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Draft:What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?

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"What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?"
What If...? episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 5
Directed byBryan Andrews
Written byA. C. Bradley
Editing byJoel Fisher
Original release dateDecember 26, 2023 (2023-12-26)
Running time32 minutes
Cast
Episode chronology
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"What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?" is the fifth episode of the second season and fourteenth episode overall of the American animated television series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. Set in the timeline of Season 1's first episode "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?", Peggy Carter / Captain Carter learns that her former love, Steve Rogers / Hydra Stomper, has survived, and has become an international terrorist for the Red Room. The episode was written by head writer A. C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews.

Jeffrey Wright narrates the series as the Watcher, with this episode also starring the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell (Carter), Lake Bell, Frank Grillo, Josh Keaton (Rogers), Sebastian Stan, Rachel Weisz, and Elizabeth Olsen. Work on a second season of What If...? had begun by December 2019, with Andrews and Bradley returning from the first season. Animation was provided by Flying Bark Productions, with Stephan Franck serving as head of animation.

"What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?" was released on Disney+ on December 26, 2023.

Plot

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Following a mission to retake the Lemurian Star,[a] Captain Peggy Carter and Natasha Romanoff find a still-alive Steve Rogers inside the Hydra Stomper armor. Rogers suddenly attacks them both before destroying the vessel. A briefing with Nick Fury leads Romanoff to deduce that Rogers, who went missing in 1953, was brainwashed by agents of the Red Room. Carter and Romanoff help Brock Rumlow protect Bucky Barnes, who is Rogers's next target, before incapacitating Rogers and traveling to a secret hideout in Scotland. Attempts to reboot the suit fail as it is keeping Rogers alive, though each activation reduces chances of survival. Rogers (seemingly back to his senses) then offers to help Carter take down the Red Room in hopes of finding a cure before escorting her and Romanoff to a former KGB test site. The three survive an ambush by various automated drones before Rogers' brainwashing is reactivated by Melina Vostokoff, who admits to staging the earlier events. Carter battles Rogers while Romanoff fends off Vostokoff's Black Widows. After Carter pleads with him to stop fighting, Rogers flies towards the Red Room and destroys it in spite of her protests. Noticing Rogers, Romanoff fires her grappling hook to latch onto him and ties it to Vostokoff, who dies in the explosion. Sometime later, Carter, convinced Rogers is still alive, decides to go and find him. As she bids Romanoff farewell, a portal opens beneath Carter's feet and transports her to another universe, where she encounters medieval-era variants of Fury and Wanda Maximoff.

Production

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Development

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In December 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that work had already begun on a second season of the animated anthology series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name.[1] It explores how the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films would be altered if certain events occurred differently.[2] A. C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews returned from the first season as head writer and lead director,[3][4] and they executive produce alongside Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso.[4] Bradley wrote the fifth episode,[4] titled "What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?",[5] which continues the alternate storyline from the series' first episode.[6] It tells an alternate version of the film Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) mixed with elements from Black Widow (2021).[6][7] "What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?" was released on December 26, 2023, on Disney+.[5]

Writing

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While development of the second season was beginning, Captain Carter became the character that the writers wanted to continue to revisit every season to continue her story after she had "bubbled up" in the first season as a prominent character.[8] The opening of the episode depicts Carter leading the Avengers during the Battle of New York, with a team consisting of Tony Stark / Iron Man, Thor, Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, and Hope van Dyne / Wasp. Bradley explained Wasp's inclusion on the team at this point in the timeline, stating that because of Carter's prominence during World War II, the feminist movement started earlier in this universe, leading to more women in positions of authority, including van Dyne taking on the Wasp mantle earlier. Additionally, other changes in the universe include Bucky Barnes surviving the war to become a "Jimmy Carter-esque elder statesman" and a musical biopic was created about Carter.[9] Bradley was eager to continue exploring the relationship between Carter and Romanoff, saying, "Their relationship isn't fraught with anxiety or worry or anything. It's actually just based on fun and enjoying each other's company." Bradley and series' story editor Matthew Chauncey had the idea to incorporate the Red Room into the episode after both worked in a small writers room Marvel Studios had created for Black Widow before that film started filming.[10]

Casting

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Jeffrey Wright narrates the episode as the Watcher,[11] with Marvel planning to have other characters in the series voiced by the actors who portrayed them in the MCU films.[12][13] The episode stars the voices of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter / Captain Carter, Lake Bell as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow, Josh Keaton as Steve Rogers / Hydra Stomper, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff,[14] and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda-Merlin.[14][15] Bernard White also appears as Councilman Singh.[16]: 29:10 

Animation

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Animation for the episode was provided by Flying Bark Productions,[16]: 29:43  with Stephan Franck serving as head of animation.[16]: 28:38 [17] Andrews developed the series' cel-shaded animation style with Ryan Meinerding, the head of visual development at Marvel Studios.[18][19] Though the series has a consistent art style, elements such as the camera and color palette differ between episodes.[20]: 4 

Marketing

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The episode was first shown during Marvel Studios' animation panel at the 2022 San Diego Comic-Con.[7][21]

Reception

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Notes

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  1. ^ As depicted in the season 1 episode "What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?".

References

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  1. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (December 19, 2019). "Kevin Feige Reveals What If...? Has More Episodes Than Marvel Studios' Other Disney+ Series". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  2. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 18, 2018). "Loki, Scarlet Witch, Other Marvel Heroes to Get Own TV Series on Disney Streaming Service (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  3. ^ Hipes, Patrick (November 12, 2021). "Disney+ Day: All The Streamer's Film & TV News From Premiere Dates To Series Orders". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Marvel Studios Celebrates New Season of 'What If...?'". Marvel.com. December 12, 2023. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Burlingame, Russ (December 15, 2023). "What If...? Season 2 Episode Titles Revealed". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Scott, Ryan (July 22, 2022). "What If...? Season 2 Premiere Review: Captain Carter Gets Her Winter Soldier [Comic-Con]". /Film. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Kerr-Jung, Sorrel (July 8, 2022). "Marvel Reveals When and Where X-Men '97's First Look Will Debut". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
  8. ^ Anderton, Ethan (August 2, 2021). "Captain Carter is the Crux of Marvel's 'What If...?' Animated Series and Will Return in Future Seasons". /Film. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Dominguez, Noah (December 27, 2023). "Marvel's What If…? Writer Explains Season 2's Wasp Cameo". SuperHeroHype. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  10. ^ Bennett, Tara (December 31, 2023). "Marvel's What If...? Head Writer Breaks Down Every Episode of Season 2". IGN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (September 1, 2023). "Marvel Shuffles TV Calendar with New Dates for 'Agatha,' 'Echo,' X-Men '97' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Sciretta, Peter (March 12, 2019). "Exclusive: Marvel Studios Producing 'What If' TV Series For Disney+". /Film. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  13. ^ Schreur, Brandon (December 22, 2023). "Disney Confirms Which MCU Stars Are Returning to Voice Characters in What If? Season 2". SuperHeroHype. Archived from the original on December 23, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Amin, Arezou (December 26, 2023). "'What If...?' Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: The Man in the Iron Suit". Collider. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  15. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (December 26, 2023). "What If...? Season 2 Episode 5 Ending Explained". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Bradley, A. C. (December 26, 2023). "What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?". What If...?. Season 2. Episode 5. Disney+. End credits begin at 28:25.
  17. ^ Arrant, Chris (April 15, 2020). "Work on Marvel Studios' What If...? Continues During Coronavirus Pandemic". Newsarama. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  18. ^ Jones, Marcus (August 23, 2019). "What If on Disney+ will feature voices from majority of Marvel Cinematic Universe cast". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  19. ^ Salazar, Andrew J. (September 6, 2019). "'What If...?' Showrunner Ashley Bradley Talks 'Trollhunters', The Beginning Of 'What If...?', Captain Carter, The Watcher & Star-Lord T'Challa (Exclusive)". Discussing Film. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  20. ^ "What If..? Production Brief" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. July 30, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  21. ^ Nolan, Liam (July 22, 2022). "SDCC: Marvel Studios Animation Panel Reveals Future of X-Men '97, What If and Marvel Zombies". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
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