One scene inWhat If…?season 3 completely changed one of the best moments from Phase 4’sEternals, and made it a lot worse.What If…?season 3, the final chapter of the popular animatedMCUseries, began its eight-episode run on July 25, 2025. The season’s second episode, “What If… Agatha Went to Hollywood?,” saw a variant ofKathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harknessseek to harness the power of the Celestial Tiamut, stopping the Emergence, but waging war on the Eternals and the other Celestials of the MCU in the process.
While it was great to seeEternals, which received a huge amount of criticism after its 2021 release but has gained some retrospective admiration, finally be addressed in the MCU,What If…?twisted several of the movie’s best moments. Theevents ofEternalswill again be explored in live-action in 2025’s upcomingCaptain America: Brave New World.What If…?‘salterations toEternals’storyline, however, may not have been in the movie’s best interest, especially since one of the movie’s biggest displays of power was completely ruined.
Arishem’s Exit In Eternals Was A Huge Display Of Power
Arishem’s Journey In What If…? Ruined His Eternals Exit
At the end ofEternals, the Celestial Arishem appeared and pluckedEternals members Sersi, Kingo and Phastosfrom the Earth, promising to judge the planet and humanity to see whether the life of the Celestial Tiamut was worth sacrificing. Instead of just disappearing into space,Arishem created a black hole-like singularity that allowed him to effectively teleport from one point in space to another. This was an incredible show of strength that truly established Arishem and the Celestials as cosmic beings, butWhat If…?completely butchered this moment.
What If…? Season 3, Episode 2 Made Arishem Much Less Threatening
Arishem Was Weak In What If…? Season 3
Agatha Harkness and Kingo’s plan to take Tiamut’s power inWhat If…?season 3, episode 2caught Arishem’s attention, setting him on course to Earth. According toEternals, Arishem should have just been able to create a singularity and appear by Earth, stopping Agatha and Kingo easily. However, in an effort to buy enough time for Agatha to take Tiamut’s power and become a Celestial in her own right,Marvel Studios completely ruined Arishem’s power set, as he was seen traveling through space like any ship or creature - nothing special at all.
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“What If… What If?”
July 13, 2025
This was a huge insult to Arishem’s abilities, especially afterEternals’ending already proved just how powerful and terrifying the Celestial judge is.Arishem should have been able to just sneak up on Earth at a moment’s notice, but he took so long to get there that Agatha achieved her goal, and this ultimately culminated in her also killing Arishem. This was seriously disappointing, even despite the beautiful visuals of Agatha’s Celestial design inWhat If…?season 3, but, hopefully, upcoming MCU projects will restoreArishem and the Celestials’ impressive nature.
What If…?
Cast
What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse.
