‘What If…’ Season 2: Here’s What Song Hope Played to Peter
‘What If…?’ Season 2 unveiled its second episode. In the previous episode, we explored the consequences of Nebula joining the Nova Corps, revealing a tumultuous scenario with Ronan’s threat to Xandar and Nova Prime’s betrayal. The latest episode delves into an alternate narrative where Yondu relinquishes Peter Quill to his Celestial father, Ego, shaping a storyline influenced by a particular song chosen by Hope.
Ego severed Peter from his humanity.
In the MCU, Peter Quill’s origin story is fairly straightforward. Born as a hybrid of human and Celestial, Ego, his father, fell in love with Peter’s mother and fathered a child. However, Ego knew he had to abandon her to pursue the Expansion, his lifelong project to replace everything in the Universe with himself.
To avoid emotional attachments, Ego planted a brain tumor in Peter’s mother, leading to her demise. Yondu was then hired to abduct young Peter, but instead of delivering him to Ego, he chose to keep him. This narrative aligns with the mainline MCU. However, in ‘What If…?’ Season 2, the storyline takes a different turn.
In this alternate reality, Yondu doesn’t experience a change of heart and delivers Peter directly to Ego. The first action Ego takes is to destroy Peter’s Walkman, replacing it with an orb of pure energy. This act severs Peter’s connection to his mother and his humanity.
Peter always held music close to his heart.
In particular, ’70s and ’80s music played a significant role in Peter’s life, and he cherished his Walkman, which carried his mother’s favorite songs. In ‘What If…?’, although he didn’t have the Walkman, he possessed something even more invaluable—the memories of his mother. These memories proved resilient against Ego’s attempts to erase them.
Upon Peter’s arrival on Earth, the assumption was that he intended to destroy the planet. However, a pivotal moment occurred when young Hope Van Dyne befriended him. Using Hank’s security card, Hope danced her way to Peter’s cell, listening to Corey Hart’s ‘Never Surrender.’ When she reached Peter, instead of encountering a monstrous alien, she saw a vulnerable boy.
Peter shared with Hope that the song she was listening to was his mother’s favorite. He revealed that he returned to Earth because he was born in Missouri and that his father, Ego, was responsible for the ensuing death and destruction.
Hope used Pym Particles to free Peter and generously gave him her Walkman. He swiftly boarded a bus to Missouri before the Avengers could intervene. While agreeing to assist the Avengers with the predicament involving Peter and Ego, Hope emphasized the importance of not harming him, highlighting that he was just a little boy—a part human, like the rest of them.
The Ant-Family played a pivotal role in Peter’s triumph over his father.
When Peter visited his mother’s grave, Winter Soldier, aiming to assassinate him, found him first. Fortunately, Ant-Man arrived next. Sharing the pain of recent losses, Ant-Man conveyed to Peter the importance of moving forward. Peter, empathizing with their shared grief, agreed to assist in dealing with Ego. Influenced by Howard Stark’s words, Winter Soldier chose not to carry out the assassination.
Simultaneously, in the Mojave desert, Ego was overpowering the Avengers. Thankfully, Peter arrived just in time and utilized the Celestial Seedling’s power to annihilate Ego.
In the aftermath, Peter was seemingly adopted by Hank Pym. Mar-Vell introduced Hope and Peter to Goose, her Flerken cat.
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