What If...? Episode 2: 6 Big Questions About T'Challa's Star-Lord

Marvel’s What If…? episode 2 introduces an alternate MCU timeline where T’Challa became Star-Lord, rather than Peter Quill, posing a series of fascinating questions. The episode features a slew of returning MCU characters, including the Collector (Benicio del Toro), Yondu (Michael Rooker), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Thanos (Josh Brolin), all with altered personalities, motivations, and roles in the story. Though only a small piece of this alternate MCU timeline is seen in What If…? episode 2, there are hints at many more, even bigger implications of the nexus event.

The nexus event in question in What If…? episode 2 occurs when Yondu sends his henchmen to abduct Peter Quill on Earth rather than doing the job himself. The result is that T’Challa is abducted, instead, as the Ravagers identified Wakanda as the most advanced place on the planet and therefore the most likely place for the child of a Celestial to live. After being taken by T’Challa’s adventurous personality, however, Yondu seemingly abandons his initial mission and takes the young human under his wing. The two eventually reform the Ravagers into a force for good, even bringing formerly villainous characters like Thanos and Nebula to their benevolent cause.

Some of the big changes in What If…? episode 2’s timeline are explained in detail, but others are merely alluded to, leaving lots of questions about the universe of T’Challa’s Star-Lord. Villains are now heroes, defeated foes have risen back up, and a number of major MCU characters are entirely uned for. Here are the biggest questions from Marvel’s What If…? episode 2.

Why Did Thanos Become A Good Guy?

In What If…? episode 2, Thanos has abandoned his old genocidal ways and ed the Ravagers, apparently after a particularly convincing conversation with T’Challa about less violent ways to reallocate galactic resources. While this shocking twist is fun and creates some interesting situations for the not-so-Mad Titan, it begs a more complete explanation. Thanos’ implacable faith in his gruesome mission caused the temporary deaths of half the universe’s population and the permanent deaths of many others, including Iron Man and Black Widow. Obviously, those events never took place in the new What If…? timeline, but it still seems like a stretch that a simple conversation – even with someone as smart and charismatic as T’Challa – could completely swing Thanos to the side of good. It’s not impossible, but a more extended explanation of his transformation would be welcome in the future.

What Happened To Asgard?

In his final showdown with Star-Lord, the Collector opens up a vault of powerful weapons taken from across the cosmos, which includes recognizable ones like Mjölnir and Hela’s magical headdress and Necroswords. His possession of these items begs the question of what happened to Asgard in this timeline. It would have been exceedingly difficult for anyone, even the Collector himself, to acquire the powers of Hela, and acquiring Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, would have been even more difficult, as it would have required someone worthy to lift and carry it. The most reasonable explanation is that something severely different happened to Asgard in this timeline than in the original MCU, but what exactly that might have been is a mystery.

Did The Collector Defeat Captain America?

Another easily recognizable artifact in the Collector’s arsenal is none other than the shield of Captain America himself. Like the Asgardian items, Captain America’s shield appearing in Knowhere raises a number of questions. How did it get there? Was Captain America defeated–or killed? Were the Avengers ever even formed in this timeline without the threat of Loki or Thanos compelling them to forces? Obviously, the shield exists in What If…? episode 2 mostly as a simple Easter egg, but it also has some major ramifications for the rest of this version of the MCU.

What Were The Wakandans Doing In Space?

T'Challa and Wakandan Spaceship in What If

Near the end of What If…? episode 2, T’Challa finds a curious item in the Collector’s vault – a Wakandan spacecraft. Onboard, he watches a recorded messages from his father, revealing that the Wakandans have been searching for him through the cosmos. It’s a touching moment – and a revelation of Yondu’s well intentioned deception – but it also makes one wonder if T’Challa is the only reason Wakanda went to space?

In the comics, Wakanda eventually establishes its own intergalactic empire in space. While bringing home the nation’s crown prince would certainly be reason enough to send out search parties, the resources necessary for extended space travel suggest other motivations. Perhaps the Wakandans were venturing out into the cosmos for more political reasons and kept eyes out for T’Challa along the way. That isn’t proved in any way, but given past stories in the comics and the difficulty of intergalactic travel, it could make a lot of sense.

Will Ego Destroy the Universe?

Because Yondu never abducted Peter Quill in the timeline of What If…? episode 2, he never left Earth, never became a Ravager, and never ed the Guardians of the Galaxy. At the end of the episode, Peter is shown working at a Dairy Queen on Earth when he’s approached by his father, Ego the Celestial. In the core MCU timeline, Ego tried to convince Star-Lord to help him wipe out all life across the universe, but Peter resisted and defeated his father with the help of his friends. But in this new timeline, where Peter seems to have very little going for him, he might be far more susceptible to Ego’s persuasions. That could mean the What If…? episode 2 timeline could face an even worse threat than Thanos, as Ego, given the right opportunity, is even more powerful and ruthless than the Mad Titan himself.

Where Are The Other Guardians Of The Galaxy in What If…? Episode 2?

Peter Quill, Star-Lord, Yondu, and Nebula all show up in What If…? episode 2, but the other Guardians of the Galaxy are nowhere to be seen. That makes a degree of sense with Rocket Raccoon and Groot, who would likely be carrying out their own bounty hunting missions together in some other corner of space, but it’s far stranger when it comes to Gamora. Both Thanos and Nebula appear as heroes in the episode, but the other member of their family isn’t even mentioned. It’s known that one of the What If…? episodes will feature Gamora in her father’s Endgame armor and wielding his iconic blade, but that episode will theoretically take place in a different reality altogether. So, where’s Gamora in What If…? episode 2?

Next: Every MCU Easter Egg In What If? Episode 2