What If...? is an animated anthology series on Disney Plus that features several fan-favorite Marvel and Marvel Cinematic Universe characters. The third season consists of eight episodes and is timed to release one new episode daily throughout the festive season until the end of December.
The real driving force behind What If...? has always been the exploration of several scenarios that might arise in an alternative timeline that aren't a part of the official canon.
This involves quite a few myriad situations like the ones audiences saw in the first and second episodes of season 3, with the rise of the Mech Avengers waging a war against the indomitable Apex Hulk born out of gamma radiation exposure. This was what went down in the first episode, while the second episode brought to the screens the surprising MCU hero, Kingo.
There's no doubt that over the years, What If...? has gathered a respectable ensemble cast of voice actors, including Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Ruffalo, Sean Gunn, and others. Another thing that the franchise is known for is the numerous easter eggs, references to pop culture, and nods that are liberally sprinkled throughout the show.
What If...? Season 3: All the Easter Eggs and references from episodes 1 and 2 decoded
The first two episodes of What If...? consist of many easter eggs and references between them. Here's all that we could spot.
- Reference to Hollywood Legends: The show makes several references to numerous Classic Hollywood icons such as Cecille B. DeMille, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant.
- Howard Stark is shown running his film production studio with Edwin Jarvis as his second AD.
- The second episode revealed Kingo's posters for Bhangra Time, Red Heron, Never Cursed, and Isle of Thunder.
- Simon Dundson, a computer graphics cinematographer and previsualization supervisor who has worked on all the seasons of the show, is referenced on the clapperboard as the camera operator working on Howard Stark and Agatha's film.
- The iconic Hollywoodland sign, before it was reduced to Hollywood in 1949, is seen right beside Howard Stark's mansion.
- The first episode contained a Go Avengers cartoon, which seemed to take cues from 1980s cartoons and shows such as The Transformers and Voltron.
- In a nod to the Megazord from Power Rangers or Voltron, the Mighty Avenger is presented as one who combines the powers of all the Avengers into a single mega-bot.
- The former head of the Red Room, General Dreykov, is mentioned by Red Guardian.
- The appearance of Mega Hulk is decidedly a nod to Godzilla, as the two appear to be alike in more ways than one. The case of Mega Hulk's green gamma breath is another case in point, similar to Godzilla's atomic breath.
- Kingo delivers a speech to Agatha, extolling the virtues of movie-making and asking her to give up her Celestial power. The speech sounded a lot like the Nicole Kidman-driven AMC theater commercials, which stated: "We come to this place...for magic".
- A reference to Astra Island, the original site for the construction of Bruce Banner's Absorbatron.
- Tony Stark is seen sporting long hair as a nod to the original Tony Stark cartoon series from 1994.
Trending
What If...? Season 3 is available exclusively on Disney+.
Reply
