In the second episode of "What If…?" Season 2, titled "What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?", we are taken on a thrilling journey through an alternate 1988 New York City, where a young Peter Quill's life takes a drastically different turn. Instead of being raised by the Ravagers, he is delivered to his celestial father, Ego, setting the stage for a cosmic conflict that will test Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
The episode opens with the dramatic crash-landing of a mysterious ship in the heart of New York City. The ship, carrying a young Peter Quill, is revealed to have been sent by the Ravagers to Ego, as per the original plan. This alternate reality sees Peter, endowed with celestial powers inherited from Ego, causing chaos upon his arrival. His powers are so immense that they render the local police and military forces powerless against him.
In response to the escalating situation, SHIELD, under the leadership of Howard Stark and Peggy Carter, assembles a team of extraordinary individuals from around the globe. Hank Pym, aka Ant-Man, and his daughter Hope are brought in, along with Dr. Bill Foster, aka Goliath, King T'Chaka of Wakanda, the Black Panther, and the Winter Soldier, who serves as the Soviet Union's liaison to the team. The team is further bolstered by the inclusion of Dr. Wendy Lawson, known as the Kree operative Mar-Vell, and her Tesseract-powered ship.
The team is dispatched to Coney Island, where Quill is found reveling in the abandoned amusement park. Initially caught off-guard, Quill fights back fiercely, nearly defeating the team before the timely arrival of Thor, who manages to subdue him. Back at the SHIELD base, it is revealed that Quill has already aided Ego in absorbing Asgard and multiple other worlds using a seedling recovered from Missouri. Thor, seeking to bring Quill to Asgardian justice, debates with the team on how to handle the situation.
In a surprising turn of events, Hope, who has swiped her father's access card, encounters Quill in his holding cell and discovers his genuine desire to return home to Missouri. Moved by his plight, Hope helps Quill escape the facility. Ego's arrival on Earth forces the team to split their forces, with Hope, Ant-Man, and Mar-Vell setting out to retrieve Quill and enlist his help in fighting Ego, while the others attempt to hold back the celestial entity.
The first team finds Quill at his mother's grave, where Ant-Man shares his own loss, creating a bond that prevents the Winter Soldier from executing his orders to kill Quill. Stark's direct communication with the Winter Soldier, mentioning Steve Rogers, triggers a change in the assassin's mindset.
As the second team faces imminent defeat against Ego's artificial copies, the first team, with Quill in tow, arrives to intervene. Ego's revelation to Peter that he was responsible for his mother's illness incites a powerful response from Quill, who blasts his father's corporeal form back into space.
The episode concludes with the team celebrating their victory and pondering their next steps, all the while considering the Winter Soldier's absence. As Thor prepares to continue his hunt for Ego, the heroes realize that they are now a team, and it will take their united efforts to stop Ego once and for all.
"What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?" is a gripping tale that explores the consequences of one child's cosmic heritage and the impact it has on the heroes of Earth. This episode not only delivers action-packed sequences but also delves into themes of family, identity, and the power of unity in the face of overwhelming odds. It stands as a testament to the creative possibilities within the Marvel Multiverse, offering fans a fresh and exciting perspective on familiar characters and storylines.