As seen in What If...? season 2, Captain Carter, though even Peggy encounters several new characters and variants in the wider multiverse beyond her own timeline. To that end, here are 10 of the best new variants and original MCU characters who were introduced in What If...? season 2.

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10 Nova Corps Nebula

Existing in a reality where Ronan killed Thanos and kept the Power Stone, Xandar became an incredibly corrupt and dark society due to its people being trapped beneath a planetary shield. To that end, Nebula became a member of the Nova Corps who refused to compromise the values and oath she swore when she was recruited. As such, Marvel Studios was able to flesh out more of the Nova Corps lore through this variant of Nebula who inherits a deceased Yondu's yaka arrow, all while having her own team of heroes in a Xandar that's very much inspired by Blade Runner.

9 Celestial Peter Quill

Rather than being kept by Yondu, a reality exists in which Peter Quill was delivered to his Celestial father as promised. Becoming part of Ego's Expansion as an 8-year-old, Peter returns to Earth as a young yet extremely powerful child, motivating an impressive Avengers assembly in 1988 rather than in 2012. Feeling lost and alone after the death of his mother, Quill finds a new family in this older generation of heroes who take him in, convincing Peter to help defeat Ego. It's an incredibly heartwarming journey for this variant, giving Quill a new family while also making him a Star-Lord (albeit a much younger version).

8 Happy "Hulk" Hogan

Between the events of Avengers and Age of Ultron, a reality is revealed in What If...? season 2 where Happy Hogan is tasked with saving both Christmas and Avenger Tower when it's attacked by a revenge-seeking Justin Hammer (last seen in Iron Man 2). Wanting to turn himself into a Hulked-out hero to rival Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Hammer instead faces Hogan who inadvertently injects himself with Bruce Banner's blood, becoming a purple-skinned rage monster who perseveres and saves the day before the Avengers even arrive. This a very fun variant of Happy, one who gets the spotlight as a legitimate protagonist in this Die Hard-inspired adventure.

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7 Kahhori

Created specifically for Marvel's What If...? and perhaps the MCU at large, Kahhori has no equivalent in the original Marvel Comics. Instead, she's made her debut as a completely brand-new and exciting superhero in this second season. A warrior of the Mohawk nation who receives a collection of powers from the Tesseract, Kahhori soon discovers an entire tribe made up of various Mohawk generations who also gained powers from the Space Stone in her alternate reality.

Leading her new people against the threat of colonization, Kahhori has also been to other realities where she met Captain Carter. Together, they worked to defeat Strange Supreme as seen in What If...? season 2's finale. Incredibly fierce and inspiring to her people, Kahhori is a natural leader who absolutely deserves to be seen in the future of the MCU.

6 Rogers Hood of 1602

After finding herself in a version of 1602 that was intermingled with the 21st century, Captain Carter meets Rogers Hood, a version of her own Steve Rogers who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. However, it's quickly revealed that Hood is actually a version of Captain America who struck the Time Stone while fighting Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, having lost his memories after he and other 21st-century heroes found themselves in 1602. Sacrificing a future with Peggy to save both periods, Rogers is just as noble as any other Captain America while also having some impressive medieval flair as a Robin Hood manifestation.

5 Wanda Merlin

Existing as a variant of the Scarlet Witch, 1602's Wanda Maximoff is essentially this reality's Merlin. Responsible for summoning Captain Carter, "Wanda Merlin" was instrumental in locating the "Forerunner" who triggered the timelines' intermingling (Rogers Hood). Going toe to toe with 1602's King Thor while also holding back an entire reality incursion, this variant of Wanda is just as impressive as the main MCU's, while also giving hope that Marvel Studios might not be done with Wanda even in the main MCU reality.

4 Queen Hela, Goddess of Death and Life

Introduced in What If...? season 2, a timeline is shown where Odin banishes Hela to Midgard just like he did Thor in Marvel's Phase 1. Rather than being imprisoned in Hel, the first Daughter of Odin encounters The Mandarin and his Ten Rings on Earth while also learning the value of life and showing mercy while training with the Guardians of Ta-Lo. As such, this Hela variant becomes an impressive Goddess of both Life and Death wearing all-white armor.

This Hela variant also gains Odin's spear Gungir who eventually concedes the throne of Asgard. Forming a universe-spanning empire with The Mandarin and Ten Rings, "Queen Hela" is likely one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse. She also had quite a satisfying redemption arc compared to the main MCU's version of Hela.

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3 Cowboy Loki

While he was only featured briefly in What If...? season 2's finale, a "Cowboy Loki" variant was featured among Strange Supreme's collection of captured heroes and villains he intended to feed to his multiversal forge to resurrect his world. As such, Cowboy Loki was one of the many variants who broke free thanks to Captain Carter, existing as an Asgardian gunslinger. To that end, one would hope that this new Loki variant has a future in seasons.

2 Cyborg Rocket Raccoon (Is He Evil?)

Another freed variant in the What If...? season finale was a massively weaponized and upgraded version of Rocket Raccoon. Having numerous additional cybernetic enhancements (and some really big guns), it's possible that this was a darker version of Rocket than the main Guardian of the Galaxy featured in the main MCU. It certainly seemed as though this might have been an "Evil Rocket Raccoon" variant. However, he was only featured in a single scene, so it's hard to know for sure.

1 Thor Hulk

One of the most impressive freed variants in Strange Supreme's Sanctum Infinitum is a Hulked-out variant of Thor himself. Glowing with green energy, this Thor Hulk debuts boasting a set of large wings and twin swords, one of which he tosses to Captain Carter during her and Kahhori's battle with Strange Supreme at the very end of the season finale. As such, Thor Hulk had a role in winning the day, as did many of the other variants who were Strange's prisoners. However, one can imagine that this Thor Hulk variant's reality and story in an alternate MCU must be fascinating.

All episodes of Marvel's What If...? season 2 are now streaming on Disney+.