🚨Warning: There are MASSIVE spoilers ahead for What If...? Episode 1 on Disney+!🚨
Hi, hello. I hope you got some rest after WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Black Widow, AND Loki before we dive into the next Marvel series. So, here are all the details I noticed in What If...? Episode 1:
If you're new to these posts, welcome, and I apologize for all of my nerdy yelling! If you're returning after my weekly WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, AND Loki Easter eggs/details posts, thanks so much for coming back!
1. First, not so much a hidden detail, but the Marvel Studios logo transitions to an animated version, which means it can be added to the short list of times the logo has been changed for a show or movie.
2. During the ~gorgeous~ opening credits, you can see pieces of upcoming What If...? episodes, like the zombies, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Tony Stark, Vision, and much more.
3. We're introduced to the Watcher in this episode, and he explains that he oversees the multiverse. In the comics, Uatu, an immortal being, observes the multiverse from the Blue Area of the Moon.
4. The moment that changes the course of Peggy's life is when she decides to not go into the booth, which is a moment taken directly from Captain America: The First Avenger.
5. Also because of this, Heinz Kruger uses his lighter BEFORE Steve is injected with the super-soldier serum, whereas in Captain America: The First Avenger, he uses it after, since he was in the booth instead of on the floor.
6. Kruger also ends up shooting Colonel Phillips while trying to retrieve the super-soldier serum instead of shooting Dr. Erskine, like he does in Captain America: The First Avenger.
7. The shot of Peggy shooting Kruger so he doesn't escape the lab mirrors when Peggy shoots Kruger's driver in Captain America: The First Avenger.
8. Peggy's transformation into a super-soldier happens the exact same way as when Steve is injected with the serum in Captain America: The First Avenger — not really a hidden detail, but the side-by-sides are so cool.
9. Agent Flynn, who is voiced by Bradley Whitford, is a prominent character in this episode of What If...? and he was previously featured in the short Marvel One-Shots Agent Carter.
10. When Peggy is testing her new strength, she sends a punching bag across the room, which is the same thing Steve does in The Avengers.
11. Steve mentions to Peggy that Flynn could stick her on a USO tour, which is, of course, a perfect nod to Steve having to do the USO tour in Captain America: The First Avenger.
12. The box Howard Stark gives to Peggy that contains her Captain Carter uniform says "Howards Designer Clothing," which is just a fun detail.
13. Peggy's Captain Carter costume is a nod to Captain Britain's costume from the Marvel comic books. In the comics, Brian Braddock fights as Captain Britain, and he was first introduced in 1976.
14. When Peggy, Howard, and Flynn are looking at the map, the shot mirrors when Peggy, Steve, and Phillips look at a similar map in Captain America: The First Avenger.
15. Also, Red Skull finds the Tesseract in Tønsberg, Norway, which also happens in Captain America: The First Avenger, and New Asgard in Avengers: Endgame is located in Tønsberg.
16. When Peggy goes looking for the 107 Infantry Regiment, she finds Bucky in a cell alongside Dum Dum Dugan, but in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve finds Bucky in a HYDRA lab, not in the cell.
17. When Peggy, Bucky, and the rest of the Howling Commandos bust out of the factory, the shot (and formation) mirrors when Steve fought alongside the Howling Commandos in Captain America: The First Avenger.
18. Steve's HYDRA Stomper suit that Howard Stark makes looks almost identical to Tony Stark's first Iron Man suit from Iron Man.
19. On the HYDRA Stomper, you can see "C-15," which might be a nod to Captain America Issue #115, which features Steve fighting Red Skull and finding the Cosmic Cube, aka the Tesseract.
20. After Peggy, Steve, and the Howling Commandos fighting montage, Peggy and Steve share a drink at a bar, but in Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve actually shares a drink with Bucky.
21. Peggy makes a comment that maybe Bucky is afraid of trains, which is a nod to Bucky falling off a train and seemingly dying in Captain America: The First Avenger.
22. Peggy and the Howling Commandos' raid on the train is called Operation "Where Eagles Dare." Where Eagles Dare is a movie from 1968, which follows Allies forces as they try to save a prisoner from a Nazi-controlled castle.
23. When Peggy saves Bucky from falling off the train, he mentions that she almost "ripped" his arm off, which is, of course, a nod to Bucky losing his arm and becoming The Winter Soldier.
24. Using the Tesseract, Red Skull unleashes a deadly tentacle monster, and while its name is never mentioned in the episode, it could be Shuma-Gorath from the comics and Marvel Super Heroes video games. Shuma-Gorath is a mythical one-eyed, multiversal, tentacle monster who often clashes with Doctor Strange.
25. While fighting the monster, Peggy uses a sword, which is a reference to one of Captain Britain's signature weapons in the comics. In fact, Captain Britain often fights with the legendary sword Excalibur.
26. Of course, Steve and Peggy's iconic dance moment from Captain America: The First Avenger is different this time around, with Peggy sacrificing herself instead of Steve.
27. And finally, Peggy eventually emerges 70 years later and is greeted by Nick Fury and Hawkeye, just like Loki was after using the Tesseract at the beginning of The Avengers.
