Pratik Handore
In what is by far the show’s most hilarious episode, ‘What If…?’ episode 7 reimagines Thor’s arrival on Earth. In this alternate reality, Thor grows up without Loki as his brother and turns into a more bone-headed and slightly dumb version of the fierce God of Thunder we know and love from the main continuity.
Full of cameos from all across the ‘MCU‘ and a romantic subplot to keep the viewers invested, the show’s seventh episode is essentially a party movie with the fate of the Earth at stake. The episode ends with an ominous message from The Watcher and a massive cliffhanger that we are sure you need some answers about. Here’s what goes down in ‘What If…?’ episode 7 and what the ending means. SPOILERS AHEAD!
What If…? Episode 7 Recap
The episode titled ‘What If… Thor Were an Only Child?’ opens with The Watcher explaining that in an alternate reality, Odin returned Loki to the Frost Giants, and as a result, Thor has a very different childhood. Years later, Odin goes into a deep slumber and Thor’s mother, Frigga, goes to spend time with her sisters. She reminds Thor to study and not throw a party. However, Thor and the Warriors Three arrive on Earth with Thor planning the biggest rager that Earth has ever seen.
Elsewhere, Jane Foster and her friend, Darcy, have been studying the destruction of a distant planet and track similar energies on earth. Believing it to be Earth’s first contact with aliens, they head to the scene and meet Thor. Thor and Jane hit it off while other aliens such as Drax, Nebula, the Grandmaster, Howard the Duck, etc., enjoy themselves with earthlings at the party.
SHIELD receives Jane’s warnings about the alien threat, signaling Earth’s doom, and arrives at her doorstep. Jane, who has spent a night with Thor, refuses to believe that his presence will destroy the planet. Maria Hill, the acting Director of SHIELD, pages Captain Marvel, who arrives and fights Thor and asks him to leave. Meanwhile, concerned about Earth’s fate, Jane contacts Frigga through Heimdall in a bid to stop Thor’s party from destroying the planet. With Frigga headed for Earth, Thor must clean up and pretend like he is on Earth for cultural exchange.
What If…? Episode 7 Ending: How Does Thor Clear Up the Mess? Does Frigga Find Out About Thor’s Party?
The entire episode is designed like an average teenage party tale. With the parents out of town, the children decide to throw a party, and we all know how that goes. However, in this scenario, the host is the God of Thunder, and the partygoers are some of the strongest beings in the universe. Therefore, their reckless behavior is a threat to Earth. With Frigga heading to Earth to check in on Thor’s supposed “study” group, Thor scrambles to clean up the party scene, but no one wants to help him.
After Loki points out that Thor is talking like Odin, he channels his Thunder powers and speaks assertively, asking for everyone’s help. By the time Frigga arrives, the scene is cleared, and Thor and his friends are pretending to study, with even Captain Marvel playing along with the ruse. While Thor has cleaned every spot on Earth, he forgets to clean his hammer, and Frigga finds out about his partying.
Do Thor and Jane End Up Together?
In the end, with the party behind them, Thor reunites with Jane before heading back to Asgard. Thor tells Jane that he will call her, but she refuses. He exclaims that he really likes her, and Jane responds by prompting Thor to ask her out on a date. Thor does so, and The Watcher takes over, claiming that the couple lived happily ever after.
As fans might know, this is a drastically different take on the couple’s love story from the one we’ve seen. In the main continuity, Thor actually ends up getting dumped by Jane after the events of ‘Thor: The Dark World.’ His breakup sets him on the course of becoming a formidable superhero. While Thor and Jane will likely reunite in the upcoming ‘Thor: Love and Thunder,’ this reality’s couple look destined to remain together, that is, until the arrival of an unforeseen threat.
What Does Ultron’s Arrival Mean?
In the episode’s closing moments, a portal opens up out of nowhere, and a group of Ultrons approaches Thor. As Thor lays eyes on them, we see a much more sinister version of Ultron leading the pack. This version has successfully fused with the android body that eventually becomes Vision in the main continuity. This “ultimate” form of Ultron also possesses the Infinity Stones, signaling a grave threat not just to Earth but to the entire universe and potentially the multiverse.
This plot thread will, of course, be picked up in the season finale, and The Watcher will inevitably be forced to intervene with the fate of the multiverse hanging in the balance. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For now, it is safe to say that Ultron is the big bad of ‘What…If?’ season 1, and we are in the endgame now!
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