'What If...?': The 'Thor' trilogy would have gone in a whole other direction if Coulson had picked up Mjolnir. Here's how
Marvel's Disney+ shows are set to change the face of the superhero game and one planned project is going to start by changing the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe itself. The animated series 'What If...?' will be offering alternate takes on how each of the 'Infinity Saga' movies could have played out if one important detail were to be changed. Here's how we think 'What If...?' could reshape Chris Hemsworth's 'Thor' trilogy by changing just one detail from each of the movies, 'Thor', 'Thor: The Dark World', and 'Thor: Ragnarok':
'Thor': Son of Coul
What if Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) picked up Mjolnir in the first 'Thor' movie?
Well, for one thing, the real Thor would probably have been killed by the Destroyer but S.H.I.E.L.D would have gained an extremely powerful asset. With the combination of Coulson's tactical ability and Thor's power, there would be no need for the Avengers, which is just as well because Loki wouldn't have invaded either without Thor kicking him off the throne of Asgard. A slightly different team with Black Widow / Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye / Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and Captain America / Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) might still have ended up being put together but for the most part, there would be no threat too mighty for Coulson-Thor to take out.
'Thor 2': Mom's World
What if Thor's mother Freya (Rene Russo) was infected with the Aether instead of Jane Foster (Natalie Portman)?
Unlike Jane, Freya would have known how to use the full power of the Reality Stone and with this power at her disposal, she would have been able to easily take on Malekith the Accursed (Christopher Eccleston), Hela (Cate Blanchett), Thanos (Josh Brolin), and pretty much anyone who would dare question her. The All-Mother takes the throne in place of the All-Father and everybody lives happily ever after in an Asgard that's now a benevolent magical dictatorship, which isn't really that big of a change when you think about it.
'Thor 3': Ragnarok-Breaker Hulk
What if when Thor landed on Sakaar, Hulk / Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) had already defeated the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum)and established himself as the ruler of the planet?
Assuming Hulk's arc in the movie mirrored the events of the 'Planet Hulk' storyline from the comics, Thor would have found Hulk at his most powerful, with a new personality called the Green Scar who can literally break a world in half. There would be no need to start Ragnarok as the Green Scar Hulk would be more than capable of taking down Hela, though this also means he would be powerful enough to just conquer Asgard and make it part of his empire with Thor and his buddies powerless to stop him.
'What If...?' will be arriving on Disney+ sometime in 2021.