Top 10 Darkest What If...? Moments

"What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?"

After Thor is unjustly slain on Earth, Loki arrives to punish the villain responsible. He agrees to team up with Nick Fury to bring Hank Pym to justice for going after the god of thunder. After a fun final battle, Loki decides to turn on his new ally. He brings Asgardian soldiers and technology to earth and declares himself as the de facto ruler. And to make matters worse, nearly all the Avengers that were around in the original timeline had already fallen. Fortunately, Fury knew at least two Captains who would be willing to rebel against Loki’s tyranny. The might of those heroes and a newly arrived Black Widow will hopefully be enough to save this oppressed world.

"What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?"

The devious Killmonger supported Tony's decision to send Rhodey to a black market vibranium deal. At the same time, the villain ensured the Wakandans knew Americans were trying to purchase their most precious resource under the table. Killmonger’s complex plan ensured that Black Panther and Rhodey ended up in the same place. The villain took advantage of that fact by slaying both of them while they were distracted. Once they were both gone, Killmonger made it look like Rhodey and Black Panther had ended each other’s lives. The villain’s sinister plot increased tensions between two countries while taking two good men from the world. And although Tony figured out the truth, he couldn't stop Kilmonger’s dark plot.

"What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?"

Although Doctor Strange has the ability to travel back to the night where his beloved Christine died, he can’t seem to prevent her demise from happening over and over again. He eventually learns that there is a twisted way to get the power he needs to change fate. We watch as Strange steals life from a series of monstrous looking beings to increase his own magical capabilities. As he absorbs more creatures, we get foreboding hints that he is becoming more beastly too. Although Strange’s intentions were good, the way he gained his power was truly evil. This absorption sequence marked the point where the hero we knew became a villain.

"What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?"
On the surface, the episode where T’Challa journeys around the universe as Star-Lord may seem like one of the brighter “What If?” stories. But the fun adventure hides an extremely dark ending. The episode ends with Ego finding his son Peter Quill on Earth. After the two met in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”, the villain revealed his plan to spread across the universe like a virus. We even saw a small example of a few civilizations being overwhelmed by Ego’s presence. The villain’s destruction only happened because Star-Lord’s friends got there at the right time. Although Ego’s initial attack was stopped on “What If”, seeing the planet execute his evil plan by hurting his son during their first meeting was pretty dark.

"What If... Zombies?!"

A team of heroes gets word that a zombie cure might be waiting for them in New Jersey. But during the train ride, Hope gets infected with the virus. Her allies try to stay optimistic that they could find the cure to save her just in time. But when the train runs out of fuel in a zombie infested area, Hope decides to lay down her life to get her friends to safety. Watching her take her final steps was incredibly heartbreaking. Unfortunately, her demise becomes even more tragic when we see her come back as a zombie and attack her friends. Seeing the heroine turn into a member of the walking dead gave us little hope that this timeline could get better.

"What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?"

Once the Guardians of the Multiverse complete their mission, the Watcher enables them to return back to their original realities. However, Natasha refuses to go. She reminds the Watcher that her home was completely ravaged by Ultron in an emotional speech. And when Natasha asks him to do something to aid her home, he reveals that he’s either unwilling or unable to. The Watcher instead decides to take her to a less damaged world that’s in the midst of a huge conflict. While his gesture is nice, Natasha still has to carry the weight of losing everyone she knows. She also must live with the fact that the powerful Watcher didn’t move to save her world.

"What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?"

It was tough watching members of the original Avengers lineup meet their ends in a variety of gruesome ways. Hulk’s demise was particularly grim and hard to watch. However, Hawkeye arguably had the saddest end of them all. He was given the task of observing Thor by S.H.I.E.L.D. higher ups. All of sudden, one of Hakweye’s arrows flies loose and fatally wounds the god of thunder. The archer is quickly arrested and left questioning how this tragedy could’ve happened. And before Hawkeye could learn that he wasn't responsible, Hank Pym takes his life. Knowing that the archer died confused and disgraced made his last scene stand out in an episode full of depressing demises.

"What If... Ultron Won?"

We initially thought the worst thing Ultron was going to get away with was launching nuclear weapons on his version of earth. However, he accomplished something far worse after gaining the power of all the Infinity stones. After becoming aware of the multiverse, Ultron decides to bring his violent version of peace to new realities. But the Watcher attempts to break the robot first. Unfortunately, he’s unable to keep with Ultron’s raw power. The Watcher is left with no choice but to retreat. If this episode didn’t end on an optimistic scene where the cosmic observer teamed up with Strange Supreme, Ultron’s victory would’ve led to the show’s grimmest ending.

"What If... Zombies?!"
During the zombie apocalypse, Wanda Maximoff became a member of the undead horde. Since Vision was unable to cure her, he kept her fed by tricking people into becoming her next meal. This dark truth was revealed when Bucky discovered Black Panther was one of the unlucky victims. Seeing what Vision did to T’Challa was already disturbing. But knowing the synthetic being would’ve continued sacrificing heroes if given the chance was an unbearably grim thought. While Vision tried to logically explain what he did, there's no excusing his manipulative actions. It’s impossible to look at him the same way when you know about the horrifying methods he used to keep Wanda going.

"What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?"

All of the monstrous things that Strange Supreme did allowed him to bend the rules of time and save the woman he loved. However, his dark path came at a high cost. Since rescuing Christine in the past caused a massive time paradox, reality completely falls apart. Even Strange Supreme’s incredible power isn’t enough to stop his universe from collapsing around him. And the desperate man can’t convince the Watcher to help either. In the end, Strange Supreme is forced to watch Christine fade away from him one last time. His attempts to reunite with his love caused the end of everything. We’ve yet to get a bleaker “What If?” ending than a completely isolated Strange Supreme forced to exist in an utterly broken reality.