Marvel’s live-action cinematic universe provides plenty of entertainment for casual superhero fans, but for those who want more from the beloved franchise, What If…? is the answer.
Based on a long-running series within Marvel Comics, the television series What If…? explores various alternative versions of the superhero world. Season 1, which premiered in 2021, asked fun and surprising questions like, “What If…T’Challa Became a Star Lord?” and “What If…Zombies?” The show featured stellar voice acting, and actually features one of Chadwick Boseman’s final portrayals of T’Challa.
And now, two years after the first season, we have a whole new season of creative alternate realities with our favorite superheroes. Season 2 Episode 2 picks up on a loose thread from Season 1, when the show followed T’Challa as Star Lord.
Season 2 Episode 2 sees Peter Quill as a janitor back on Earth, who is then approached by his father Ego. As Earth’s mightiest heroes take Quill on, we also see a noteworthy character return: Bill Foster.
In case you need a refresher on who he is, and how he relates to other heroes, here’s what you should know.
William Foster in Ant-Man and the Wasp #1.Marvel Comics
First introduced in 1966, Foster has taken on the mantle of Giant-Man and Black Goliath over the course of his time in the comics. He worked under Tony Stark first, and then Hank Pym, where he discovered his employer’s “Pym Particles” and acquired the ability to grow in size, thus becoming Giant-Man. Sadly, the character died in the iconic Civil War run in 2006.
Marvel Studios
In the MCU, Foster is portrayed by Laurence Fishburne in Ant-Man and the Wasp. His character finds himself at odds with Hank Pym, his former colleague, in his efforts to cure Ava Starr, a powerful woman who seeks to use energy from the Quantum Realm to stabilize her condition. Foster eventually decides to go on the run with Ava and subsequently becomes a surrogate father for her.