We’re in the midst of What If… ? Season 2, and while the first four of these new episodes explored new universes never visited in the Marvel multiverse, the fifth episode, titled “What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?”, reunited us with the superheroic version of Hayley Atwell’s Peggy Carter we met in Season 1 (not to be confused with the Captain Carter who died in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness). By this point, Captain Carter has helped found her universe’s version of The Avengers, but in addition to her obviously taking Steve Rogers’ spot as one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, we also saw The Wasp in the lineup rather than Hulk. What If… ? Head writer A.C. Bradley has now revealed how Hope van Dyne became one of the first Avengers in this reality.
After noticing fan inquiries, Bradley went on X to confirm that this was indeed Hope at the Battle of New York in Captain Carter’s universe, with the two of them fighting alongside Black Widow, Iron Man, Thor and Hawkeye. The writer started off by saying that because Captain Carter ended World War II earlier in this universe, “the feminist movement occurred immediately after the war.” This produced a “ripple effect” that led to “more female SHIELD agents, heroes, & women in positions of authority.” Bradley continued:
Since Peggy Carter wasn’t around to found SHIELD, that responsibility fell to Hope’s parents, Hank and Janet, and also Bucky, and his good friend, Howard Stark. All this lead to Hope taking on the Wasp mantle earlier.
Within the main MCU continuity, Peggy Carter, Howard Stark and Colonel Chester Phillips founded S.H.I.E.L.D shortly after World War II. So because Hank Pym, and presumably Janet van Dyne, didn’t get involved with the agency until the late 1960s in the cornerstone universe, I suspect means that the S.H.I.E.L.D. of Captain Carter’s universe didn’t get started until a few decades later, assuming they were still born on the same dates.
Whether that’s the case or not, the combination of Hank and Janet’s holding more important positions in S.H.I.E.L.D., along with this universe’s Janet likely not gettin trapped in the Quantum Realm, resulted in Hope van Dyne becoming Wasp earlier on in Captain Carter’s universe. Conversely, the main version of Evangeline Lilly’s character didn’t inherit the mantle until Ant-Man’s post-credits scene. You can get the quick taste of Wasp in action during "What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” below:
Given that Wasp took Hulk’s spot in the original Avengers lineup in Captain Carter’s universe, it’s unclear if this means this Bruce Banner was never bombarded with gamma radiation. However, A.C. Bradley did share that Bruce is still affiliated with the superhero team, as well provided additional information about this corner of the multiverse:
Other tidbits: Bucky survived the war, and became a Jimmy Carter-esque elder statesman. Howard didn’t die in 1991. In my mind, Howard was a better father and had a closer relationship with his son. Tony and Bruce are always and forever the mad genius science bros. (At least in my mind). The Captain Carter biopic was a musical but sadly not a Broadway play. Not yet.
We do briefly see the elderly Bucky Barnes in “What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?”, but I won’t go into detail about how his involvement in the story, nor how this episode ends given that it just came out. While it remains to be seen if we’ll ever cross paths with this version of Wasp again, given that they’re three episodes of What If… ? left to be delivered before the 2023 TV schedule is wrapped up, plus a third season of this animated series greenlit for the upcoming Marvel TV shows lineup, it stands to reason we’ll see Hope van Dyne again in one form or another again on the show.
Stream What If… ? with your Disney+ subscription, which you can also use to view nearly all the Marvel movies in order and the MCU’s live-action TV shows. Don’t forget that the What If… ? spinoff Marvel Zombies will hit the 2024 TV schedule at a yet-to-be-revealed date.
