Caution: spoilers ahead for What If...? episode 8.
Which What If...? episode 8's mind-bending Ultron story? Previously, What If...? deftly avoided pesky continuity by telling a self-contained scenario each week, despite dropping a string of tantalizing cliffhanger endings. Something had to give sooner or later, and episode 8 picks up where last week left off, when Party Thor was confronted by a hybrid of Ultron and Vision imbued with a full complement of Infinity Stones.
What If...?'s point of divergence on this occasion comes during Avengers: Age of Ultron. In traditional MCU history, the Avengers stopped Tony Stark's Ultron AI inhabiting Vision's body, instead turning the android into one of their own. In What If...? episode 8, Ultron not only succeeds in merging with Vision, but also steals Thanos' Infinity Gauntlet when the Mad Titan comes to Earth. Wielding unstoppable power, Ultron takes his grudge against organic life through the vast reaches of space, and then into the multiverse, going toe-to-toe with The Watcher himself.
But while Ultron may be bad for humanity, his arrival is great news for MCU Easter egg hunters. Episode 8 is easily What If...?'s most wide-reaching installment yet, rocketing through different corners of the Marvel multiverse and crossing over worlds in chaotic fashion. With Ultron effortlessly breaking down the dimensional barriers, What If...? episode 8 is one of the most generous in of hidden references, comic book allusions, cunning parallels to past movies, and hilarious secret in-jokes. Here are all of the Easter eggs from Ultron's MCU rampage.
Hawkeye's Cloaking Cloak
What If...? episode 8 opens with Spider-Man: Homecoming). Clint and Natasha would have access to this tech, and the basic principle seems more or less identical.
Hawkeye's Metal Arm
As well as a new cloak, What If...?'s Hawkeye also comes with a stylish metal arm that even Bucky Barnes would be proud of. Episode 8 doesn't explain how Clint Barton lost his limb in the first place, but the injury could be a nod toward Avengers: Age of Ultron. In the 2015 film's opening Hydra assault, Hawkeye is hit with a laser cannon, almost killing him. Had Hawkeye been standing a few millimetres to the side, the blast would've taken off his arm instead of gashing his stomach. This could be another change between the main MCU timeline and What If...? episode 8's universe.
Age Of Ultron Comic Inspiration
Avengers: Age of Ultron gave the broadest possible adaptation of the Marvel comic it was based on, but What If...? episode 8 dares to animate the story more faithfully. Earth's apocalyptic landscape is much closer to how Ultron's attack ended in the source material, including the survival of both Hawkeye and Black Widow, but Ultron's total victory over mankind never came about in live-action.
Loki's Scepter
As The Watcher recounts exactly how things got so bad, What If...? episode 8 plays back Tony Stark's creation of Ultron. The montage begins, and we see a brief glimpse of Loki's scepter being studied by the Avengers. The Mind Stone-powered weapon was seized along with Loki in The Avengers, and later used to create both Vision and Ultron in the sequel.
Tony Stark's "Suit Of Armor Around The World"
Tony Stark has many famous MCU quotes. "Genius. Billionaire. Playboy. Philanthropist." "I am Iron Man." "How do you go to the bathroom in the suit? Just like that." Ominously making eyes toward Loki's staff, What If...?'s Tony Stark repeats his most famous line from Avengers: Age of Ultron - "I see a suit of armor around the world."
What If...?'s MCU Montage
The Watcher's recap then reels through a series of scenes from both the live-action MCU movies and previous What If...? episodes. In order, there's Ultron's awakening (which happens differently in the main MCU), Hawkeye aiming an arrow at Thor, Hulk's university rampage, the Avengers assembling in New York, Tony Stark's convoy being attacked in Afghanistan, the Nazi attacks of World War II, and Thor channeling lightning through Mjolnir. Episode 8 then switches to Ultron presiding over his army in Ulysses Klaue's shipyard base and, finally, the birth of Vision, which uses almost identical direction and framing as the android's debut in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Tony Stark's Nightmare Come To Life
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scarlet Witch forces Tony Stark's mind to hallucinate the Avengers' defeat. Iron Man glimpses his superhero pals scattered helplessly across the ground, where Captain America's shield has been shockingly split in half. Though the setting is completely different (the NEXUS server room instead of a rocky planet surface), What If...? recreates Stark's nightmare when revealing how Ultron takes down the Avengers in this universe, complete with Cap's smashed shield.
Tony Stark Death #427
Tony Stark died (and "died") multiple times during his live-action MCU career, and What If...? has taken that trope to ridiculous levels by finding new and exciting ways to kill Iron Man almost every other episode. From poisoning to impalement, What If...? has not been kind to Robert Downey Jr.'s likeness, and episode 8 adds a new demise to his ever-increasing catalog. This time, Stark is a victim of Ultron's apocalyptic nuclear blast.
General Ross Cameo
That'll be The Incredible Hulk's General Thunderbolt Ross watching as Ultron destroys the world in What If...? episode 8. Ross has appeared previously in the Disney+ anthology's Yellowjacket and Killmonger episodes, but he makes a more subtle cameo this week.
Destroyed Avengers Tower
Upon completing his goal of creating peace by... er, wiping out humanity, Ultron surveys his work with a sorrowful sense of satisfaction. Only when the camera zooms out do we see the android is actually standing upon the ruins of Stark/Avengers Tower - a perfect metaphor for how Ultron overcame his creator.
