‘What If…?’ Season 2 Episode 8 Summary & Ending Explained: What If Avengers Assembled in 1602?

In ‘What If…?’ Episode 5, we see Peggy Carter coming to terms with the fact that Steve Rogers was alive within the Hydra Stomper and ultimately fighting against him. The ending of the episode brought little resolution to her problems, and to make matters worse, Peggy was transported to 1602 only to be met with Scarlet Witch Merlin and Nick Fury. In Episode 6 we also saw Kahhori being recruited by Supreme Strange for an unknown cause. The events we’ve seen so far are about to get even stranger in Episode 8, so let’s see what took place.

Captain Carter fails to stop the abduction of Queen Hela

The scene opens up with Loki performing Shakespeare’s Hamlet on the stage; he is being booed by his brother, Prince Thor when a strange green portal starts opening in the sky. The portal starts sucking in Loki, and Captain Carter manages to save him at the last moment. But this was only a diversion; the true target was Queen Hela. Despite Peggy’s best efforts Queen Hela is abducted and Thor i crowned king on the spot.

Peggy apologizes for failing to stop the abduction of Hela, but King Thor will have none of it. He orders Peggy to be arrested, but she manages to escape. Instead of chasing after her, Thor orders the Scarlet Witch to summon, since she was the one that summoned Peggy Carter to their reality. Peggy was supposed to stop the abduction of Hela, but since she got here, the storms have grown only stronger.

Peggy needs to save 1602 from collapsing into itself

The Watcher explains what’s happening to this reality while Peggy listens. She summarizes it as 1602 and the 21st century being stuck together like two pieces of gum, and she needs to find a way to unstick them together. The Watcher offers Peggy to take her back to her own reality, but Peggy refuses. She is not the one to give up on a fight.

At the same time, King Thor is having a council meeting with his closest advisors, we can see Happy Hogan, Fury and Scarlet Witch advising him on how to proceed and what’s the next step to take into account. Scarlet Witch explains that Peggy is not to blame for these incursions, instead there is another traveler from the future that is causing their reality to collapse onto itself. Peggy is eavesdropping from the outside of the window. She is working with Fury behind Thor’s back, and Fury explains to her that her mission is clear now: she needs to find the first time traveler.

She picks up Yorick’s skull, which Loki used during his Shakespeare performance since it contains traces of the portal energy, and brings it to Tony Stark, who is science-inclined even in this universe. Stark analyses the skull and notices small green crystals that give off some kind of energy. Peggy comments that it’s probably radiation, but Stark doesn’t understand what that means.

Stark asks her whether she thinks that this energy is the same as the energy that “The Rips” give off, and Peggy is sure that it is also the person who started it all will have that same energy, and they can use it to trace the person responsible for this mess. Peggy asks Star whether he can trace it, but he explains that the magic needed to power such a device would be incredible, and the only source of such power is Thor’s scepter.

Since Peggy is a wanted woman, Thor will not give her his scepter, but they can steal it. The only thing now is to find the best thief possible.

Lang, Bucky, and Rogers Hood are a band of outlaws

Loki is traveling by carriage and discussing the latest Shakespeare work when his wagon is attacked by a band of outlaws – Scott Lang, Bucky Barnes, and Rogers Hood. Peggy interrupts them, and Loki’s carriage manages to escape, but Rogers cannot believe that he is seeing Peggy since Margaret Carter of this world died many years ago.

Peggy and the outlaws go to the tavern to discuss Peggy’s plan, she is happy to answer any and all questions except for questions about Earth-616’s Steve Rogers. Surprisingly enough, Rogers Hood believes her, and the two start making a plan when they are attacked by Happy Hogan and his army of Royal Yellowjackets. Royal Yellowjackets have the same powers as the Wasp, and they make a mess in the inn pretty quickly; the gang of outlaws is victorious until Happy Hogan uses a mechanical monster that resembles Hydra Stomper to defeat them.

After a brief fight, Peggy says that she will turn herself in and Steve should look for Stark and follow his instructions. Peggy surrendering creates a good diversion, and the rest of the outlaws manage to escape while Peggy is taken to Thor.

Peggy escapes using the Hulk

Peggy is imprisoned and awaiting execution, presumably at the hands of Red Skull. The Watcher appears in her cell and asks her whether she would like to return to her own reality. She refuses, and Watcher explains that some worlds are simply meant to die, and there are a million scenarios in which she fails or dooms this world to destruction even faster.

Peggy refuses to listen and finally breaks free from her chains; she makes a scene in the castle, and all the guards are chasing her. She leads them to the cell where Bruce Banner is being held, and the ruckus that the guards cause triggers his transformation into the Hulk. Peggy jumps on Hulk’s back, and the two escape from the castle and locate Stark.

Tony has good news and informs both of them that the device that is supposed to locate the Forerunner and return him back to where he belongs is finished. All they need is the royal gem that powers Thor’s scepter. At that moment Rogers Hood and his band of outlaws appear and ask how they can help with that, Rogers also returns Peggy’s shield to her since she lost it during the fight at the in.

Peggy infiltrates the royal banquet

Peggy, Star, Rogers Hood, Lang, Bucky, and Bruce Banner infiltrate the royal banquet in an attempt to steal the scepter and activate Stark’s device, but in the middle of the celebration, “The Rip” opens up. Scarlet Witch does her best to contain it, but time is running out. Peggy and her gang drop their disguise, and they start fighting against Hogan’s guards.

Rogers Hood starts fencing with Hogan and accidentally cuts off his hat’s feather, which causes him to transform into a Purple Hulk. At the same time, Peggy is trying to reason with Thor to hand her his scepter, but Thor refuses and instead unsheathes the new Vibranium sword All-Father, which he got from the King of Wakanda, who is also plagued with The Rifts. Thor attacks Peggy, and the moment her Vibranium shield clashes with Thor’s sword, a powerful wave of energy sweeps the hall and infuses Thor with electrical energy.

Peggy saves 1602 but loses Steve again

The fight between the outlaws and Thor’s court continues when the Scarlet Witch decides to stop it in the name of saving the world. She binds Thor in her magic and offers a window of opportunity for Fury to steal the game. Fury does exactly that and gives the gem to Stark, who inserts it into the device. The device has trouble working as planned, and it takes a few seconds to restart it, but they are successful, and Peggy has the honor of activating it. A green wave of energy washes over the room, and the Forerunner is revealed, and it turns out it’s none other but Steve Rogers.

He explains that he was transported to 1602 when he fought Thanos during the Invasion accidentally struck a gem, and found himself in the past. Peggy is heartbroken since she needs to separate from Steve again, but he consoles her that somewhere out there, they do get a happy ending. Peggy activates the device, and 1602 is purged of the Forerunner. The room clears, and the Universe seemingly resets, leaving her alone.

In the last scene of the show, Strange Supreme shows up and tells her that he has quite a story to tell her. Strange Supreme will attempt to recruit Captain Carter along with Kahhori and plenty of other heroes to stop vicious Universe Killers terrorizing the Multiverse.

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