Marvel’s “What If…?” series has been a lot of fun. The glimpses into different realities are always interesting, and Jeffery Wright has done a great job as the Watcher, the series “host” and guide to what could have been. The role has slowly shifted from impartial observer to occasional participant and humorous commentator. He breaks the fourth wall from time to time, and gets in a few of those in “What If Captain Carter Fought the Hydra-Stomper?”

In a rare return to a story we’ve seen before, this version of Agent Carter became Captain Carter, this world’s version of Captain America, and has ended up in the present, leading the Avengers. The episode opens with this world’s version of the Battle of New York with a slightly different Avengers lineup. Carter and the Black Widow have clearly become great friends, and it’s fun to watch. The Watcher shows up to offer some comments as we switch to a variation of the boat fight scene from Winter Soldier, although apparently without the Widow on her own agenda. Their fight gets interrupted by a blast from the past, as we see the Winter Soldier remix here, with Bucky’s role taken over by what appears to be Steve Rogers.

After a furious confrontation with Nick Fury, Carter learns a lot of things that don’t exactly help her calm down. We also see what’s become of Bucky in this world, and it’s something that, at the time, was very surprising. Interestingly, as I write this, Bucky is moving into the same general arena as revealed in Captain America: Brave New World. The story takes a detour into Sokovia, and the world departs a bit further from the main MCU timeline as we see another clash between good guys, bad guys, and heroism clashing with pragmatism. We see some things that are very similar to some fight scenes from the first Iron Man movie, and then a weird, mirror image version of some things from Winter Soldier. They did a great job of incorporating familiar scenes from many different movies throughout this episode.

Following a grand heroic tradition, Widow and Carter go rogue to do what they think is right. Fortunately for them, Widow has a few nicely hidden safe houses where they can try and work out what to do next. They get some unexpected help and are off to a much more dangerous destination to try and find what they need to help an old friend. They end up someplace that one of them has some very bad memories of, and things actually seem like they’re going ok for a few moments. Which, of course, is when they find out it’s an ambush and a huge fight erupts with several different versions of conflicted loyalties. Characters have to face themselves, their pasts, and their family, after a fashion. The fight ends on a not exactly clear note, and with two characters vowing to not give up on someone who needs their help. The Watcher starts his closing monologue, and then even he gets surprised by a new development. The final scene shows someone having been moved somewhere else and facing a new challenge.

What I Liked: They did a masterful job here of shuffling scenes from several different movies to tell a new story. I remain impressed at how many of the movie actors keep coming back for this series, and Lake Bell did a great job as Natasha/Black Widow. They blend action and humor in some fun and unexpected ways. I found it fascinating that what they did with Bucky here ties in so closely with something new in the latest Marvel release. The Watcher’s surprise at the end was really entertaining. They even manage to explain why they don’t call in more people for help, avoiding what I call the “shared world problem.”

What I Didn’t: Really, not much. I would have liked to see more of this version of the Avengers in action, but I’m not sure how they would have fit it in.

The series has been a really good one, and this episode was a cut above. I’ll give this one a 4.5 out of 5.