Draft:What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?

"What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?" is the eighth episode of the second season and seventeenth episode overall of the American animated television series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. The episode sees Captain Carter working to stop a consuming anomaly that is ravaging an alternate reality during the year 1602. The episode was written by head writer A. C. Bradley and Ryan Little and directed by Bryan Andrews.

Jeffrey Wright narrates the series as the Watcher, with this episode also starring the voices of Hayley Atwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, Jon Favreau, Mick Wingert, Josh Keaton, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Lake Bell. Work on a second season of What If...? had begun by December 2019, with Andrews and Bradley returning from the first season. Animation was provided by Flying Bark Productions, with Scott Wright serving as head of animation.

"What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?" was released on Disney+ on December 29, 2023.

Plot
After being transported to the 1602-themed universe by Wanda Merlin, Peggy Carter agrees to help her and Sir Nicholas Fury upon learning about an impending incursion.

Sometime later as a tear opens up, she saves Loki from being pulled into it, but is unable to save Queen Hela. She is then hunted down by Sir Harold "Happy" Hogan and the Royal Yellowjackets under the new King Thor's orders. Carter hides out as the Watcher tells her she does not belong in that universe. Carter insists on staying to help them. King Thor is told about what happened to Nebula Observatory, the Isle of Ego, and Groot Groves. Sir Fury is secretly still on Carter's side as he quietly tells her about her mission while throwing off King Thor's suspicions.

Carter locates Tony Stark, seeking his help in retrieving Thor's Scepter and he tells her about people who can help steal it. Stumbling upon Loki's carriage, she meets Merry Men-themed variants of Steve Rogers (who is known as Rogers Hood), Bucky Barnes, and Scott Lang, and joins them at a pub, but are ambushed by Hogan, the Yellowjackets, and the Destroyer. While Scott claims that the Yellowjackets stole his work, Carter claims to Sir Hogan that she came from a universe where he is friends with Tony Stark. Sir Hogan comments that he would never be friends with a "madman". Carter fights them off, but willingly gets taken into custody. Carter speaks again with the Watcher, before freeing herself and Bruce Banner who is a variant of the Man in the Iron Mask called the "Monster in the Iron Mask". They meet with Stark who reveals his device and are met by Rogers, Lang, and Barnes.

The group disguise themselves and enter Thor's courtroom and wait for the Hulk's signal. After Hulk arrives and fights Sir Hogan's Freak form, Carter confronts Thor over the Scepter and he engages in a fight with her. Once Maxmimoff intervenes, Carter takes the Scepter and uses the Time Stone inside on Stark's device, exposing the time-displaced person to be Rogers, who had inadvertently created the temporal anomaly during a battle with Thanos. She is forced to say goodbye to him and sends him back to his universe, which ends the impending incursion. Returning to the pub alone, Carter hears some one approaching and assumes that it is the Watcher. To her surprise, the person in question is Doctor Strange Supreme who has "a story for her".

Development
In December 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed that work had already begun on a second season of the animated anthology series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It explores how the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films would be altered if certain events occurred differently. A. C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews returned from the first season as head writer and lead director, and they executive produce alongside Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso. Bradley and Ryan Little wrote the eighth episode, titled "What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?", and is loosely based on the Marvel 1602 comic book limited series by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman was not involved with the episode's production and had not been consulted regarding it. Andrews revealed that the creatives were eager to create an episode based on Marvel 1602, noting they had to "find the right time" for it. "What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?" was released on Disney+ on December 29, 2023.

Writing
This episode continues from the end of "What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?". Bradley tried to find the "human story–the heart" within the story, and took great care in approaching an adaptation of the established and "beloved" Marvel 1602. She explained that the MCU version of 1602 "is one of chaos and confusion" that sees the MCU characters trapped in an alternate history that are looking to find their way back home and to restore the world. Of the various versions of characters created for the episode, Andrews believed Loki and Happy Hogan were the standouts. "The Freak" returns in this episode, after first appearing in "What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?", in order for the creatives to portray a Freak versus Hulk fight.

One of the early pitches Bradley had created that were presented to Feige was the concept of Victorian era Avengers. Feige felt the idea was like a Star Trek Holodeck episode, and did not feel it was appropriate to include in the series' first season. A period-piece episode was revisited for the second season, this time attaching the concept to 1602. Bradley called the comic storyline "brilliant", but noted it was difficult to do a faithful adaptation because it features many historical figures that would have been "a lot to set up" in the episode's limited runtime as well as wanting to feature the Native American Steve Rogers. Additionally, Marvel Studios wanted the episode to have a what if concept – which became Rogers hitting the Time Stone during his battle with Thanos – with the comic not "burdened with that requirement". "Part of the impetus" for the episode then shifted to have Loki actor Tom Hiddleston recite Prince Hamlet's soliloquy, which he did. Bradley also was excited to explore and incorporate the Robin Hood myths with the episode. Once it was decided to also make the episode centered on Captain Carter, Bradley shifted her focus to exploring Carter's relationship with the Watcher, saying "how do you have a friendship with a god, and why would a god have a friendship with a human".

Casting
Jeffrey Wright narrates the episode as the Watcher, with Marvel planning to have other characters in the series voiced by the actors who portrayed them in the MCU films. The episode stars Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter / Captain Carter, Samuel L. Jackson as Sir Fury, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda-Merlin, Chris Hemsworth as King Thor Odinson, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk, Jon Favreau as Harold "The Happy" Hogan / "The Freak", Mick Wingert as Tony Stark, Josh Keaton as Steve Rogers / Rogers Hood, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange Supreme,  and Lake Bell as Natasha Romanoff.

Animation
Animation for the episode was provided by Flying Bark Productions, with Scott Wright serving as head of animation. Andrews developed the series' cel-shaded animation style with Ryan Meinerding, the head of visual development at Marvel Studios. Though the series has a consistent art style, elements such as the camera and color palette differ between episodes.

Reception
Dais Johnston at Inverse took issue with Gainman not being consulted for the episode believing it "could have been a first step toward replicating the feel of" 1602. Instead, she felt the episode "just felt like Renaissance Faire Day at Stark Tower" with "no depth to these alternate characters" calling the "reskins" of the versions of the characters audiences are familiar with.