Stony & Natasha Moments in What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
I’m not usually a fan of What If?, but this episode is everything I never knew I needed. So for its 1st anniversary, I thought I would make a few posts!
Disclaimer: This post won't make sense unless you've already seen the episode.
I've been screaming into the void for years about how Natasha has been Steve and Tony's co-leader since A1, and this episode subtly reaffirms this!
It starts with these close-ups of Tony, Steve, and Natasha. We also get an additional shot of Tony and Steve together - a pattern that will continue!
We next see Natasha starring as the Sugar Plum Fairy in a special performance of The Nutcracker. She is hyper-competent and the first person Happy calls for help:
Happy: "Natasha? Natasha!
Natasha: "Hey Happy, not a great time. I'm being held at gunpoint by a former Hydra agent with 17 kills."
Agent: "18 kills. You forgot Nigeria."
Natasha: "Oh that was you? Show off."
Happy: "Uh... you want me to get you help?"
Natasha: "Oh no, I've got this. See you at the party!"
[gunshots]
Happy: "Yeah, she'll be fine."
Happy then calls Tony, who is playing Santa and getting annoyed with the kids love for Steve: "Perfect timing. Happy, can you tell Timmy here that a replica Cap shield is nothing but a patriotic frisbee?"
Happy responds, "Tony, it's an emergency!" But Tony isn't paying attention - he has stopped glaring at the kid and notices Steve is being swarmed, "Whoa! Trouble here too. Soccer moms are cornering Cap. Gotta go!"
(Also, it's interesting to see that they made Tony's eyes blue - like they are in the comics - instead of brown - like they are in the MCU, Avengers Assemble, etc)
Poor Steve is just standing there, mentally suffering, while women yank him around.
There are no words big enough to describe how much I love Steve being the Elf to Tony's Santa! This scene checks all of my Stony and bottom!Steve boxes. I love it so much! (I even made a pic post celebrating elf!Steve)
Despite all his bluster, Tony is extremely worried about Steve.
Also, it turns out that Tony's public gift for Steve is Iron Man socks. He wants to see his man rocking his merch!
I'm including these shots of the (marketing?) office because 1) I NEED replicas of these posters, stat; and 2) it proves that having Natasha, Tony, and Steve be the only Avengers making public appearances on Christmas Eve was a choice that was planned long in advance. This is more proof that Natasha is Steve and Tony's co-leader.
A nice group shot, with Tony, Steve, and Natasha standing next to each other. Steve and Natasha are still in their costumes, even though they're about to enter a fight!
Recreation of the iconic moment in Age of Ultron's opening sequence, with Steve in-between Tony and Natasha.
Tony and Steve get thrown backwards. Tony ends up in the fireplace, while Steve ends up in a very compromising position. 👀
Hulk!Happy roars, and Steve turns to Tony and asks, "Is that Happy?" Tony responds with a disgruntled, "Umm, no."
Group shot, with Natasha and Clint on one side and Tony and Steve on the other. The difference is that Steve and Tony are standing extremely close together.
Natasha zaps Hulk!Happy, who manages to say, "Natasha! It's me!"
Shocked, Natasha lowers her arm. "Oh my god. Happy?"
Steve chuckles, saying, "I was right!"
This is another subtle Stony moment - Natasha was alone in her close-up, but Steve shares the frame with Tony.
A few moments later, Tony talks and gets a close up. Steve is still in the fame, even though he's not saying or doing anything.
I hope you enjoyed this post!