What If...? season 3's fourth episode isn't Christmas-themed, but it's certainly unlike anything else we've seen from Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation.
Taking us back to the "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" reality (we're sure you all remember Party Thor), it's revealed that Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis fell in love after meeting in that episode. They tied the knot and Earth was forever transformed after many of those visiting aliens chose to stick around.
Howard and Darcy had a baby, though with the former being a duck and all, it initially takes the form of an egg. The Watcher suggests the child within has an important destiny but everything seems pretty normal when Topaz shows up and invites the trio on The Grandmaster's cruise.
Yondu watches from afar and is clearly interested in the egg. The Grandmaster, meanwhile, treats Mr. and Mrs. the Duck like royalty and invites them to a breakfast...where their unhatched baby is the main course! Just as Miek prepares to cook the egg, Yondu steals it and Howard and Darcy board a ship to give chase.
Nick Fury and Agent Coulson tell them that, because the child was born during the Cosmic Convergence, it's destined for great things and has become highly sought after by pretty much everyone. On Knowhere, Yondu delivers the egg to Kaecilius who kills the Ravager before a ceremony which is supposed to end with Dormammu using the child as his new host body.
Howard and Darcy manage to sneak in and S.H.I.E.L.D. attacks; however, rather than helping to save the day, they plan to take the egg into custody! The new parents aren't having that and flee, turning to the friendly Frost Giant Loki in Jotunheim for help.
Unfortunately, Laufey, Malektith, The Black Order, Zeus, and Thanos all want a piece and a chase ensues. Howard and Darcy manage to escape, but it's not long until everyone is closing in on them. Singing to their child as they prepare for the end, the egg suddenly glows gold and rises into the sky where it zaps the baddies with golden energy.
When it hatches moments later, we see that it's a half-human, half-duck baby. Fury admits a child should be with its parents and, when Howard and Darcy return home, we learn she's called Byrdie.
Yes, the same Byrdie who we know will fly into action alongside Agent Carter and Kahhori in a future episode; it seems the Multiverse Saga just got a key new hero. Whether she'll appear in live-action remains to be seen, though we do know that Natasha Lyonne is voicing her in the MCU.
Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis find themselves on an intergalactic pleasure cruise. When dangerous factions from across the galaxy descend to threaten their trip, they must discover their own cosmic powers to withstand the onslaught.
The cast in episode 4 includes Jeffrey Wright, Kat Dennings, Seth Green, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, and Michael Rooker. The episode is directed by Stephan Franck, with a story by Bryan Andrews, Matthew Chauncey, and Ryan Little and a teleplay by Matthew Chauncey and Ryan Little.