How What If...? Connects To Loki's Multiverse Ending Cliffhanger

Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If...? episode 1.

Marvel's What If...? tells stories of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Multiverse, and the premiere episode seems to tie in with the cliffhanger ending of Loki. Marvel's new Disney+ superhero show is all about the different possibilities in Marvel's Multiverse. The series is an animated anthology show, with each episode revealing canon stories from different Marvel timelines. What If...? even brings back several MCU stars to voice the characters, adding to the show's legitimacy. The returning cast includes Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), and Tom Hiddleston (Loki).

The Loki finale basically blew up the MCU. In the episode, He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), a Kang the Conqueror variant, reveals to Loki and Lady Loki (Sophia Di Martino) that he's the one controlling the Time Variance Authority and the Sacred Timeline. According to He Who Remains, the TVA is the only thing keeping order in the universe. If it weren't for the organization or the Sacred Timeline, the Multiverse would be unleashed, and an infinite number of Kang variants would start a Multiversal War. However, Lady Loki doesn't heed the warning. Instead, she kills He Who Remains, seemingly beginning the Multiverse in the MCU.

The What If...? premiere may directly link to the Loki ending. In the episode, Peggy Carter chooses not to watch Project Rebirth, the experiment that gives Steve Rogers (voiced by Josh Keaton) superpowers, from the safety of the booth. It seems like a small change, but the decision completely alters the events of Captain America: The First Avenger. After the project is attacked and Steve is injured, Carter eventually takes the super-soldier serum and becomes the superpowered Captain Carter. It's her, not Steve, who ultimately saves the world, and it's all possible because of the Loki finale.

Now that the original version of the TVA is supposedly gone, the MCU is free to branch in different directions. For example, before the Loki finale's ending, the TVA wouldn't have allowed Carter to watch Project Rebirth from the floor instead of the booth. If Carter had done that in The First Avenger, the TVA would've immediately swooped in and clipped the branching timeline. However, by killing He Who Remains, Lady Loki set all the branching timelines free. So now, there's an alternate universe where Captain Carter replaces Captain America, leaving room for the character to appear in live-action MCU projects as well.

The What If...? premiere is just the start. Due to the events of Loki, there are endless possible stories now in the MCU. With the series being a canon part of the MCU, all the alternate characters could eventually make live-action appearances. Hayley Atwell could soon reprise Captain Carter, as she's already rumored to appear in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In addition to Captain Carter, other characters from What If...?, including a heroic version of Erik Killmonger and zombie Tony Stark, could also make the jump to live-action appearances. Until Marvel establishes a Sacred Timeline once again, it seems Loki has caused mischief throughout the MCU.

More: Where What If...? Episode 1 Fits Into The Marvel Timeline

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