What If…? Season 2 Final Episode Explained: Captain Carter vs. Strange Supreme

Lucas Aquino
Jan 02, 2024
Jan 02, 2024

As 2023 concludes, Marvel’s What If…Season 2 also reached its end, with the final episode released on December 31. The animated series’ grand finale is a combination of every sequence that was built up from previous episodes, which leads to an epic final battle between Captain Carter and Strange Supreme, who are currently the two most powerful beings in the What If…? Multiverse.

While What If…? Season 2 Episode 9 features the most spectacular final sequence in the entire series, fans aren’t exactly happy with the way Marvel dealt with the characters, especially with Strange Supreme. Let’s dive into this article to see what the final episode of What If…? Season 2 has in store, and why the Marvel community is outraged.

#1. What Happened To Strange Supreme In The First What If…Season?

Source: Marvel

Previously in What If…? Season 1, after his loved one Christine Palmer died in a car crash, Doctor Strange traveled to Kamar-Taj to learn the Mystic Arts and repeatedly used the Eye of Agamotto to save Palmer from her tragic fate. However, no matter how many attempts Strange made, he still couldn’t prevent Palmer’s inevitable death.

Source: Marvel

Uatu The Watcher then appeared and told Strange that Palmer’s passing was an “absolute point”, and couldn’t be undone in any way, but the latter refused to listen. The Watcher then split Strange into two versions using the Dark Dimension’s powers. One of them is Strange Supreme, who gained powers by absorbing other mystical beings.

The corrupted Strange Supreme absorbed the other, and used his newfound power to resurrect Palmer. This resulted in the collapse of Strange Supreme’s universe, with the sorcerer being the lone survivor. He spends the rest of his time grieving his wrongdoings, before getting recruited by the Watcher to stop Infinite Ultron.

#2. What If…? Season 2 Episode 9’s Ending Explained

Source: Marvel

After her work is done saving the 1602 Avengers’ reality and meeting up with this world’s version of Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter wants to return to her reality immediately. However, Strange Supreme appears and recruits her for one final mission.

This version of Strange tells Carter that he has been capturing and containing the Multiverse’s greatest villains, such as Killmonger and Zola, in a separate dimension as a way to atone for his sins. He then asks Carter to help him chase down a Multiverse variant who’s on the run.

Source: Marvel

However, as it turns out, Strange Supreme’s plan is far more devious and sinister than it looks. By capturing both superhero and villain variants from different dimensions, Strange uses their life forces to feed the Forge, a multiversal construction he created to resurrect his destroyed universe, and Christine Palmer alongside it.

The escaped variant Strange wants Peggy to capture is revealed to be Kahhori, our heroine from Episode 6. However, Captain Carter decides to side with the Mohican instead, releases the captured variants, and fights Strange Supreme together.

Source: Marvel

The corrupted Strange is too powerful for both Peggy and Kahhori to handle. However, as the captured variants return to their respective universes, they lend the duo their weapons: Hela’s helmet, the Ten Rings, Hulk-Thor cosmic sword, and a version of Mjolnir. Captain Carter is also enhanced with Killmonger’s Ultron armor and all the Infinity Stones, making her one of the most powerful beings in the Multiverse.

However, as ridiculously strong as Peggy and Kahhori are right now, the two are still no match for Strange Supreme, The villain turns himself into a full-fledged monster and dominates the heroines.

Fans Believe Strange Supreme Is Done Dirty By What If…? Writers

Source: Marvel

At last, thanks to a full-power punch boosted by the Infinity Stones, Captain Carter manages to reach the Stephen Strange that resides inside, and convinces him to return to be the man he once was.

Strange and his counterpart sacrifice themselves by falling into the collapsing Forge, having finally regained his conscience. His universe and Palmer have been fully resurrected as well, at the cost of his own life.

#3. Fans Believe Strange Supreme Is Done Dirty By What If…? Writers

Source: Marvel

The ending of Episode 9 is heavily criticized by Marvel fans around the world, as it once again reverts Supreme Strange back into a villain after giving him a redemption arc in What If…? Season 1.

The ridiculous upgrades that Captain Carter and Kahhori receive at the end is also under scrutiny, as fans believe Marvel has made these two characters too powerful without any real development.

#4. Will There Be What If…? Season 3?

Source: Marvel

As Strange Supreme is finally defeated, Uatu the Watcher agrees to take Captain Carter back to her dimension, but the latter wants to take a look at the Multiverse first. The final scene sees the two standing behold at Loki’s multiversal tree Yggdrasil, a reference to the ending of Loki Season 2, and teases a potential Season 3 for What If…?

Additionally, Marvel also releases a sneak peek video for an upcoming episode, featuring Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier and Alexei/Red Guardian running away from the state agents, teasing the existence of What If…? Season 3. This is rumored to be the episode that got pushed back to the third season.

Source: Marvel Entertainment YouTube Channel

There’s no official release for the third season just yet, but fans expect it to be premiered around two years later, like the time between the first and second seasons.

What do you think about What If…? Season 2’s final episode? Do you think it was badly written? Let us know in the comments.

What If…? Season 2 Final Episode Explained: Captain Carter vs. Strange Supreme

#1. What Happened To Strange Supreme In The First What If…Season?

#2. What If…? Season 2 Episode 9’s Ending Explained

#3. Fans Believe Strange Supreme Is Done Dirty By What If…? Writers

#4. Will There Be What If…? Season 3?

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