Notice! This post contains SPOILERS for What If...? Season 3, Episode 4Several long-forgotten MCU villains return And if...? episode 4 of season 3, including one of the least popular antagonists in the entire franchise. Over the years, the MCU has introduced many villains that didn't make it. For example, Ronan, Yellowjacket, and the now-returned Ultron from Phase 2 failed to make an impact on audiences despite their enormous potential, and the Multiverse Saga gave simple, one-off appearances to such famous and powerful villains as Gorr the God Butcher , Kang the Conqueror, and the Deviants.
One of the ways the MCU has made it impossible for villains to leave a mark is by killing them almost as soon as they're introduced. All of the aforementioned antagonists died in their first or second appearance in the MCU. Even well-received villains like Ego, Arnim Zola, Crossbones, and Ulysses Klaue were prevented from reaching their full potential due to their untimely deaths. However, the MCU Multiverse allows any character, living or dead, to return, and And if...?The multiversal premise of makes it possible for dead villains to get a second chance.
What If Season 3 Brings Back Thor's Most Wasted MCU Villain
What if Season 3 Episode 4 makes Malekith a dangerous MCU villain again
In And if...? Season 3, Episode 4, Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis' baby egg suddenly becomes the most coveted object in the universe. Howard and Darce find refuge in the Frost Giant Loki's "resort" world, but their relief is cut short when several different villains from across the MCU arrive to take their unborn child. Notably, Malekith the Accursed leads his Dark Elves on his own quest to steal Howard and Darcy's eggalthough he is soon dispatched by the baby inside the egg. This time, voice actor Steve French replaces Christopher Eccleston as leader of the Dark Elves.
Another underused villain also returns in What If Season 3 Episode 4
Kaecilius almost steals Howard's duck egg in What If...? Season 3, Episode 4
In addition to Malekith and the Dark Elves, And if...? Season 3 Episode 4 features a wide variety of villains trying to acquire Howard the Duck's baby egg, including the Grandmaster, Laufey and the Frost Giants, Thanos and the Black Order, and Zeus and the Olympians. However, the villain who comes closest to stealing Howard's baby is Kaecilius, who manages to rally his followers and perform a magical ritual to harness the egg's power before Howard and Darcy arrive to stop him. Curiously, Kaecilius replaces the Grandmaster's brother, Taneleer Tivan, as the Collector in this universe.
Although the villains featured in And if...? Season 3 Episode 4 doesn't have much screen time, seeing them back in action and interacting with each other is a refreshing sight. Films like Thor: The Dark World and Doctor Strange portrayed their main antagonists as one-dimensional villains obsessed with a single source of power, but And if...? shows how they could have adapted their plans after their first defeat, turning to other power-granting objects, like Howard the Duck's baby egg. Unfortunately, his live-action counterparts are unlikely to come back from the dead to similar treatment.