Warning! Spoilers ahead for What If...? episode 6.

In Marvel's What If...? episode 6, how did Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) so easily fool Tony Stark (Mick Wingert) in his nefarious schemes? The ongoing MCU Disney+ series continues to come up with alternative takes on the events of the Infinity Saga. In its newest outing, What If...? imagines what it would've looked like had Killmonger been in Afghanistan to save Tony Stark from being abducted by the Ten Rings in MCU Phase 1.

The animated series goes back all the way to the beginning of the MCU with a reimagining of the events of Jon Favreau's Iron Man. In What If...? episode 6, titled "What If...Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?", the genius billionaire narrowly escaped the Ten Rings and Obadiah Stane's (Kiff Vandenheuvel) attempted kidnapping thanks to the arrival of the lost son of Wakanda. After what seems like a chance encounter, Tony, in an effort to repay his debt of gratitude, was quick to trust Killmonger. So much so, in fact, that he immediately gave Killmonger a high-ranking position at Stark Industries and even gave him access to his personal garage workshop, something that's generally only been reserved for people he's known for years and trusts implicitly, like Happy and Pepper.

Related: Every MCU Easter Egg In What If? Episode 6

Ultimately, however, it's revealed that the irredeemable Killmonger was up to no good, just as Pepper Potts (Beth Hoyt) predicted. He sleazed his way into making Tony trust him so he could have access to the industrialist's resources, including his ability to create weapons. Once Tony learned this, he confronted his fake friend leading to his death. The question is: why did Tony quickly fall for Killmonger's schemes in the first place? In the Sacred Timeline, he'd been very suspicious and closed off, only letting a handful of people in his inner circle, especially at this point in his life. So it's quite odd that he was quick to open up to Killmonger. There are a couple of factors contributing to his uncharacteristic decision. Firstly, it's important to note that this version of Tony Stark never had Phase 1's humbling experience of almost dying in the cave in Afghanistan. While he was cocky throughout his life, he was kidnapped right when he was at his most confident in terms of believing that he was the smartest guy in any room. So, he assumed that there's no way Killmonger would be able to fool him, and he was sorely mistaken. It also helps that Killmonger actually did save Tony's life in Afghanistan, albeit for nefarious reasons, and cemented his image of good intentions by discovering and revealing Obadiah's betrayal of Tony.

Tony Stark Killmonger death in What If

Looking back, the industrialist's actions in What If...? track with how he was later on in the Sacred Timeline. It takes Tony a while to fully trust people, but once he does, he goes all in. He's generous with his resources to those who've proven themselves to him, which is best exhibited in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. Initially, Tony was very cautious about sharing with Rhodey. But after the MCU's War Machine proved himself to be a loyal friend, Tony reciprocated, and perhaps even gave more. The same can be said with regard to his fellow MCU founding heroes. It took him time to warm up to his new teammates. But after their shared experience fighting in the Battle of New York, he subtly embraced all of them in his life, remodeling Stark Tower to be their new HQ where each Avenger got their own room. Later, he even takes Peter Parker under his wing to mentor the young Spider-Man.

So, while Tony Stark had been known for being self-serving, What If...? episode 6 highlights that he could also be generous to those he deemed trustworthy. He presumed Killmonger was pure in his intentions after their first encounter in Afghanistan, so he opened himself up to him. Unfortunately in this alternate scenario in Marvel's What If...?, he chose the wrong person to have faith in, and that spelled his tragic and early death.

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Marvel's What If...? airs every Wednesday on Disney+.

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