What If Season 3 Episode 6 Breakdown: Recap, Ending Explained & Easter Eggs

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for What If…? Season 3, episode 6What If…? Season 3, episode 6 is the next best thing instead of an actual Shang-CHi sequel. Starring Simu Liu and the cowboy hero “The Ten Rings” and Hailee Steinfeld as the sharpshooting Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye, this new episode and alternate MCU reality is set in the year 1872. Likewise, the ending of this new episode sets up the major series finale on the horizon for Marvel’s What If…? as well.

Not unlike the previous What If…? Season 3, episode 5, this new MCU multiverse episode is a little more serious and focused compared to some of What If…?’s wackier chapters (see Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis’ egg). To that end, “What If…1872” features some very cool action sequences, as well as an exciting cliffhanger at its end. To that end, here’s our breakdown of What If…? Season 3, episode 6, its ending explained, and the biggest Easter eggs and references we found.

What If…? Season 3 Episode 6 Spoilers & Key Story Takeaways

“What If…1872?”

Shang-Chi aka The Ten Rings and his sharpshooting partner Hawkeye take down a posse led by John Walker in 1872.

John Walker points the duo to Point Pegasus as they seek to bring The Hood to justice.

The Watcher reveals that Xu Xialing immigrated to the United States, only to find her fellow Chinese immigrants oppressed by the crime lord known as The Hood. Xu Xialing disappeared going after The Hood, motivating Shang-Chi to hunt him down along with Kate Bishop (who lost her parents to the crime lord as well).

The Ten Rings and Hawkeye find a young boy named Jun-Fan whose entire town was abducted by The Hood on a “ghost train”.

The ghost train is revealed to be a trackless hovering train designed by Tony Stark, full of munitions and the abducted immigrants who are all in a hypnotic trance.

Sonny Burch and a full posse are on board, confirmed to be in league with The Hood. Burch agrees to take Ten Rings and Hawkeye to the crime lord.

The Hood is revealed to be Xu Xialing who killed the original crime lord and took his mantle, building an army to strike back and “liberate” the Wild West.

Sonny reveals himself as the one who killed Kate’s parents as he locks her in the same hypnotic trance, having stolen their fortune to fund The Hood’s army.

Jun-Fan rings a bell ten times, breaking the trance which allows Hawkeye to defeat Burch.

Shang-Chi refuses to fight his sister, forcing Hawkeye to kill the newly corrupted Hood when she tries to kill him.

After helping the Chinese immigrants resettle, The Ten Rings and Hawkeye ride off into the sunset looking for more dangers and people to help.

The Watcher is captured by The Eminence, The Executioner, and The Incarnate to pay for his frequent interventions and the breaking of his oath.

How Shang-Chi Defeated The Hood And Their Identity Explained

(Also, What Happened To The Watcher?)

The end of What If…? Season 3, episode 6 reveals that Xu Xialing killed the original Hood before taking his presumably demon-possessed cloak as her own. Seeking to raise an army of immigrants against the West to “make it what they were promised”, Xialing can’t see that she’s enslaving the innocent and warping their minds. Unfortunately, Xialing was far too warped and corrupted by The Hood’s power to see any differently, resulting in her death by Hawkeye when Shang-Chi refuses to fight (and Xialing was moving in for the kill).

The Watcher confirms the story ends better than it could have, seeing as how he himself dispatched one of Burch’s men who would have killed Jun-Fan. Instead, Jun-Fan lives to help save the day with Hawkeye and The Ten Rings. However, this proves to be one intervention too many for the trio of other Watchers first seen in earlier episodes, who have now come to see Uatu finally answering for the many times he’s broken his oath. As such, this final reckoning will likely be the focus of the series’ final two episodes that are still to come.

What If…? Season 3 Episode 5’s Biggest Easter Eggs and References

Featuring Cameos, Key MCU References, and More

There are several exciting and cool MCU Easter eggs, appearances, and references in What If…? Season 3, episode 6. Here are all the biggest ones we found:

Burning Film – The new What If…? episode opens with a burning film effect, a classic transition seen in several Westerns.

The Ten Rings – Shang-Chi is referred to as “The Ten Rings”, as the legends say he appears when a bell is rung ten times.

Shang-Chi’s Bandanna – Shang-Chi’s bandanna is red with white dragon scales, a nod to the MCU’s “Great Protector” seen in 2021’s Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings.

John Walker – Wyatt Russell’s John Walker leads the posse against The Ten Rings, also known as U.S. Agent in the primary MCU who’s set to appear next in Marvel’s Thunderbolts*.

Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye – The Ten Rings’ partner is none other than Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye, an impressive sharpshooter.

The Hood – The Ten Rings and Hawkeye are after The Hood who’s revealed to be Shang-Chi’s sister Xu Xialing. However, the original Hood is Parker Robbins, who will soon debut in the main MCU played by Anthony Ramos in 2025’s Ironheart series.

Point Pegasus – John Walker points the Ten Rings in the direction of Point Pegasus, a nod to SHIELD’s Project Pegasus seen in Avengers and Captain Marvel.

Shang-Chi’s Theme – The main theme from 2021’s Shang-Chi can be briefly heard in this episode from original composer Joel P. West.

Wacky Alternate MCU Universes – The Watcher mentions some very strange realities in the multiverse, including one that’s home to Throg & Croki, Crossbones captaining a band of sea-faring pirates, and even one where Ultron was programmed to perform show tunes.

Titans of MCU Industry – Boarding The Hood’s high-tech trackless train, The Ten Rings and Hawkeye discover stores of Stark Munitions, Hammer Steel, and Cross Manufacturing. As such, these appear to be the Old West counterparts to the main MCU’s Stark Industries, Hammer Industries, and Cross Technologies.

Sonny Burch – Sonny Burch is revealed to be working with The Hood, Walton Goggins’ black market weapons dealer from 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.

“Fists of Fury” – Sonny Burch refers to Shang-Chi’s hand as “first of fury”, the same name as the classic Bruce Lee movie.

Russian Hypnotism? – Burch uses a form of hypnotism he picked up from a Russian to subjugate all the Chinese railroad workers for The Hood’s army. This could either be a reference to Winter Soldier’s brainwashing, or Doctor Faustus’ hypnosis techniques seen in Agent Carter.

“Iron Fists” – Hawkeye mentions that Jun-Fan has “Iron Fists”, which is more than likely a nod to the MCU’s kung fu warrior Iron Fist, whom many hope will team-up with Shang-Chi one day.

“Sun’s Getting Real Low” – The episode ends with Shang-Chi speaking the same phrase used to calm down Bruce Banner’s Hulk, having been first heard in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

New episodes of What If…? Season 3 release daily at 3amET/12amPT on Disney+.

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