A.C. Bradley, the head writer of Marvel Studios‘ Disney+ animated series What If…?, has provided context for the Wasp‘s appearance in Season 2, Episode 5.
Yesterday’s episode of What If…? Season 2 — titled, “What If… Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” — depicts an alternate version of the Battle of New York from 2012’s The Avengers. In this reality, Captain Carter leads a team of heroes that includes Iron Man, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and — surprisingly — the Wasp. In an X (formerly Twitter) thread, Bradley confirmed that this version of the Wasp is indeed Hope Van Dyne. The writer further explained how this Hope’s heroic journey differs from that of her main Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart.
“Since a few people have asked: Yes, that’s Hope at the Battle of NY … Since Captain Carter — a woman — ended WW2, the feminist movement occurred immediately after the war. This had a ripple effect across society leading to more female SHIELD agents, heroes, & women in positions of authority,” Bradley wrote. “Since Peggy Carter wasn’t around to found SHIELD, that responsibility fell to Hope’s parents, Hank [Pym] and Janet [Van Dyne], and also Bucky [Barnes], and his good friend, Howard Stark. All this lead to Hope taking on the Wasp mantle earlier.”
How else did What If…?’s Captain Carter alter the timeline?
Bradley went on to share some other tidbits regarding the universe where Captain Carter was the first Avenger. “Bucky survived the war, and became a Jimmy Carter-esque elder statesman,” she wrote. “Howard didn’t die in 1991. In my mind, Howard was a better father and had a closer relationship with his son.”
The writer concluded, “Tony [Stark] and Bruce [Banner] are always and forever the mad genius science bros. (At least in my mind) […] The Captain Carter biopic was a musical but sadly not a Broadway play. Not yet.”
What If…? initially premiered on Disney+ in 2021. Based on Marvel‘s long-running comic book line of the same name, the animated series re-imagines key events from the MCU or otherwise offers a peek into parallel realities. A third season is currently in the works, as is a Marvel Zombies spin-off series.
The first six episodes of What If…? Season 2 are currently streaming on Disney+. The remaining three episodes release daily through Saturday, December 30.
