The first episode of Marvel’s What If? is here, and it rewrites the history of 2011’s Captain America: The First Avengers. Steve Rogers no longer gets the super serum — instead, it goes to Peggy Carter. This sets off a chain reaction within the Marvel multiverse, with plenty of new scenarios. One of these is the creation of the C-15 armor, nicknamed the Hydra Stomper by inventor Howard Stark. We’ve got the lowdown on exactly what the C-15 Hydra Stomper robot is, and why it’s so important.
What is the C-15 Hydra Stomper robot in Marvel’s What If?
If you think that the C-15 Hydra Stomper looks incredibly similar to the first Iron Man suit developed by Tony Stark, then you’re absolutely right. This suit of armor is the earliest Iron Man prototype around, developed by Howard Stark instead of his son.
In this episode, he produces it for Steve Rogers. He suffered a Hydra-induced injury just before he was meant to be injected with the super-soldier serum. As a result, Peggy Carter took the jab and gained superpowers. Therefore, this suit is there to level the playing field. It looks just like the Mark I armor that Tony developed in the Afghanistan desert where he’s held captive by the Ten Rings.
It’s got a similar level of firepower too, with a trusty flamethrower that Steve uses in this episode to wipe out Hydra thugs. Unsurprisingly, it’s nicknamed the Hydra Stomper to cast fear into the heart of Red Skull’s grunts — and to remind Steve of why he never got the superpowers. Even if we never see the armor again, it’s a fun nod to early Iron Man prototypes. It also proves that Howard Stark was just as much of a technical genius as his son.
If you want more on What If?, we’ve got our review here, as well as what you can expect in Episode 2 of the new Marvel show.
