What If…? “What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” Review

Season 1 Episode 6 “An American soldier called Killmonger rescues Tony Stark when his Humvee is attacked in Afghanistan.”

What I Liked?

1. The episode begins at the beginning of Iron Man 1 where The Ten Rings organization attacks a convoy which is escorting Tony Stark, the timeline plays out similar to that of the movie, however instead of a missile which Starks company made explodes, it’s quickly picked up and threw away, saving Tony Stark from getting shrapnel in his chest, he is saved by none other than Killmonger. This dynamic between Tony and Killmonger is a very interesting relationship in which the real reason is quickly revealed why.

2. Since Erik saved Tony and became his CEO and Security head, Erik plays to Tony’s wish to repay him for saving his life so Erik tells him about his idea to build drones to fight combat, the two get to work on buildings the drones, I liked this scene because it essentially made fun of the main Marvel Cinematic Universe Tony Stark for building the arc reactor in his chest, Erik then suggests going to Klaw to buy Vibrainium much to Pepper’s dismay.

3. When Erik returns to Tony’s mansion, he goes to give him a spear which the Dora Milaje use, Tony immediately reacts by showing Erick a Jarvis scan of Erik killing the Wakandan King, T’Challa, as well as killing Rhodey and framing him and America, Tony uses a drone against Erik but Erik easily overcomes this and then throws the spear into Tony, killing him. This was such a great scene, I absolutely loved how easily Erik dismantled a drone as well as killing Tony Stark.

4. This next point just showcases Erik’s ability to manipulate people on both sides of the war which is on the horizon between Wakanda and America. He plays his uncle’s trust in him to gain access to Wakanda, to allow the drones in the shield, and saving his auntie which cements T’Chakka’s decision that I’ll speak about next.

5. Erik and T’Chakka watch the sunset on top of the mountain, reminiscent of T’Challa and Erik watching it when Erik dies in the Black Panther movie, we then see Erik go under the heart-shaped herb to become the new Black Panther. We then get to see a scene between Erik and T’Challa on the ancestral plane where T’Challa tells Erik that his power is unearned and will eventually get the best of him on either the Earth’s plane or the ancestral plane. It was great to see Chadwick and Michael share one last scene together.

What I Disliked?

The story, I don’t know why I just think the story lacked, it was basic, and very much grounded which wasn’t a major issue but I just found it basic and boring. The action obviously made up for it but the story was a letdown, this was a great episode but by far not the best episode.

Favorite Moment

My favorite moment came halfway through the episode when we saw Erik use Rhodey as a pawn in his plan, he gets Tony to use Rhodey as a middle man to do a deal with Klaw for Vibrainium when Klaw’s men and the US soldiers begin to get taken down, we see T’Challa speak with Rhodey about his fight not being with him, Rhodey is asking Killmonger if he sees this but Killmonger uses a weapon which kills T’Challa, he then stabs Rhodey and blames him for killing T’Challa.

Standout Character

It can go to no other than Killmonger, the episode just showcased how smart, well-thought-of, and how brutal of a weapon he actually is, it also showcased just how manipulative he can get.

The Verdict

This wasn’t the best episode of the series but it wasn’t the worst either. This episode shined some more light on Killmonger’s backstory as well as being a grounded story which was slightly underwhelming. The action and visuals absolutely made up for the story lacking. I loved seeing Killmonger execute his plan to perfection.

Rating: 9.3/10

Photo: What If… Killmonger rescued Tony Stark?