What If Season 2 Episode 5: The Surprising Ending Explained

Where Did Captain Carter Go At The End Of What If Season 2, Episode 5?

Following Peggy and Natasha Romanoff's battle with the Red Room and Rogers' sacrifice to destroy their floating fortress, Peggy has every intention of finding Steve whom she believes is still alive. However, before she and Black Widow could begin their search, red cracks appeared in the ground below Carter's feet, pulling her into a portal and transporting her into another reality. This marks the second time Captain Carter has traveled across the multiverse, the first time being with the Guardians of the Multiverse assembled by the Watcher seen in What If...? season 1's finale episode.

Captain Carter Transported in What If Season 2

This new reality Peggy has found herself in appears to be an alternate MCU set in the 17th century, setting up What If...?' season 2's eighth episode entitled 'What If… the Avengers Assembled in 1602?'. This episode is confirmed to be inspired by Neil Gaiman's Marvel 1602 comics, featuring Marvel's most classic heroes had they been active during the Elizabethan era.

What If 1602 Nick Fury and Scarlet Witch-1

Who Surprised The Watcher By Taking Captain Carter?

In the final shot of What If...? season 2, episode 5, Captain Carter wakes up to find herself before new variants of Nick Fury and Wanda Maximoff's Scarlet Witch, both of them wearing dated yet fitting attire for the Elizabethan era. As such, it's strong confirmation that Peggy has indeed found herself on Earth-1602 (also known as Earth-311). Furthermore, Fury and Wanda refer to Captain Carter as the hero who can save not only their queen but also their entire world. As such, it's possible that 'Sir Nicholas Fury' is the head of Queen Elizabeth's intelligence arm just as he is in the original comics.

Captain Carter Transported By Scarlet Witch

It's also notable that even a cosmic being as supposedly all-seeing as the Watcher could be surprised by this version of the Scarlet Witch. Having been confirmed as a nexus being and wielder of immense chaos magic, perhaps all variants of Wanda Maximoff and their actions are more unpredictable on a cosmic level and can catch even Uatu off guard. At any rate, it will be interesting to see what kind of action The Watcher takes in future episodes. One can imagine that he'll soon start investigating Carter's disappearance.

Captain Carter in What If Season 2, episode 5

How Captain Carter Defeated The Hydra Stomper And Red Room

Having broken through to Steve by the episode's end, Peggy could only watch as Rogers flew in his Hydra Stomper armor to destroy the Red Room's floating fortress. Likewise, Natasha fired a cable at the Hydra Stomper before attaching it to Melina, ensuring that the Red Room's leader was destroyed as well. Appearing to be a final act of the man who'd long been trapped within the armor that had been keeping him alive for long, Rogers' sacrifice was quite heroic, especially after he finally got to see the woman he loved after so many years alone and trapped as a weapon of the Red Room.

Hyrda Stomper in What if Season 2

However, Peggy refuses to believe that Rogers died in the resulting explosion. Even though she's now in another reality by the episode's end, it's likely that she'll eventually return to her own reality to begin her search for Steve. With any luck, she'll be able to locate Rogers and they can finally be together, just like the Captain America and Peggy of the main MCU known as Earth-616.

Peggy Carter and Hydra Stomper