The MCU Repeats Captain Marvel’s Avengers Issue (But Makes It Worse)
Warning: This article contains spoilers for What If...? episode 9.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a Captain Marvel mistake that goes back to The Avengers, and Marvel's What If...? makes it worse. In the What If...? finale, the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) breaks his vow never to interfere in order to defeat Ultron (Ross Marquand). The Watcher assembles a team of heroes he calls the Guardians of the Multiverse to fight the AI villain. This group consists of Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Gamora (Cynthia McWilliams), T'Challa's Star-Lord (Chadwick Boseman), Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch). Though it's a unique group, each of the heroes has a specific skill that leads to Ultron's defeat.
Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is one of the most powerful characters in the MCU. In Avengers: Endgame, the character flies in from space to punch a hole through Thanos' (Josh Brolin) ship. What If...? episode 7 also showcases Captain Marvel's (voiced by Alexandra Daniels) power. In the episode, Captain Marvel takes on Party Thor, hoping to end his overzealous celebrating. She repeatedly matches Mjolnir's blows, revealing later that she was even holding back her strength. According to Captain Marvel, her full power could lead to devastation and mass casualties.
Despite showing off Captain Marvel's power, What If...? makes an MCU mistake worse. In Avengers: Infinity War, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) calls on Captain Marvel right before he disappears into dust. The moment is odd, considering Captain Marvel first visited Earth in the '90s. If she was truly one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, why didn't Nick Fury call her during the events of 2012's The Avengers? What If...? makes the oversight even worse. In the episode, with the Multiverse on the line, the Watcher doesn't add Captain Marvel to the Guardians of the Multiverse. Instead, Marvel again ignores the character.
Captain Marvel's treatment in the MCU is odd. She's one of the strongest characters and proves that by singlehandedly destroying Thanos' ship. However, Marvel repeatedly leaves her on the sidelines. In What If...?, the Watcher has access to a Multiverse full of Captain Marvels, and he still doesn't add any of them to his superhero team. In theory, he could've had a team full of different versions of the character. What If...? episode 7 also shows Thor setting Mjolnir on top of Captain Marvel, pinning her to the ground. It's just another example of how the MCU constantly underestimates her.
Despite the MCU seemingly brushing off Captain Marvel, there is a logical explanation for her treatment in What If...?. In What If...? episode 8, Captain Marvel does take on Ultron, ultimately getting defeated by the evil AI, who destroys multiple planets to take her down. So the character did get a moment to go up against the villain. Additionally, the Watcher chose each member of the Guardians of the Multiverse for a specific reason. For instance, Killmonger was only on the team to ultimately steal the Infinity Stones and get locked into a never-ending battle with Arnim Zola (Toby Jones). So there's a reason the Watcher didn't call up Captain Marvel in Marvel's What If...?. As far as Nick Fury ignoring her in The Avengers, that decision might never make sense.