s Attacked By Her Former Family
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“What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?" When Natasha Romanoff was a child, a woman named Milena pretended to be her mother as part of an undercover spy program. The young Black Widow also spent time growing up in a cruel training facility known as the Red Room with other girls. Both aspects of Natasha’s past came back to haunt her in a grim sequence. After a mission brings Black Widow close to the red room, she’s attacked by her fake mother and “sisters”. During the extended fight, Milena encourages her soldiers to target an injury Natasha got as a child. Black Widow is also nearly killed by the woman she once had to call mother. This extraordinarily somber family reunion emphasized how horrifying Natasha’s past truly was.
#19: Peggy Loses Steve Again
“What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?" Despite Captain Carter’s best efforts, she and Steve Rogers were never able to start a real relationship. It looked like her luck finally changed when she found a version of him in an alternate world. After the two grew closer, Peggy discovered she needed to send Steve away to save the entire 1602 universe. But even if he had been from that year, it could’ve never worked out. In “Multiverse of Madness”, it’s revealed that worlds can collapse if people from one universe try to live in another. That means there was no way for Rogers and Carter to live happily ever after without risking an entire reality. Peggy and Steve’s relationship was doomed as soon as they laid eyes on each other.
#18: The Grandmaster Revels In Death
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“What If... Iron Man Crashed into the Grandmaster?" Shortly after arriving on the planet Sakaar, Tony Stark is invited to attend the Grandmaster’s birthday celebration. Iron Man soon discovers that the festivities are more violent than he could have ever anticipated. It turned out the Grandmaster loved to celebrate his day of birth by watching aliens race to their death. Despite the lack of blood, the race features some pretty brutal demises. At one point, a driver and his cart are sucked into a big grinder and then used as ammunition to kill two more competitors! The scene’s constant jokes and bright colors initially help hide how harsh this race is. But if viewers look underneath the hood of this violent birthday celebration, they’ll see the Grandmaster’s cruelty staring right back.
#17: Loki Invades Earth
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"What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?" After Thor is unjustly slain on Earth, Loki arrives to punish the villain responsible. He agrees to team up with Nick Fury to bring Hank Pym to justice for going after the god of thunder. After a fun final battle, Loki decides to turn on his new ally. He brings Asgardian soldiers and technology to earth and declares himself as the de facto ruler. And to make matters worse, nearly all the Avengers that were around in the original timeline had already fallen. Fortunately, Fury knew at least two Captains who would be willing to rebel against Loki’s tyranny. The might of those heroes and a newly arrived Black Widow will hopefully be enough to save this oppressed world.
#16: Killmonger Slays Rhodey & T’Challa
“What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" The devious Killmonger supported Tony's decision to send Rhodey to a black market vibranium deal. At the same time, the villain ensured the Wakandans knew Americans were trying to purchase their most precious resource under the table. Killmonger’s complex plan ensured that Black Panther and Rhodey ended up in the same place. The villain took advantage of that fact by slaying both of them while they were distracted. Once they were both gone, Killmonger made it look like Rhodey and Black Panther had ended each other’s lives. The villain’s sinister plot increased tensions between two countries while taking two good men from the world. And although Tony figured out the truth, he couldn't stop Kilmonger’s dark plot.
#15: The Watcher Lets a World Burn
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“What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?" Minutes after Peggy failed to save Queen Hela from a worldwide catastrophe in 1602, the super soldier became the royal family’s biggest enemy. While the Captain was figuring out her next move, the Watcher moved in closer for an important conversation. The cosmic being essentially told the heroine to abandon the world. After Carter fails to heed his advice, the Watcher returns again and urges Peggy to just let the world burn. Audiences already knew that the cosmic man rarely intervenes when universes are in danger. But seeing him actually abandon a world full of people and his friend Peggy made him feel colder than ever. The Watcher showed that he’d rather watch a person close to him die than lend a hand.
#14: The End of Hela’s Childhood
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“What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?" The Goddess of Death spent most of her “What…If?” episode obsessed with gaining power and conquering others. But it’s only after she loses her Asgradian abilities that we learn why she was so power hungry. During a flashback, we see that Hela was a normal child that loved playing with her pet. Everything changed after her father Odin chained her dog up and said that it was time for her to start helping him conquer other realms. The heartbreaking scene made it clear that Hela could’ve grown up as a well-adjusted royal. Unfortunately for her, Odin preferred to forge her into a tool of war that he could point towards his enemies.
#13: Stephen Strange Absorbs Living Creatures
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“What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" Although Doctor Strange has the ability to travel back to the night where his beloved Christine died, he can’t seem to prevent her demise from happening over and over again. He eventually learns that there is a twisted way to get the power he needs to change fate. We watch as Strange steals life from a series of monstrous looking beings to increase his own magical capabilities. As he absorbs more creatures, we get foreboding hints that he is becoming more beastly too. Although Strange’s intentions were good, the way he gained his power was truly evil. This absorption sequence marked the point where the hero we knew became a villain.
#12: War Comes to Wakanda
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“What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?" After Killmonger makes it look like Tony Stark was murdered by a Wakandan warrior, U.S. General Ross sends vibranium drones to attack the advanced nation. Although the robots are tough, the African army prevails in the end. But the Wakandan victory isn’t the end of the conflict. Upon losing the first skirmish, General Ross pledges to attack the African nation with more powerful weapons. The next time we see this version of Wakanda, the country is on fire and in the midst of being occupied by the U.S. military. Killmonger’s manipulations plunged the isolated nation into a war it never asked for. And even though he was removed from the equation, there’s no telling if this universe’s Wakanda can regain the world’s trust.
#11: Nebula Is Betrayed & Nearly Murdered
“What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?” In one bleak universe, Nebula was working for the Nova Corps when she learned that her ally Yondu had been brutally murdered by an unknown assassin. During her investigation, her shady ally Yon Rogg betrays her and leaves her to drown. Nebula narrowly managed to escape a watery doom. But shortly after getting to safety, it’s revealed that the head of the Nova Corps was the true villain all along. The big bad decides to cover her tracks by ordering Nebula’s execution. It’s difficult to see the character suffer at the hands of Nova Corps officers. And although she escapes, local civilians still treat her like garbage. It’s a miracle Nebula didn’t turn back to the dark side after her hellish near death experiences.
#10: The Inevitable Death of Steve Rogers
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“What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?" Years after Steve Rogers was presumed dead, a brainwashed version of him returned wearing a seriously deadly suit. He nearly killed his former best friend before his longtime love interest Peggy knocked him out. Sadly, things didn’t get better from there. It turned out that Rogers wouldn’t be able to live outside of the Hydra Stomper armor he was trapped in. Furthermore, the very suit that was keeping him alive could kill him at any moment. These dark revelations helped paint a very dark portrait of the remainder of Steve’s days. Whether he found a way out of the suit or stayed inside it, Rogers wouldn’t be able to live much longer as a free man.
#9: Kahhori’s People Lose Their Homes & Freedom
“What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?” A group of villagers were living a peaceful existence until Spanish Conquistadors arrived. The invaders made a violent debut by shooting at innocents and setting everything aflame. By the time the Conquistadors actually stated what they wanted, most of the village had been reduced to ashes. The worst part of their invasion came after the villains realized that they wouldn’t get the magical prize they had come here for. Instead of leaving the villagers in the ruins of their society, the Conquistador leader ordered for the innocent people to be chained up. His despicable actions proved that there were no depths to this man’s cruelty. If Kahhori hadn’t returned to free her people, the Conquistador would’ve gotten away with an unimaginable injustice.
#8: The Heroes Lose Hope
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“What If... Zombies?!" A team of heroes gets word that a zombie cure might be waiting for them in New Jersey. But during the train ride, Hope gets infected with the virus. Her allies try to stay optimistic that they could find the cure to save her just in time. But when the train runs out of fuel in a zombie infested area, Hope decides to lay down her life to get her friends to safety. Watching her take her final steps was incredibly heartbreaking. Unfortunately, her demise becomes even more tragic when we see her come back as a zombie and attack her friends. Seeing the heroine turn into a member of the walking dead gave us little hope that this timeline could get better.
#7: Sacrificing Lives to the Forge
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Strange Supreme knew that he didn’t have enough power to restore everything he lost. So, he decided to get what he needed in the absolute worst way. During the season 2 finale, Strange Supreme revealed that he built a Forge that could be fueled by the lives of very powerful beings. What made this plan worse than the time he absorbed a variety of creatures was that he didn’t just stop at sinister threats. This time around, Strange Supreme was willing to throw the most noble heroes inside the Forge if it got him closer to his goal. While Peggy and Kahhori are able to save most of the good guys, they couldn’t stop Strange Supreme from falling into the dark machine.
#6: Natasha Confronts the Watcher
“What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?" Once the Guardians of the Multiverse complete their mission, the Watcher enables them to return back to their original realities. However, Natasha refuses to go. She reminds the Watcher that her home was completely ravaged by Ultron in an emotional speech. And when Natasha asks him to do something to aid her home, he reveals that he’s either unwilling or unable to. The Watcher instead decides to take her to a less damaged world that’s in the midst of a huge conflict. While his gesture is nice, Natasha still has to carry the weight of losing everyone she knows. She also must live with the fact that the powerful Watcher didn’t move to save her world.
#5: Star-Lord’s Forced to Slaughter Worlds
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“What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" While most supervillains destroy societies with their own hands, the depraved Ego made his young son Peter sow chaos. The boy left a path of destruction across countless worlds. According to Thor, Peter even managed to annihilate Asgard’s armies. After hearing about the countless lives that perished by his hands, we heard a twisted truth. It’s implied that Ego was directly controlling Peter’s darkest actions the entire time. The thought that the kid might’ve had to watch worlds fall while being powerless to stop it is horrifying. Although Peter’s story ends on a hopeful note, he can’t bring back all the lives that were lost. He can only avenge all the beings that died because the atrocious Ego didn’t know when to stop.
#4: Hawkeye Dies As a Villain
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"What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?" It was tough watching members of the original Avengers lineup meet their ends in a variety of gruesome ways. Hulk’s demise was particularly grim and hard to watch. However, Hawkeye arguably had the saddest end of them all. He was given the task of observing Thor by S.H.I.E.L.D. higher ups. All of sudden, one of Hakweye’s arrows flies loose and fatally wounds the god of thunder. The archer is quickly arrested and left questioning how this tragedy could’ve happened. And before Hawkeye could learn that he wasn't responsible, Hank Pym takes his life. Knowing that the archer died confused and disgraced made his last scene stand out in an episode full of depressing demises.
#3: Ultron Overwhelms the Watcher
"What If... Ultron Won?" We initially thought the worst thing Ultron was going to get away with was launching nuclear weapons on his version of earth. However, he accomplished something far worse after gaining the power of all the Infinity stones. After becoming aware of the multiverse, Ultron decides to bring his violent version of peace to new realities. But the Watcher attempts to break the robot first. Unfortunately, he’s unable to keep with Ultron’s raw power. The Watcher is left with no choice but to retreat. If this episode didn’t end on an optimistic scene where the cosmic observer teamed up with Strange Supreme, Ultron’s victory would’ve led to the show’s grimmest ending.
#2: Vision’s Betrayal
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"What If... Zombies?!" During the zombie apocalypse, Wanda Maximoff became a member of the undead horde. Since Vision was unable to cure her, he kept her fed by tricking people into becoming her next meal. This dark truth was revealed when Bucky discovered Black Panther was one of the unlucky victims. Seeing what Vision did to T’Challa was already disturbing. But knowing the synthetic being would’ve continued sacrificing heroes if given the chance was an unbearably grim thought. While Vision tried to logically explain what he did, there's no excusing his manipulative actions. It’s impossible to look at him the same way when you know about the horrifying methods he used to keep Wanda going.
#1: Strange Supreme Breaks Reality
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"What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" All of the monstrous things that Strange Supreme did allowed him to bend the rules of time and save the woman he loved. However, his dark path came at a high cost. Since rescuing Christine in the past caused a massive time paradox, reality completely falls apart. Even Strange Supreme’s incredible power isn’t enough to stop his universe from collapsing around him. And the desperate man can’t convince the Watcher to help either. In the end, Strange Supreme is forced to watch Christine fade away from him one last time. His attempts to reunite with his love caused the end of everything. We’ve yet to get a bleaker “What If?” ending than a completely isolated Strange Supreme forced to exist in an utterly broken reality.
