Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for What If…? season 3
Marvel And if…? season three brings back the original six Avengers, but reminds viewers how lucky they were in the main MCU timeline. The MCU's original six Avengers were only active as a team for a few years between Phase 1 The Avengers and Phase 2 Avengers: Age of Ultron before separating into Captain America: Civil War and briefly joining forces to fight Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. However, their missions together were mostly successful, as they stopped Loki's invasion of Earth, thwarted Ultron's apocalyptic plans, and undid Thanos' Snap – feats unmatched by most Avengers variants throughout the multiverse.
Previous And if…? seasons offered a glimpse into alternate timelines where the Avengers weren't as successful as their Earth-616 counterparts. For example, And if…? Episode 3 of the first season showed how an out-of-control Hank Pym could have murdered the six original Avengers one by one, and And if…? Season 1, Episode 4 showed how Doctor Strange could have destroyed his entire universe before the Avengers even realized it. Now, And if…? Season 3 Episode 1 introduces an especially powerful team of Avengers who also struggle to match the success of Earth-616's heroes.
What if the third season introduces the most powerful version of the Avengers
What if… The Hulk fought the Mech Avengers? Features a team of giant armored heroes
And if…? Season 3 Episode 1 begins with an in-universe TV show recounting the Avengers' previous battle. According to the narration, Iron Man designs a set of giant robotic armors for the Avengers, with the sole purpose of combating the kaiju creatures that the Hulk spawned. These Mecha-Avengers – nicknamed Hulk-Busters – are equipped with high-tech weapons reminiscent of the abilities of their respective heroes.like Thor's Mjolnir, Hawkeye's arrows and Captain America's shield, as well as extra features like jet repulsors and wings.
The Mecha Avengers are not yet powerful enough to defeat the Hulk's final form
The Hulk-Busters die before the events of What If…? Season 3, Episode 1
The Hulk's gamma-irradiated kaiju descendants are stronger than Iron Man and his Hulk-Busters thought, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes Quickly Succumb to Wounds Inside Their Mech Armor. Fortunately, Iron Man designs enough Hulk-Busters mechs for a new generation of Avengers, who defeat most of the Hulk's giant creatures. These new Mecha Avengers are led by Sam Wilson and include Bucky Barnes, Monica Rambeau, Shang-Chi, Marc Spector, Red Guardian, and Nakia.
Although the original six Avengers introduced in And if…? season 3 episode 1 seem more prepared for battle than their Earth-616 counterparts, they all die unceremoniously off-screen. The premature deaths of the Mecha-Avengers show how luck influences the history of each timeline, as some variants may be even more powerful than the others, but still die tragically because an even greater and more cruel threat emerges. Fortunately for the second wave of Mecha-Avengers, the original Hulk intervenes to become Apex and leads his kaiju descendants away from civilization.
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- Release date
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February 14, 2025
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- Release date
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July 25, 2025
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- Release date
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July 24, 2026
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