History Recap / WhatIfS2E2WhatIfPeterQuillAttackedEarthsMightiestHeroes

* ApocalypseHow: Ego threatens a Class 6 on Earth, already having devastated countless planets across his wake and condemned them to this fate.

* BigApplesauce: Rather than going directly to his hometown in Missouri, Peter Quill starts his AlienInvasion by crash-landing in New York. And [[NewYorkIsOnlyManhattan Times Square, no less]].

* BreakTheHaughty: Heavily implied to be the case with Thor. By 1988, he would still be a SpoiledBrat as he never learns humility until 2010. It's very likely that the destruction of Asgard and the Nine Realms lead to him maturing as he lost his entire family and home in the process.

* FantasticallyIndifferent: No one seems phased at all by the existence of aliens -- Peter Quill, Wendy Lawson, or Thor -- or the revelation that Wakanda is an AdvancedAncientAcropolis.

* HeelRealization: When Hope calls out the Avengers for how they are treating Peter, even though he is just a kid and just wants to go home. She agrees to tell her father where he is going only if he agrees to help, pointing out to Hank it's what Janet would have wanted. Hearing that, Hank realizes his daughter is right.

* IgnoredVitalNewsReports: Howard Stark only calls up Hank because Hank's not turned on his TV and noticed the devastation going on in New York. When Howard manages to get this through to him, Hope's already turned on the news herself.

** Hank, true to Bill Foster's comments about what he used to be like from ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'', is pretty grouchy and difficult towards everyone at first. With that said, he still loves his daughter Hope, and immediately suits up when he sees just how dangerous Quill is. When he sees that Peter is just a grieving kid being used by his father to carry out his Expansion, Hank calmly talks to him and encourages him to do the right thing.

* NiceGirl: Hope is friendly towards an imprisoned Peter, helps him escape, and gives him her mom's walkman. Notably, she's the first person to actually see Peter as a kid, and not just a dangerous tool of his father.
* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: Peter goes on a rampage across New York state, but once captured it turns out he isn't the one who's been destroying planets. All he wanted to do was go back to Missouri.

* SixthRanger: Thor joins The Avengers after the initial team is already established, at the end of their first encounter with Peter.

** Hope bonding with Peter, along with convincing the other Avengers to help him, is what causes Peter to turn against Ego. Better yet, Hank bringing his daughter to work also counts, because he couldn't find a babysitter in time, since she gets to be part of the action.

** Since she's heading off-world with plenty of back up instead of staying put, Mar-Vell has a much better chance of averting her canon death.

* TimeShiftedActor: Due to only being young children here, both Peter Quill and Hope van Dyne have different voice actors here, being Mace Montgomery Miskel and Madeline [=McGraw=][[note]]who previously played young Hope in a flashback during ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp''[[/note]] respectively.

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Hope is the one that first realizes Peter really wants to go home and doesn’t mean harm, which why she sets him free. Then she tells the Avengers how they show be doing the right, such as helping Peter, and realizing Ego is the real threat.
* WouldHurtAChild: Thor, initially, wants justice for Asgard and was willing to punish Peter severely before he backs down. Bucky almost plays this straight when he has Peter in his sights at the graveyard, but Howard hacks into his coms and convinces him to stand down.

** On meeting Goose, Peter mentions he's more of a dog person. Cosmo the Space Dog being an ally of the Guardians in their third film.

** While Peter is on Coney Island, despite destroying the stall where he got a a stuffed raccoon, he is mostly enjoying himself and having fun. He only starts creating more destruction after the Avengers start attacking him. This is a sign he really means no harm and it's Ego who controlling him.

->'''Police Officer:''' ''[upon seeing Peter Quill emerge]'' Is that a... kid?\\

!!! '''Alternate take on:''' ''Film/TheAvengers2012'' and ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol2''

'''Uatu:''' ''[narrating]'' Not just any kid, but Peter Quill, a son of Earth and the stars whose pain and loss now threatens to destroy the very world he once called home and the entire universe along with it.

** Hope bonding with Peter, along with convincing the other Avengers to help him, is what causes Peter to turn against Ego. Better yet, Hank bringing his daughter to work also counts, since she gets to be part of the action.
** Howard Stark convincing Bucky to stand down allows him to break free of Hydra's control, thus saving him and his wife from being killed by him three years later.

* SpiritualAntithesis: To ''Film/{{Brightburn}}'' as they both deal with a boy with superpowers who end up becoming a PersonOfMassDestruction, the only difference is that while Peter ''does'' have powers, he's not evil. Bonus points being how ''Brightburn'' and ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' were films directed by Creator/JamesGunn

* ExactWords: PlayedForLaughs. Hope states that there aren't any vegetables in her cereal, only for Hank to state that potato chips ''are'' vegetables.

** Howard Stark convincing Bucky to stand down allows him to break free of Hydra's control, thus saving him and his wife from being killed three years later.

->'''Hank:''' Perhaps you forgot, Goldilocks, that we have sort of a team going on here.\\

----

* SwissCheeseSecurity: S.H.I.E.L.D. security is so tight a teenage girl can swipe her father's access card and just dance through the facility and make off with a high-tech cell without ''anyone'' noticing until she's already done it.

** Someone snarks at Hank Pym and Bill Foster for [[Film/AntManAndTheWasp measuring sizes]].

* HoldingBackThePhlebotinum: The Space Stone. Known to be capable of generating enormous power. SHIELD has been studying it for years. Could be useful against a Celestial. The heroes have it powering their ship. The only time it affects the plot is when Wendy tells Bucky to keep the ship at a distance because she's worried what will happen if it explodes.

* TheEighties: This episode takes place in 1988, with the story truly leaning into the setting as it collects the heroes of this era to galvanize against Ego. There are several on-the-nose references to the Cold War, MTV, and 80s music and technology, just in case you forgot what year it is.
* AdaptationalBadass:
** Peter Quill in this timeline has far more control over the Celestial powers he inherited from Ego than his Sacred Timeline self did despite being far younger, likely due to the six months of training he got from Ego. Also unlike his Sacred Timeline self, Peter retains his Celestial powers by absorbing the Celestial seedling, noting that it means a piece of Ego will always live inside him.

* BigApplesauce: Rather than going directly to his hometown in Missouri, Peter Quill starts his AlienInvasion by crash-landing in New York. And [[NewYorkIsOnlyManhattan Time Square, no less]].

* BumblingDad: Hank Pym is introduced adding potato chips to Hope’s cereal, considering them a vegetable.
* CallForward: Hope is already much more imaginative with Pym particles that her father ever was, foreshadowing her fighting style as the second Wasp.

* ChekhovsGun: The celestial seedling Thor that picked up in Missouri when first arriving on Earth. It not only warns the Avengers when Ego is sending his avatar to Earth, but it also gives Peter the power to destroy his father’s avatar after he absorbs the seedling.

* EnemyMine: Peter is a big enough threat that the Soviets (or more likely the Soviet representatives of HYDRA) send the Winter Soldier (a.k.a Bucky Barnes) to aid S.H.I.E.L.D against him.

** While Peter is on Coney Island, despite destroying the stall where he got a a stuffed raccoon, he is mostly enjoying himself and having fun. He only starts creating more destruction after the Avengers start attacking him. This is a sign he really means no harm and it’s Ego who controlling him.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Peter's eyes only glow when he uses his powers, and until the end of the episode, him using his powers means trouble.
* GodzillaThreshold: The threat of Peter decimating Earth is so great that the Soviets (and by extension, HYDRA controlling that branch of it) willingly send the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes) to aid S.H.I.E.L.D in stopping him, compromising the Winter Soldier's secret existence in the process. Furthermore, King T'Chaka takes up the Black Panther mantle to assist in the matter despite generally not getting involved with global affairs due to how serious the threat is.

* HeelRealization: When Hope calls out the Avengers for how they are treating Peter, even though he is just a kid and just wants to go home. She agrees to tell her father where he is going only if he agrees to help, pointing out to Hank it’s what Janet would have wanted. Hearing that, Hank realizes his daughter is right.

* KilledOffscreen: Asgard and the Nine Realms suffer this fate thanks to Ego using Peter's body to decimate them. This motivates Thor to join the Avengers to take down Ego and avenge those that were lost.

* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: When Thor first arrives, Peter mistakes him for a member of Music/VanHalen; not being from Earth, Thor doesn’t know who Van Halen is.

In a world where Yondu sent Peter to Ego instead of taking him as his own, Howard Stark and Peggy Carter form a team to stop the Celestial father and son when they threaten Earth.

* TheEighties: This episode takes place in 1988, with the setting truly leaning into the setting as it collects the heroes of this era to galvanize against Ego. There are several on-the-nose references to the Cold War, MTV, and 80s music and technology, just in case you forgot what year it is.

** Peter Quill in this timeline has far more control over the celestial powers he inherited from Ego than his Sacred Timeline self did despite being far younger, likely due to the six months of training he got from Ego. Also unlike his Sacred Timeline self, Peter retains his celestial powers by absorbing the celestial seedling, noting that it means a piece of Ego will always live inside him.

** In the main timeline Peter has never met Hank and Hope on screen (bar the Battle of Earth and a group meeting at Tony's funeral), while here they seem set to become his adoptive father and sister.
** In the regular timeline, Hope and Hank's relationship deteriorated after the loss of Janet van Dyne, especially since Hank shipped her off to boarding school because he couldn't deal with his grief. Here, the two seem to have a much healthier father-and-daughter dynamic, with Hank wholly trusting and loving Hope even without Janet keeping them together.

* ApocalypseHow: Ego threatens a Class 6 on Earth, already having devastated countless planets across his wake and condemning them to this fate.

* BittersweetEnding: Thankfully one leaning more towards the "sweet" this time around. Though Ego managed to destroy much of the Nine Realms and his planetary core is still a vying threat, the Avengers form several years earlier and manage to stop him from destroying Earth, and Peter is adopted into the Pym-van Dyne family. Not to mention that Bucky has left HYDRA in order to reclaim his past, meaning there is little to no chance of Howard and Maria Stark being killed in a few years (at least by him).

* FiveManBand: The 80's Avengers have this dynamic in spades; Hank Pym/Ant-Man, owing to his intelligence, training and years of experience as a superhero and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent [[TheLeader giving him the abilities to command the team]]. [[TheLancer King T'Chaka]] as the team's second foremost member, throwing himself into the danger at the first sign. [[TheBigGuy Bill Foster]], who has cracked the Pym Particles' ability to grow and become able to grow giant, providing the team muscle. [[TheSmartGuy Wendy Lawson/Mar-Vell]], who despite having superhuman abilities as a Kree sticks to acting as team support and providing the team with vital info on Ego. [[TokenEvilTeammate The Winter Soldier]], sent by his Soviet handlers to handle the threat with his unique abilities as an assassin and the first one to suggest simply murdering Peter as the solution. [[SixthRanger And Thor]], who comes to save the team at New York after Peter proves too much for them to handle. Hank also pulls double duty as TheHeart by being the first one to realize that Peter is just a grieving kid being manipulated and getting him to confront his father and prevent him from annihilating humanity.

* HeelRealization: When Hope calls out the Avengers for how they are treating Peter, even though he is just a kid and just wants to go home. She agrees to tell her father where he is going only if he agrees to help, pointing to Hank it’s what Janet would have wanted. Hearing that Hank realizes his daughter is right.
* HeroOfAnotherStory: Averted, as the entire point of the episode is acknowledging how there were in fact many heroes or superhumans active at the same time during the 1980s. However, there was never a reason to focus on their adventures in the films and they became this trope. This episode provides a big enough reason for S.H.I.E.L.D. to recruit all of them and have the meet.

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: Howard hacks The Winter Soldier's comm, appealing to him by calling him his true name and reminding him of his friendship with Steve and he knows he wouldn't just shoot a kid like Peter. It ultimately works, and he doesn't take the shot.

** Howard Stark is still as abrasive as ever in this universe, but he still believes that Bucky Barnes still exists within the Winter Soldier, and manages to talk him out of following up on the Soviet Union's orders to kill Peter Quill by reminding him of Steve Rogers and how good he was.

* NearVillainVictory: Ego almost succeeds at killing the Avengers and reclaiming his seedling, had not been for Hank arriving at the battle with Peter, who then absorbs the seedling to make himself strong enough to destroy Ego's avatar.

* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: When Thor first arrives, Peter mistakes him for a member from Music/VanHalen, not being from Earth Thor doesn’t know who Van Halen is.

* TheReveal: King Azzuri, the father of T'Chaka and N'Jobu and the grandfather of T'Challa, Shuri, and N'Jadaka, was revealed to be the one who donated the vibranium to Howard Stark that would later be used to make Captain America's shield because Azzuri allied Wakanda to the United States during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

** Due to Bucky freeing himself from HYDRA's control a few years early, Howard Stark is no longer in any danger of being killed at his hands in 1991. Ditto Maria Stark.

** With Bucky free and the infiltration at a much earlier stage, the episode leaves open at least the possibility that the Hydra infestation in SHIELD might be discovered and dealt with before the organisation has to be destroyed this time.
* StealTheSurroundings: Hope helps bust Peter out of SHIELD's cell by shrinking the cell and carrying it away.

* SwissCheeseSecurity: S.H.I.E.L.D. security is so tight a teenaged girl can swipe her father's access card and just dance through the facility and make off with a high-tech cell without ''anyone'' noticing until she's already done it.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: When Foster notices how Ego makes a ''colossal'' version of himself, Foster (who is at 21 feet) mutters how he "needs to be bigger."

* TravelingAtTheSpeedOfPlot: Ego somehow makes it to Earth in less than a few minutes after noticing that Peter didn't do the job he was sent to do, so either his avatar really close to Earth to begin with, or his ship was ''very'' fast.

* WorfHadTheFlu: The only reason Peter and the 88' Avengers can take down this version of Ego comes down to him only being an avatar of the true Ego, whose Celestial body is still out there.

* CallToAdventure: A literal example. Howard calls Hank in order to recruit him to the team. Hank (initially) declines due to his ongoing beef against SHIELD for what happened to Janet.

* GooGooGodlike: Peter has the powers of a Celestial, but he only uses them to have a fun at a carnival. It's [[OmnicidalManiac his father who uses them to destroy worlds]].

** Peter Quill in this timeline has far more control over the celestial powers he inherited from Ego than his Sacred Timeline self did despite being far younger, likely due to the six months of training he got from Ego. Also unlike his 616 self, Peter retains his celestial powers by absorbing the celestial seedling, noting that it means a piece of Ego will always live inside him.

** Peter has far more control over his celestial powers than his 616 self did despite being far younger, likely due to the six months of training he got from Ego. Also unlike his 616 self, Peter retains his celestial powers by absorbing the celestial seedling, noting that it means a piece of Ego will always live inside him.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Averted, the entire point of the episode is acknowledging how there were in fact many heroes or superhumans active at the same time during the 1980s. However, there was never a reason to focus on their adventures in the films and they became this trope. This episode provides a big enough reason for S.H.I.E.L.D. to recruit all of them and have the meet.