Warning: SPOILERS for Marvel's What If...? episode 7, "What If... Thor Were An Only Child?"

mistakes in the MCU that  serve as evidence of course-corrections made during the production of the MCU.

Take, for example, the Infinity Gauntlet - of which there have been two in the MCU. The first of these was seen in Odin's Treasure Vault in The Avengers - and Thor: Ragnarok's "fake" reveal was simply a failed attempt to straighten out the issues. Small contradictions like this, inconsequential in the overall arc of the MCU, serve as evidence of Marvel's plans changing.

Related: Every MCU Easter Egg In What If? Episode 7

Marvel's What If...? is risking another plot hole. It's long been clear the series would eventually ditch its anthology approach in favor of a Multiversal team-up against an army of Ultrons, and episode 7's conclusion finally kicked things off. It seems this army is led by an Avengers: Endgame, the Ancient One explained that the Infinity Stones govern the flow of time in their universe. Loki built on this in a scene in which the trickster god learned the Infinity Stones were powerless in the TVA's base, used as paperweights.

Ultron Vision in What If

All this means Marvel will need to tread very carefully to avoid contradicting Loki. The danger is accentuated by the fact that, as What If...? showrunner A.C. Bradley revealed in an interview with nexus event," weren't used in What If...? It would therefore be quite easy for something as apparently minor as this to slip through as well.

This is the problem with a shared universe (or, in this case, a shared Multiverse); continuity matters, and it's very easy to make a mistake. The MCU is growing at a prodigious rate now - with four or five films a year, along with numerous Disney+ TV series - and it's therefore much more difficult to keep track of everything. Hopefully this particular bullet will be dodged, and the MCU will avoid another Infinity Stone plot hole - but viewers will have to wait for What If...? episode 8 to find out.

More: Where The Avengers Were During Thor’s Invasion Of Earth

Marvel's What If...? releases new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+

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