What If… The Watcher Disappeared? — Season 3 Episode 7 Spoiler Review and Recap 

Closing episode 6, “What If…1872?,” The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) found himself in some trouble. After being pushed into the multi-dimensional wall by The Eminence, shards of the multiverse flew through space. He’s broken his oath several times throughout What If…, but this is the first time The Watcher has found himself in trouble. Luckily, “What If…The Watcher disappeared?” returns one of his closest allies: Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell). With her team of superheroes at her side, Carter makes a plan to find her friend and save him by any means necessary. “The Watcher Disappeared” clears the field for an excellent finale while giving us plenty of fan-favorite returns and surprises.

(L-R) Captain Carter / Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s WHAT IF…? SEASON 3, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

“What if… The Watcher Disappeared?” – The Recap

On Xandar, the Nova Corps fight a massive squid monster. They call their Nova Prime — a Nebula (Karen Gillan), who assembled a team with Groot and Korg. At first, Korg believes there’s no way to defeat the universe-eating creature, but suddenly, Captain Carter arrives. She tells Nebula they can help fight the monster, as long as her team — Byrdie the Duck (Natasha Lyonne) and Kahhori (Devery Jacobs) — can help. The sky lights up with thunder, and a variant Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith), the Goddess of Thunder and wielder of Mjolnir, shoots her powers at the creature.

Together, the women take down the monster. After the battle, Nebula thanks them, but suddenly shards of the “Observational Plane” land nearby. Kahhori puts the pieces together first, and Peggy realizes they have to help The Watcher. This time, the intro is delivered by The Eminence, who preserves the sanctity of the multiverse by “watching the Watchers.”

The Eminence believes Captain Carter has evolved far beyond the super soldier she was meant to be. As The Watcher has meddled in the multiverse, her power has grown, but she’s still only a symptom of The Watcher’s choices. The Eminence, The Executioner (Darin De Paul), and The Incarnate (DC Douglas) have imprisoned our Watcher. They also pledge to destroy any “outcasts” that seek to free him.

On their ship, Byrdie and Kahhori play foosball while Captain Carter analyzes the data off the shard. While the other women finish the game, Storm and Carter worry about the repercussions of visiting the Fifth Dimension to check in on The Watcher. The last time the dimension was broken into, it was Infinity Ultron (season 1). Byrdie does not know if it’s even possible to travel to, but realizes the shards might make it possible.

Together the team tests and builds a test ship to reach the Fifth Dimension. Unfortunately, the first attempt does not quite create the power source needed, and it explodes. Storm uses Mjolnir to try to open a portal during a ritual, but even her god powers are not enough to get through.

With the first two shards destroyed, the team starts to lose some hope. Kahhori uses the opportunity to pitch an idea she knows that Captain Carter will hate. If there’s only one being that’s ever made it to the Fifth Dimension, maybe they need that one being: Infinity Ultron. Byrdie and Storm agree that the idea is not ideal, but it is a plausible solution. These other Ultrons create a real risk to the Multiverse, but even Carter agrees it’s one worth taking.

Storm flies up to a sleepless Captain Carter, who is questioning the decision to go through with the plan. She trusts her teammates and knows it’s right, but is worried she’ll lose her only friends. Storm reminds Carter that they are all warriors, and they do what they do because someone must take the chance. Carter agrees and returns to her room, where she looks at a picture of The Guardians of the Multiverse with Byrdie, Kahhori, and Storm.

Over a montage, we see Infinity Ultron’s destruction over the world. In this universe, he never hears The Watcher and is left to sit alone for all eternity. However, a portal opens behind him, and Captain Carter emerges alone. He asks who she is, and Captain Carter asks for his help.

Byrdie wakes up thanks to a call from her parents, Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Howard (Seth Green). They bug her while she readies her coffee, when she realizes the shard is missing. She sets off the alarm, summoning Storm and Kahhori to break the news. They quickly travel to meet the Ultron variant, and when they land, they find her shattered shield. The women attack Ultron with all their might until he uses his Infinity Stones to stop them.

Ultron reveals that either The Eminence or one of his other Watchers had come to collect Peggy. In the fight, he was thrown into space, but Peggy was captured. This Ultron also explains that in the eons since he destroyed all life, he realized that his universe is empty and that life demands conflict. He must help save Peggy because life needs to continue. Ultron still has the last shard and destroys it to gain its power. Together the four of them will save Captain Carter and The Watcher.

(L-R) Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), Captain Carter / Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Byrdie (Natasha Lyonne) and Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) in Marvel Animation’s WHAT IF…? SEASON 3, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.

Is “What If… The Watcher Disappeared?” worth watching?

For the finale of the series to make any sense, we feel like watching “The Watcher Disappeared” will be essential. The penultimate episode of any series is rarely nonessential, and in this case, Captain Carter proves the heart of the episode. Using Hayley Atwell has been a huge benefit for the MCU as a whole, and “The Watcher Disappeared” wisely returns to her to close out the show.

“The Watcher Disappeared” also serves as the true introduction of Byrdie Duck. Voiced by Natasha Lyonne, we get another fun new character to play with over these final episodes. Like Kahhori, Byrdie appears to be an original creation for What If…, and frankly, she’s a badass. Not only is she funny, but her chemistry with Kahhori, Storm, and Captain Carter is a huge highlight of “The Watcher Disappeared.” Once again, we have to insist these characters make the jump to the live-action MCU. They’re too good to simply leave on the sidelines.

It’s also incredible to see both Devery Jacobs and Alison Sealy-Smith return to voice their animated characters. Jacobs continues her upward ascent, not only killing it in Backspot this year but also in the Echo television show. Kahhori feels like a fully formed character in only three episodes (including “The Watcher Disappeared”), which is impressive work from the actress and writers. Meanwhile, Sealy-Smith has performed as Storm for literally hundreds of projects. She deserves the same respect that Kevin Connelly had for his Batman. Sealy-Smith is a legend, and getting her to return for “The Watcher Disappeared” as Storm the Lightning God is incredible.

Now we face the big question: Do we trust Infinity Ultron? His powers in “The Watcher Disappeared” are incredible, and with the Fifth Dimensional Shard, he’s closer to omnipotence. Even if the group can overcome The Eminence, can they also take down this version of Ultron? “The Watcher Disappeared” leaves us believing in his change of heart (as he’s never really lied about his intentions), but we’re still cautious about what he’ll do in the battle ahead.

What If… Season 3 releases on Disney+ on December 22. “What If… The Watcher Disappeared?” aired on December 27. New episodes release daily through December 29.