What If...? Ep 8 Takeaways: Ultron proves to be MENACING villain; Battles The Watcher in EPIC multiverse fight

*SPOILERS ALERT* After showing us an epic Thor vs. Captain Marvel fight along with a timeline where Thor and Loki have a healthy "brothers from another mother" relationship in What If...? Ep 7,  the next cataclysmic question asked, pondered over and answered in What If...? Ep 8 is; What If... Ultron Won? We're taken to the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, where the Avengers (Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow [Lake Bell] and Clint Barton aka Hawkeye [Jeremy Renner] are the only lone survivors) succumb to Ultron (Ross Marquand) as he gets his hands on Vision's vibranium body with the Mind Stone before the Earth's mightiest heroes.

After killing half the Avengers and Thanos, the latter was done in hilarious, impromptu fashion which left MCU fans reeling, Ultron is in possession of all the six Infinity Stones and breaks (or explodes would be a better word!) the galaxy, quite literally, one by one. Because of his mega powers, Ultron shockingly sets his sight on The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright, "The guide through the vast new realities."), who is like a deer caught in headlights, and as expected, an epic multiverse battle ensues which results in the latter being forced to enlist the help of someone very "strange" (more on that below!). Moreover, What If...? Ep 8 sets the right tone for the final episode, What If...? Ep 9.

Here are the five takeaways from What If...? Ep 8:

Ultron kills half of the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel

For those, who were miffed with Ultron's potential as the ultimate bad guy in Avengers: Age of Ultron, you will not be left disappointed in What If...? Ep 8, as Ultron is as menacing as it you'd imagine in your wildest dreams. Not only does he kill Iron Man aka Tony Stark (Mick Wingert), Thor and Hulk aka Bruce Banner, like it was nothing, but he also destroys other planets, defeating the Guardians of the Galaxy and even the ever-powerful Captain Marvel (Alexandra Daniels), before consuming the whole galaxy at large. All the while, creating a massive drone army. Speaking of defeat...

Ultron defeats Thanos... in seconds

In a hilarious yet equally astonishing moment, Ultron encounters Thanos, who has the other five Infinity Stones in his possession and literally slices him in half. It was that simple... really? Speaking of trying to defeat Ultron...

Clint Barton sacrifices himself for Natasha Romanoff

The two lone Avengers, Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton have to fight off Ultron's drone army until they get their hands on Arnim Zola's (Toby Jones) consciousness and try to connect it to Ultron's mind to destroy him. However, given how Ultron isn't in the same timeline as them (more on that in the next point!), they are unable to do so. When there are way too many drones to kill, in a role reversal to the heartbreaking Avengers: Endgame death, Clint sacrifices himself, to help his best friend Nat escape, by literally falling onto the ravages army, succumbing to his tragic fate. Speaking of Ultron...

Ultron vs. The Watcher's epic multiverse battle

Thanks to Ultron's intrusion, The Watcher won't be able to just watch and ponder from the sidelines. Because he's caught, The Watcher must do anything to protect the timeline. While his oath to not meddle with any timelines wasn't needed to guide Clint and Nat to Arnim Zola's file, as they hilariously worked it out just fine, he had to break his promise and duke it out with Ultron, who proved himself as a worthy opponent. After a hellish multiverse battle of epic proportions, The Watcher escapes but with Ultron now in hindsight of the entire multiverse, he can't stay hidden for too long. So, what else can The Watcher do but...

Doctor Strange Supreme-level cliffhanger

...enlist the help of the imprisoned Doctor Strange Supreme [Benedict Cumberbatch] who we were heartbreakingly introduced to in What If...? Ep 4. In the closing few moments, The Watcher is forced to accept the fact that he has to break the oath to defeat Ultron, which Doctor Strange Supremer hilariously obliges him to say out loud, - "I see now. I need your help." - and save the multiverse. How this will culminate, we'll have to wait until next week.

Special Mention: While fighting it out, Ultron and The Watcher reach a timeline; New York, to be specific, where Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Josh Keaton) is running for the President of the United States and can be heard campaigning on a building screen. And that's definitely something that's left MCU fans mighty intrigued.

Now, that is the classic Marvel way to get MCU fans excited for What If...?'s finale episode, which promises to be an unforgettable showing!

Which was your favourite moment from What If...? Ep 8? Share your personal picks with Pinkvilla in the comments section below.

ALSO READ: What If...? Ep 7 Takeaways: Thor turns into a party prince; Captain Marvel makes a badass Earth appearance

Meanwhile, What If...? Ep 9 aka the final episode of the popular Marvel Disney+ series will drop on October 6.