Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for “What If…?” Season 2, Episode 3.
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- And if…? Episode 3 of Season 2 is a fun and festive tribute to Die Hard, with Happy Hogan as the hero and plenty of humor and heart for Christmas.
- The episode explores the idea of what it means to be an Avenger and emphasizes the importance of doing your duty in the face of adversity.
- The return of Justin Hammer also showcases his new martial arts skills and his potential as an even more formidable live-action villain of the future.
Miracle And if…? Season 2, Episode 3 is all about the Christmas spirit and a tribute to the best Christmas movie. Hard to killand make Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) the hero. The animated episode is without a doubt one of the MCU’s funniest releases and fits perfectly into the spirit of the season. There’s humor, heart, and a new kind of Hulk for the Marvel timeline – everything you could want for Christmas.
But what does it all mean? And how good Hard to kill Does parody really work? These questions and more are answered in this in-depth explanation of “What if Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” Along the way, an important event in the Hulk’s history is referenced Avengers: EndgameAt the end of the episode, a hint about the future of the Armor Wars villain and an examination of what really makes an Avenger an Avenger.

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And if…? The ‘Die Hard’ Parody Explained

“What if Happy Hogan saved Christmas?” is essentially perceived intelligently Hard to kill Tribute. Instead of Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber, Justin Hammer plays the invading villain, replacing Avengers Tower Nakatomi Plaza. Fortunately, John McClane is natural and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) is his Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), as she identifies herself in a particularly meta moment.
Every major moment is referenced, from Happy crawling through the vents to putting a villain in the elevator (although this time it’s a mannequin) to Gruber’s iconic death (although Happy subverts this when he kills Hammer saves). Obviously there are differences – John McClane didn’t use Bruce Banner’s blood to become the Hulk and save the day like Happy does – but it’s a loving, perfectly timed pastiche.
The “What if…?” element, as if it really matters, is: what if Justin Hammer got revenge on Iron Man by infiltrating Avengers Tower and taking control of the defense systems, including the Iron Legion, and to take control? Of course, it turns out that the Avengers are on promotional duty and JARVIS is undergoing repairs. Ultimately, Happy defeats Hammer himself after accidentally transforming into the Hulk when the original plan to restart the tower’s defenses with a replacement AI (hilariously named Werner Herzog) fails.

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Tony Stark’s Hulk Cure Explained

While Happy hides from Hammer and the hijacked Iron Legion drones, who want to steal a vial of Bruce Banner’s blood to turn Hammer into the Hulk, it turns out that Stark is developing a cure for the Hulk. Interestingly enough, Iron Man’s experiments seem to have been designed to preserve Banner’s ability to turn into the Hulk, but without anger issues.
While it may seem strange that Stark isn’t trying to heal Banner directly, this actually ties in with what’s been established elsewhere in the MCU. In You Hulk, it is revealed that Iron Man built Hulk’s laboratory in Mexico to help him transform into Smart Hulk. It may be that Stark’s previous experiments led to the revelation that the Hulk could never be “cured,” which in turn led Banner and Stark to assume that balance was the only cure. And there are indications that Stark actually valued the Hulk too much to lose his influence as one of Earth’s defenders.

And if…?
And if… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and featuring fan-favorite characters including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. Directed by Bryan Andrews and head writer AC Bradley, the new series delivers unique MCU action with a twist. The show features Uatu the Observer, an all-powerful being who observes events in multiple universes from a distance and cannot intervene. However, things change when a being sees beyond the veil and puts the multiverse in danger.
- Pour
- Samuel L. Jackson, Stanley Tucci, Michael Douglas, Sean Gunn, Mark Ruffalo, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Jeffrey Wright, Michael B. Jordan, Toby Jones, Sebastian Stan, Paul Rudd, David Dastmalchian, Natalie Portman, Josh Brolin, Dominic Cooper, Jeff Goldblum, Hayley Atwell, Djimon Hounsou, Chadwick Boseman, Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Neil McDonaugh, Jeremy Renner, Michael Rooker
- Seasons
- two
Why Happy Hogan’s Hulk is purple (and talks)

The main differences between Happy Hogan’s Hulk mutation and Banner’s are color and the fact that he can talk. Happy Hulk is purple (and bald like The Abomination, although both Hulk and She-Hulk have hair). Perhaps modified pureblood versions of the Hulk will allow for even more monstrous mutations?
In the comics, the most notable Purple Hulk was Norman Osborn, who used powers borrowed from the Super-Adaptoid to steal the Red Hulk’s powers and transform himself. The purple color is never really addressed. But the other Purple Hulk from the comics suggests that the color is associated with incredible evil. In Incredible Hulk #371 Hulk is possessed by Shangar, the Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension (who became the Dark One in the animated adaptation). Possessed, Banner transformed into Dark Hulk and turned purple (at least in the animated film). Incredible Hulk Series from 1996 in which the color was revealed).
Super-Adaptoid was an android created by AIM in Marvel Comics using the Cosmic Cube that had the ability to absorb the powers of any superhero it came into contact with.
Happy’s Purple Hulk would break the trend of supervillains turning the Hulk purple, although he visibly counters the Hulk’s influence with his own personality. So maybe purple here also means evil, and Happy’s real superpower was just being a nice guy to counter that.
What’s clear is that whatever Tony Stark did with Bruce Banner’s blood, he created an early version of him game is overHe is the Smart Hulk because Happy can still talk when he turns into the Purple Hulk. Notably, both the original Hulk and Abomination had limited speech, as neither could control their anger: She-Hulk was an exception because her experience as a woman trained her to control her anger so that she never lost control. . completely. Happy specifically mentions that Stark is working on a way to control the Hulk’s anger issues, suggesting that the key to communication is simply not getting angry.
In You HulkEmil Blonsky can speak normally as an abomination, because he has achieved a state of inner balance and peace.
And if…? Prepare for Justin Hammer’s powerful return to the MCU

At one point, Justin Hammer reveals that he acquired significant martial arts skills in prison after the events of Iron Man 2. In the company of criminals, Hammer learned various martial arts disciplines in the prison yard, suggesting that his long-awaited return to life could make him a fully improved villain. Interestingly enough, this would also make him look a lot more like Tony Stark, who is known as a hand-to-hand combat expert in the MCU.
What would happen to Marvel and what if…? Talk about the Avengers as an idea

Looking for a deeper meaning in a cartoon that parodies it Hard to kill and features John McClane fighting Hulk on a mission to save his superhero friends, which may seem pointless, but it’s totally there. And if…? Season 2, Episode 3 subtly explores what it really means to be an Avenger: it’s not just about using your superpowers, it’s also about doing your duty in the face of serious adversity.
Furthermore, Happy’s initial mistake in allowing Hammer to take control of Avengers Tower so easily mirrors the experience of almost all of the original Avengers. They all had red on their ledgers, to use Black Widow’s most famous catchphrase, and to make up for these mistakes, they became the most powerful heroes in the world. Happy earns his Avengers stripes not only for his recovery, but also for his new powers.
new episodes of And if…? Season 2 premieres daily on Disney+ through December 30
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Source: La Neta Neta

Smith Charles is a talented entertainment journalist and author at The Nation View. He has a passion for all things entertainment and writes about the latest movies, TV shows, music, and celebrity news. He’s known for his in-depth interviews with actors, musicians, and other industry figures, and his ability to provide unique perspectives on the entertainment industry.