Caution: spoilers ahead for What If...? episode 2
MCU Easter eggs - here are the ones we could see through the tears. After a blistering premiere where Peggy Carter became a super-soldier instead of Steve Rogers, What If...? episode 2 poses a new continuity-bending question - what if Yondu's henchmen were so spectacularly incompetent, they mistook T'Challa for Peter Quill? The ramifications of this mistaken identity are huge, as T'Challa's Star-Lord becomes a spectacular intergalactic hero, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, not to mention solving the MCU's Thanos problem.
But in the Mad Titan's absence, Benicio del Toro's Collector has become an MCU supervillain, and with a museum of madness at his fingertips, even T'Challa has his work cut out when the Ravagers decide to steal a magical plant from The Collector's collection. This episode of What If...? serves as one of the final MCU appearances from Chadwick Boseman, who tragically ed away in 2020. Not only does the actor give another vibrant performance, but his positive impact on the MCU landscape as Star-Lord draws a retrospective parallel to the actor's real life legacy.
Featuring a wide selection of familiar faces and voices, What If...? episode 2 unites T'Challa, Yondu, Nebula, Thanos, The Collector, Drax, and many more in an adventure that captures themes of family and adventure in 30 minutes just as well as What If...? episode 2.
Star-Lord's First Scene
What If...?'s premiere effectively served as a retelling of Captain America: The First Avenger, and episode 2 begins in much the same vein, mirroring Guardians of the Galaxy instead. Specifically, the introduction sequence James Gunn gave Chris Pratt's Star-Lord is animated almost shot-for-shot with T'Challa in place of Peter Quill. We get exactly the same Morag subtitle, Star-Lord pulling the Power Stone from its cage with a star-shaped magnet device, and then the arrival of Ronan's goons before the thief can leave. The only disappointment is T'Challa not dancing his way inside.
Star-Lord's Purple Eyes
In a neat visual nod to the wider MCU, What If...? changes the eyes of Star-Lord's mask from red (as worn by Pratt in Guardians of the Galaxy) to purple - a color closely associated with Black Panther. Wakanda's purple motif comes from the heart-shaped herb that rulers ingest to inherit the spirit of the Black Panther. Though MCU history is changed in What If...?, Star-Lord's purple eyes honor that connection.
"An Ordinary Junker"
Rumbled by Korath and his two masked goons, T'Challa protests that he's "just an ordinary junker." He may not exude the same coolness, but Peter Quill says something very similar in Guardians of the Galaxy, frantically trying to convince Korath that he's "just a junker." The mirrored dialogue is completed when Korath uses Peter Quill's "legendary outlaw" line in the same scene.
Star-Lord's Name Gag Reversed
In What If...?'s greatest twist on MCU continuity so far, Korath has a very different reaction when encountering Star-Lord. During Guardians of the Galaxy's opening scene, Peter Quill famously announced his superhero name, only for Djimon Hounson's character to earnestly ask, "who?" and leave Quill red-faced. T'Challa doesn't even speak his name, as Korath immediately recognizes Star-Lord when the outlaw emerges from the shadows. Apparently, he's a massive fan.
Hulk's Bowing
In Bruce Banner wonders whether he should bow to King T'Challa and, thanks to some playful encouragement from Rhodey, Hulk makes a fool of himself by bending the knee in Wakanda. T'Challa bashfully informs him that "we don't do that here." Korath repeats that mistake upon meeting Star-Lord in What If...? Just as Banner reasoned that T'Challa is a king and, therefore, must be bowed to, Korath does the same because he's greeting a "lord." Once again, a blushing T'Challa reminds his irer that bowing isn't necessary.
Selling To The Highest Bidder
After T'Challa swipes the Power Stone on Morag, Yondu wistfully re how, back in the old days, his Ravagers would've sold the trinket to the highest bidder, had the crew's adopted Wakandan not turned them into heroic vigilantes. Funnily enough, selling the Power Stone to the highest bidder is exactly what Peter Quill tried on Xandar in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Yondu's Missing Teeth
Leaving Morag, T'Challa reminds Yondu that, had the Ravagers not changed their ways, his adopted father would only have half of his teeth left. Sure enough, Michael Rooker's MCU character comes with several gold chompers, whereas his animated What If...? counterpart seems to possess a full complement of pearly whites. T'Challa knows best.
The Mandela
What If...?'s Star-Lord rides a spaceship similar to Peter Quill's Milano from Guardians of the Galaxy, but whereas the latter was named after 1980s actress Alyssa Milano, T'Challa has gone high-brow with a homage to South African civil rights pioneer and president, Nelson Mandela. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know about these two Star-Lords, nothing will.
T'Challa Wants To Open Wakanda
In a flashback to T'Challa's youth in Wakanda, What If...? shows the child complaining about his country's isolated status, begging his father to spread into the outside world. Though he takes a different path in What If...?, this line foreshadows T'Challa's rule in the primary MCU, where he finally leads Wakanda into the international arena.
T'Challa's Abduction
When Yondu's Ravagers alter the MCU timeline by abducting T'Challa from Wakanda, the framing of the shot is exactly the same as in Peter Quill's Guardians of the Galaxy origin story. The position of the ship, the beam of light, T'Challa rooted to the spot - everything matches... except they got the wrong kid.
