WARNING: The following contains spoilers for What If…? Season 1, Episode 1, “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger,” streaming now on Disney+.
The premiere episode of Marvel Studios’ What If…? asks audiences to imagine a world where Peggy Carter took the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers. While Captain Carter is unlike anything the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen, that doesn’t mean that Steve is out of the picture. In fact, he acts as Peggy’s partner in the massive mechanized suit known as the Hydra Stomper. While Steve is an undeniable help in the fight against Hydra, that doesn’t stop him from questioning his place as a hero while talking with Peggy. The scene in question actually calls back to one of Spider-Man: Homecoming‘s most important moments.
In Homecoming, Peter Parker tries to prove his worth to Tony Stark by stopping a plan set in motion by the Vulture. While he does hinder the villain’s scheme, his reckless handling of the situation leads to a ferry being split in half, threatening the lives of those on board. Eventually, Iron Man flies in to rectify the situation and later confronts Peter about his carelessness. When Tony tells him he is taking his Spider-Man suit back, Peter responds by saying he’s nothing without it. In one of Tony’s wisest moments, he tells him, “If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.”
Steve feels similarly to Peter in What If…?‘s conversation between him and Peggy. He even presents the idea that at the end of the day, he’s still just a skinny kid from Brooklyn. The only difference is that he has a metal suit that makes him strong. Almost appalled by the thought, Peggy reminds him that the suit is nothing without the man inside and how he’s her hero. Steve has the chance to prove her right when he’s captured by the Red Skull, who uses his suit’s power source, the Tesseract, to open an interdimensional portal. In the climax, Steve dons the suit and uses what power it has left to aid Peggy in the fight against Hydra, proving what she told him before.
Both conversations present the question of what it takes to be a hero. In Spider-Man: Homecoming, it takes Peter losing his suit and being brought back to basics to realize that he’s still Spider-Man. The only thing the suit gave him was confidence, but it was always him saving lives, not the suit. For Steve in What If…?, he felt powerless without the armor, but what makes him a hero is the same thing that Dr. Erskine saw in him when he chose Steve as a candidate for the program: Steve is a good man who will fight injustice whether he’s weak or powerful. The suit only gave him the means to do what he otherwise couldn’t.
Even without the Super Soldier Serum, Steve manages to inspire Peggy because of his conviction to do what is right. He will always be a hero, and rather than let the power of the suit go to his head like it slightly did to Spider-Man, he looked to the likes of Peggy for inspiration. Steve is selfless and isn’t afraid to admit his weaknesses. But like Spider-Man, it takes time for him to realize his weakness is actually his strength.
Heroism isn’t an easy thing to understand. That being said, both What If…? and Spider-Man: Homecoming perfectly encapsulate what it truly means to be someone that people look up to. It isn’t about the power that is given or the skills that a person obtains. To be a real hero means facing down insurmountable odds in order to do what’s right, with or without high-tech armor or a spider suit.
To see Steve Rogers’ Spider-Man moment, watch the first episode of What If…?, now available on Disney+, with new episodes streaming on Wednesdays.
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