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Did you catch this rocky Thor: Ragnarok Easter egg in Episode 2 of Marvel's What If...?

By Josh Weiss
What If 102 Still

You're probably asking yourself why Disney+ didn't lead with today's episode of What If...? The sophomore installment of Marvel Studios' animated anthology follows a version of Prince T'Challa (perfectly voiced by the late Chadwick Boseman in one of his final MCU roles) who becomes Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill.

The results are as fun as they are imaginative, showing off what this show is really capable of when it's firing on all multiversal cylinders.

“[Chadwick] really enjoyed the idea of being able to play this slightly different version of T’Challa,” director Bryan Andrews told The Hollywood Reporter. “The events are so extremely different, but the galaxy doesn’t change T’Challa; T’Challa changes the galaxy. There are a few more times where he pops up briefly in a couple other episodes, so we were able to record with him a little bit during the pandemic."

Where the premiere felt like a warmed-over rehash of Captain America: The First Avenger with a few small tweaks here and there, Episode 2 really takes full advantage of a premise that yields a ton of great character moments and Easter eggs for viewers who have stuck with this universe for more than 10 years.

WARNING! The following contains major plot spoilers for Episode 2 of What If...? (!!!)

We want to bring your attention to one Easter egg in particular — one that comes during T'Challa's brawl with a buffed-up version of The Collector (Benicio del Toro) who filled the cosmic power vacuum after Thanos (Josh Brolin) decided to go straight after a simple heart-to-heart with Wakanda's Crown Prince. Oh yeah, seeing a redemption story for the Mad Titan is something we never knew we needed, even if he still does maintain that random genocide wasn't such a bad idea.

Ok, back to the Easter egg. While trying to escape from Knowhere, T'Challa takes a punch from The Collector who is rocking a strong arm made of rocks. "Packs quite a wallop does it not?" says Taneleer Tivan. "I hacked it off the carcass of a terribly chatty Kronan."

Let that piece of dialogue sink in for a minute.

There can be no doubt to whom The Collector is referring: it's gotta be none other than Korg, Taika Waititi's mild-mannered and small talk-loving rock being from Thor: Ragnarok. And if Tivan was also able to collect Captain America's shield and Hela's spiky headpiece — also seen in his arsenal — we don't think Korg was much of a challenge for the villain.

RIP Korg.

The first two episodes of Marvel's What If...? are now available to stream on Disney+. Episode 3 premieres next Wednesday, Aug. 25. Click here for our recap of the season premiere.