- "From the daughter of a Mad Titan to the champion of a multiversal war, Gamora's path to becoming the hero of her story began in someone else's."
- ―Watcher[src]
The "Sakaarian Iron Man" Universe is an alternate reality where Iron Man became stranded on Sakaar following the Battle of New York.
History[]
Chitauri Invasion[]
Tony Stark defeats the Chitauri with a missile
Thanos began a mission that led him to become a warlord, massacring populations. During his attack on the Zehoberei, Thanos came across a young girl named Gamora. Thanos admired Gamora and adopted her, raising her to be a fierce warrior and defender of Thanos. Thanos led an attack on Earth by the Chitauri, which was defended by the Avengers. One Avenger, a man named Tony Stark who fought with a metal suit, intercepted a missile and used it to destroy the Chitauri Command Center. However, before Stark could return to Earth, the wormhole which bridged the gap between Earth and the command center closed.[1]
Iron Man on Sakaar[]
Crash Landing[]
The Grandmaster meets Iron Man
Tony Stark flew through space and found his way to Sakaar, crash landing. The Grandmaster introduced himself and showed Stark news reports from Earth, where he saw Pepper Potts mourning Stark and having been named interim CEO of Stark Industries. Grandmaster explained that people on Sakaar had come to admire Stark. Stark asked to be able to return home, but the Grandmaster claimed it was his birthday and insisted that Stark stay.
Tony Stark watches the Sakaar Grand Prix
The Grandmaster invited Stark to watch the Sakaar Grand Prix with him, which Stark realized was similar to NASCAR. During the race, one of the Grandmaster's Snuffys entered the arena and started attacking players. Korg was nearly killed by the Snuffy, so Stark interfered to save him. Gamora appeared, having been sent by Thanos to kill Stark as retaliation for his preventing the Chitauri Invasion. Topaz appeared and arrested Stark and Gamora.[1]
Iron Man's Rebellion[]
Tony Stark and Korg escape
Tony Stark and Korg worked together to escape captivity, although they left Gamora behind as she refused to work with them. Gamora broke out on her own and again attempted to kill Stark, revealing why she was sent. Stark then decided that he was going to liberate the people of Sakaar, and Korg agreed to help, along with Valkyrie.
Stark built himself a new armor based on Sakaaran technology and approached the Grandmaster, challenging him to a race for Sakaar. The Grandmaster deliberated but ultimately accepted. Throughout the race, the Grandmaster cheated, ensuring he was in first place. Gamora joined the race as well, intent on killing Stark. Stark tried to talk to her and encourage her to change, but Gamora remained hesitant.
Iron Man and the Grandmaster race
Stark won the race using his Arc Reactor despite the Grandmaster's cheating, and the Grandmaster attempted to declare the race a tie. The crowd disagreed, and the Grandmaster ordered Topaz to kill Stark. However, Valkyrie crashed her car into Topaz, causing her Melt Stick to fly into the Grandmaster, hitting and melting him. Valkyrie chose to stay behind and rule Sakaar alongside Korg. Meanwhile, Gamora agreed to better herself alongside Stark and help the universe.[1]
Tony Stark and Gamora's Mission[]
Assassination of Thanos[]
Pretending to follow Thanos' instructions, Gamora brought Tony Stark to Sanctuary. Thanos stated his admiration for Gamora's apprehension of Stark, who revealed that he had not truly been captured. Gamora then used the Melt Stick to kill Thanos, deciding to forge her own path alongside Stark and help the universe with him.[1] Stark and Gamora became interested in the Infinity Stones and gained possession of the Infinity Crusher, which was designed to be able to destroy the stones.[2]
Guardians of the Multiverse[]
Tony Stark and Gamora went to Nidavellir, where Eitri forged an Infinity Gauntlet for them. Stark suggested they build a suit of armor around the world to truly protect everything. Watcher then appeared in the Sakaarian Iron Man universe and selected Gamora to join the Guardians of the Multiverse. She was removed from her universe and met the rest of the Guardians, developing a plan with them to use her Infinity Crusher to defeat Ultron. However, the Crusher did not work as the stones were from Ultron's universe, forcing the Guardians to defeat him using Arnim Zola. With Zola and Erik Killmonger, who had betrayed the Guardians, imprisoned, the Watcher returned Gamora to the Sakaarian Iron Man universe.[2]
Residents[]
Landmarks[]
Trivia[]
- In this universe, Hulk visited Sakaar three years earlier than in the main universe of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- In this universe, Pepper Potts was never promoted to CEO of Stark Industries by Tony Stark, as she was made interim CEO following Stark's apparent death.
Behind the Scenes[]
- The Sakaarian Iron Man universe was meant to be featured in the first season of What If...? However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the episode's production was delayed and pushed into the second season.[3]
- What If... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster? was originally going to feature a version of Peter Quill native to the Sakaarian Iron Man universe who would have met Tony Stark.[4] This plot and character were removed in favor of focusing on Gamora's reason for leaving Thanos.[5]
- Gamora was chosen to represent the Sakaarian Iron Man universe in the Guardians of the Multiverse over Iron Man due to several factors, which A.C. Bradley cites as being the design of her outfit and her emotional connection to the Infinity Stones. Matthew Chauncey added that it was intended as a subversion of expectations had What If... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster? aired before What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath?, as was initially intended, since people would believe Stark to be the one chosen.[5]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 What If...?: 2.04: What If... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 What If...?: 1.09: What If... The Watcher Broke His Oath?
- ↑ What If...? Head Writer Teases Gamora "Prequel" Episode in Season 2
- ↑ A.C. Bradley on Twitter - December 25, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 What If..? Season 2 Live Q&A With Creative Team (A.C. Bradley, Matthew Chauncey, Bryan Andrews)
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