What If...? Episode 7: 5 Unanswered Questions About The Return Of [SPOILER]

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Marvel’s What If…? episode 7.

Marvel’s What If…? episode 7 follows the misguided escapades of Party Thor and ends with the shocking return of an old MCU villain, sparking some big questions. The episodes in the animated series have covered a lot of ground so far. Since each one takes place in a different reality of the multiverse, they’ve remained independent from one another. However, it looks like that could be changing as the end of What If…? sets up the potential for a huge climax.

Most of What If…? episode 7 is dedicated to a relatively silly storyline about a version of Thor who grew up as an only child. Apparently, the absence of Loki as a brother led to Thor becoming even less responsible and even more reckless, as he’s seen turning the entire planet Earth into a giant party for his alien friends in What If…? The episode ends with Thor fixing the damage to the planet and making amends with Jane Foster, all just in time to see a strange portal open and a familiar face step through – the evil AI Ultron, this time brandishing the Infinity Stones.

It’s an enticing final shot and one that teases big things to come for the rest of What If…? season 1. Even the Watcher himself seems shocked to see Ultron appear, hinting that the entire multiverse could be in jeopardy. Here are the biggest unanswered questions from Marvel’s What If…? episode 7.

How Powerful Is Thor’s Mother?

Frigga, Captain Marvel and Thor in What If

Thor’s mother, Frigga, is more of a minor character in the core MCU, but she gets a bit more screen time in What If…? episode 7. After Odin enters the Odinsleep, she goes on vacation, leaving Thor free of parental oversight. Given that opportunity, he goes to galivant on Earth – a decision that eventually makes its way back to his mother. When Thor hears that Frigga is coming to Midgard to check on him and ensure he’s studying, as he claims, he freaks out and immediately starts trying to undo all the damage he’s caused to the planet.

To be fair, most of that anxiety on Thor’s part is just meant as comedy, playing to the tropes of the “party with the parents out of town” movie genre that the episode is spoofing. But still, Thor’s abject terror begs the question – just how powerful is Frigga that she would cause him such distress? It’s obviously heightened because she’s his mother and therefore has authority over him, but is it possible that Frigga is also stronger than her Mjolnir-wielding son? Few details about her past have been revealed in the MCU. Still, it’s known that she possesses peak Asgardian endurance, stamina, strength, and speed, that she was raised by witches, and that Frigga wields powerful magical abilities on par with Loki’s – something Thor himself lacks. All that adds up to a strikingly powerful character, but the MCU still hasn’t really revealed just how strong Frigga is at her peak.

Is Captain Marvel Stronger Than Thor?

A good portion of What If…? episode 7 is dedicated to the battle between Captain Marvel and Thor. The fight spans the globe, with both titans delivering blows of gargantuan power and ferocity, all ultimately ending in a stalemate, more or less. Though she doesn’t win outright, however, Captain Marvel looks pretty strong against Thor and Mjolnir, as she’s impervious to his lightning attacks and can clearly match his strength. Ever since she was first introduced to the MCU, Captain Marvel was teased as the strongest Avenger, and while the Party Thor she battles in What If…? episode 7 admittedly isn’t the strongest version of the character, her showing against him makes a strong case that when pitted against each other directly, Captain Marvel would come out on top.

How Did Ultron Get The Infinity Stones?

Ultron uses the infinity Stones in What If

The most intriguing moment in Marvel’s What If…? episode 7 comes at the very end, when Thor, Jane, and the Watcher witness a portal open to reveal Ultron brandishing the Infinity Stones. It would seem that this Ultron originated in a different reality altogether, but that doesn’t necessarily explain how he acquired all of the stones. Some, like the Space Stone, Mind Stone, and Reality Stone, could simply have been taken by force, but others, like the Soul Stone and the Time Stone, would be a bit trickier. Ultron is powerful, but is he powerful enough to defeat Doctor Strange’s enchantments? Or the Ancient One’s? And what would an AI have to give up in exchange for the Soul Stone? Hopefully, the coming episodes of Marvel’s What If…? will shed a little more light on Ultron’s quest for the Infinity Stones.

Why Couldn’t The Watcher See Ultron?

The Watcher looking into the multiverse in What If..?.

Ultron appears at the very end of What If…? episode 7, and his entrance seems to surprise even the Watcher himself. The supposedly omniscient being has foreseen and overseen all that’s transpired in the series thus far. If Ultron had been spending time in other realities gathering the Infinity Stones, he surely would have been aware. So then, how is it that the Watcher is so shocked to see Ultron? Was Ultron blocking his vision using the power of the Infinity Stones? Was he operating in such a far corner of the universe that he was out of sight? Or is it simply possible that the Watcher isn’t quite as powerful as he’s been made out to be?

How Powerful Is Ultron With The Infinity Stones?

Ultron twist What if Thanos Insult avengers infinity war

In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the robotic villain was a force to be reckoned with. His immense artificial intelligence, vibranium exoskeleton, and army of robots took the full might of the Avengers to defeat, and that was before he possessed just one Infinity Stone. Now that he has them all in What If…?, just how strong is he? While Ultron may not possess the innate physical strength of Thanos, he’s a far more formidable foe in terms of tactics, planning, and commanding his legions. Plus, he’ll have all the same additional powers Thanos got from the stones. That means that Infinity Stone Ultron is likely even more dangerous than Thanos was in Avengers: Infinity War.

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Marvel’s What If…? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.