‘What If…?’ Season 2 Episode 3 Summary & Ending Explained: Hulk Hogan Saves Christmas

The ongoing release of ‘What If…?’ Season 2 unfolds with daily episodes. Episode three takes us on a festive journey, exploring the intriguing scenario where Happy Hogan becomes the unexpected hero to save Christmas.

The Avengers Gala is unprotected while Jarvis is defragging

The episode commences in the midst of action. The Avengers Tower is under attack during a Christmas party, with Black Widow and Iron Man engaged in a battle against a colossal humanoid purple monster. The Watcher then rewinds the narrative, revealing events that transpired just two hours earlier.

Happy Hogan engrossed in overseeing the placement of a Giant Santa hat on the Avengers Logo, is interrupted by Darcy Lewis. She, in charge of monitoring the Christmas party, collaborates with Hogan to ensure the smooth execution of the Avengers Gala.

As they coordinate, Agent Hill approaches Hogan, concerned about Jarvis being offline and insisting on a review and upgrade of their threat matrix. Hill condescendingly dismisses Hogan’s input, suggesting he sticks to party planning. Undeterred, Hogan asserts his professionalism, only to be reminded by Hill to focus on the Christmas party, emphasizing the need for people to find joy after a challenging year. Hogan realizes he’s being relegated from a security professional to a mere caterer.

In the subsequent scene, a preoccupied Darcy Lewis exits the Avengers Tower, inadvertently opening the door for a flower delivery. To her surprise, it’s not flowers but Justin Hammer, known to MCU fans as Iron Man’s adversary from the second Iron Man movie.

Just Hammer appears to hijack the Tower

In a daring move, Justin Hammer seizes control of the Christmas Gala accompanied by his three henchmen, throwing the crowd into a state of panic. Amidst the chaos, Justin insists that one of the guests surrender their Star Industries table to him. He begins uploading something onto the device while recounting a “childhood memory,” concluding with a cynical nugget of wisdom: “If you want something, you need to take it.”

Meanwhile, Happy Hogan, absent from the room, senses a disturbance as alarms echo throughout the building. Iron Man Sentries deviate from their assigned positions, leaping through windows in a display of controlled chaos. Unbeknownst to the attendees, Justin has successfully reprogrammed the robots, orchestrating the unfolding turmoil.

Justin plans on becoming Hulk

Midway through investigating the unfolding chaos, Hogan’s elevator halts on the same floor where Justin and his henchmen are stationed. Instantly recognizing Justin, Hogan eavesdrops on his conversation revealing plans to steal the gamma-radiated antigen serum (Hulk’s blood) for a self-induced superhero transformation.

As Justin assigns his goons to crack a safe containing the serum, he sets out for Tony’s bathroom with mischievous intentions. Hogan and Hill maintain constant communication, with Hogan tasked to access the Hulk’s Blood safe through the air vents while Hill endeavors to thwart Hammer.

In the course of events, Maria confronts Justin in Tony’s bar, sparking a verbal altercation interspersed with humor. Meanwhile, Happy faces challenges locating the Hulk’s blood in the safe. Ultimately, the lights expose him to Hammer’s goon, but not before he secures the vial of blood.

Who is Hulk Hogan?

The moment Hogan inadvertently pricked himself with a sample of Hulk’s blood, his leg swiftly transformed, taking on a purple hue and sprouting Hulk-like muscles. Meanwhile, Hill found herself incapacitated with a broken leg, at the mercy of Justin Hammer. Urging Hogan over the radio, she implored him to save both the tower and the Christmas party before intentionally destroying the receiver. In a desperate attempt to escape the transformation, Happy sought refuge in a random office, watching in dismay as his body continued to morph into a purple, Hulk-like version.

In a state of panic, Happy reached out to the Avengers for help, first contacting Black Widow, who was in a perilous situation being held at gunpoint by a former HYDRA agent dressed for ballet in a dance show with 17 kills to their name.

Turning to Tony, who was engrossed in his role as mall Santa, Happy’s calls were swiftly dismissed. Finally, he dialed Banner, who, at that moment, was embroiled in an argument with Clint over the last toy in the store. As Banner abruptly ended the call, a more substantial portion of his body underwent the transformative shift into a Hulk-like form.

Hulk Hogan attempts to bring Jarvis online

Desperate for assistance, Happy dials Darcy, who is just exiting a store. He informs her about the tower being infiltrated by terrorists. Instead of providing immediate help, Darcy indulges in dropping action movie references, slipping in mentions of Jarvis, inadvertently sparking an idea in Happy on how to restore Jarvis.

As Hogan endeavors to descend to the basement, he encounters Hammer’s men who discover him. Faced with gunfire, Hogan is compelled to hurl himself through a window to reach the basement. With each injury, his transformation into Hulk intensifies. Breaking through to the next floor, Happy is on the verge of complete Hulkification, struggling to control his temper and maintain focus on the mission.

Simultaneously, Darcy engages in her version of “hacking” to access the basement and reaches the server room, only to be apprehended by Hammer’s men. Hammer seizes the opportunity to contact Happy via radio, warning him against heroics. Instead, he insists that Happy confront him in the penthouse at the tower’s summit, threatening harm to Darcy if he refuses to comply.

Hulkbuster vs. Hulk Hogan

Happy ascends to the penthouse, prompting Hammer’s goons to abandon their leader in fear of the destructive force he has become. Undeterred, Justin unveils a backup plan, intending to lure Happy away and pilfer an Iron Man suit for their showdown. As Happy battles through floors, effortlessly defeating Iron Man Sentries, he eventually confronts Justin, who suits up in the formidable Hulkbuster armor.

Amidst the intense clash between Happy and Hulkbuster Hammer, Darcy and Hill attempt to upload an older version of JARVIS into the system. However, their efforts inadvertently result in the activation of WERNER, a more useless and nihilistic entity. Realizing that Happy must face Justin alone, they shift their focus.

In the midst of the brief but fierce confrontation between Happy and Hulkbuster Hammer, the Avengers intervene, resolving the chaos. The story concludes before revealing the aftermath and the resolutions to the intricate plot twists.

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