'What If..?': 6 Times Pepper Potts Was The MVP Of The Movies She Appeared In

While What If's..? sixth episode once again went down a dark path, with Eric 'Killmonger' Stevens successfully carrying out a plot that saw him granted the power of the Black Panther after the 'tragic death' of his cousin, Prince T'Challa. However, the episode ended on a spot of hope, with Pepper Potts and the Wakandan Princess Shuri forming an alliance to bring Killmonger down.

As one of the MCU's longest serving supporting characters, this isn't the first time Pepper has had the chance to be a hero. Here's six times Pepper Potts was the MVP of the movies she appeared in.

1. Pepper helps Tony change his Arc Reactor (Iron Man)

Soon after returning home in the first Iron Man film, Tony Stark builds an upgraded miniature arc reactor for his chest, to replace the one he made in the desert. Unfortunately, he finds himself unable to exchange the devices himself, and so calls on his faithful assistant, Pepper Potts. Pepper battles through a few disgusting and stressful minutes before sucessfully removing the old device and implanting the new one. Rather than throw the old reactor away as Tony had instructed, Pepper later returns it to him in a display case, complete with these words:

"Proof that Tony Stark has a heart."

These scenes are important for a couple of reasons. As well as showing that Tony trusts Pepper far more than anyone else he works with, the reactor scene is likely the first shift towards their relationship eventually becoming romantic. And of course, any MCU fan knows that the original arc reactor eventually reappears twice, first later in the first film, when Rhodey uses it to save Tony after Obadiah Stane steals the upgraded reactor, and again when it is placed on Tony's memorial at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

2. Pepper overloads the giant arc reactor, killing Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)

Without his upgraded reactor, Tony struggles in the fight against Obadiah Stane and his newly built Iron Monger armour. Luckily he eventually comes up with a plan. Remaining in contact with Pepper throughout the fight, Tony gives her instructions to overload the large arc reactor that powers Stark Tower.

Pepper succeeds, with the overloaded energy frying Stane and causing him to fall to his death. This is the first of two major villain kills that can be attributed to Pepper Potts.

3. Pepper uses the Iron Man armour to save Tony (Iron Man 3)

In Iron Man 3, after Tony delivers a challenge to The Mandarin (or a character believed to be The Mandarin at the time), the home he now shares with Pepper soon comes under attack by missiles. Tony summons his new armour which attaches to Pepper, protecting her from the worst of the explosion. Pepper then saves Tony from a piece of falling debris, and, though she doesn't have quite the same control over the armour that Tony does, still manages to rescue Maya Hansen and guide her safely out of the crumbling building.

Many fans believe that this scene foreshadows Pepper eventually donning her own armour as 'Rescue' in Avengers: Endgame.

4. Pepper defeats Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)

Later in Iron Man 3, elieving Pepper dead after a horrible fiery fall, Tony takes on Aldrich Killian, the Extremis-infected supposed 'Mandarin'. Unfortunately, like in the first Iron Man, Tony is at a huge disadvantage, with his armour heavily damaged. Before Killian can finish Tony off, he is rescued by Pepper, who has survived the fall thanks to her own Extremis abilities.

This marks the second villain kill by Pepper Potts, resulting in a viral Reddit thread a few years back revealing that Pepper was actually the most successful MCU hero in terms of direct involvement in a villain's death.

5. Pepper, as Rescue, saves Peter Parker (Avengers: Endgame)

For years, many fans of Marvel Comics eagerly awaited the chance to see Pepper Potts don her own suit of armour as Rescue on the big screen. Their wish became a reality in Avengers: Endgame. First teased early in the film when little Morgan Stark is seen playing with the helmet, Pepper later suits up as Rescue to aid in the final battle against Thanos. During the battle, she helps Peter Parker when he runs into a spot of trouble during his run with the Infinity Gauntlet.

It is moments like these that makes fans wish Pepper had been able to stay in the MCU as rescue for a little longer.

6. Pepper joins her fellow MCU women to help Captain Marvel (Endgame)

Later, a slightly battered Peter passes the Gauntlet on to Captain Marvel. However, he expresses concern about whether she will be able to safely transport the Gauntlet through Thanos's army herself. Fear not, Peter Parker! All the major female heroes of the MCU, including Pepper, arrive just in time to help.

Some fans think the scene is a little too cheesy, given the fact that Captain Marvel is powerful enough that she most likely could have got through herself, and also that the women don't really do anything significant after charging into battle. Still, the initial group shot was pretty cool.

If the above moments prove anything, it's that Pepper Potts isn't, and never was, a character to be underestimated. If the Killmonger What If..? episode ever gets a sequel, she and Shuri will make a formidable team.