The Tesseract takes on a new life and a new mythology, transforming a lake into a gateway to the stars and leading Kahhori, a young Mohawk woman, on a quest to discover her power.

Written by Ryan Little (What If…? ), the episode was created in close collaboration with members of the Mohawk Nation, like historian Doug George and Mohawk language expert Cecelia King to ensure cultural authenticity. The episode takes place in the Mohawk language and is informed by the history of the Akwesasne region in what is now upstate New York.

Doug George told Marvel.com:

“It tells a remarkable story from a Native-Mohawk perspective which is truly unique and historical, and will give the viewers a new, challenging and entertaining perspective on this land’s first peoples. The story is dramatic, the characters fully realized, and the action sequences are breathtaking.  The episode is exceptional in another sense–it is done with the complete cooperation of the Mohawk people from dialogue to adornment.”

The episode’s writer, Ryan Little, added:

“I had a wonderful writing mentor who worked extensively with the Indigenous community in upstate New York, and I was excited to draw on that experience to build an entirely original corner of the MCU with storylines for new Indigenous heroes written from a place of respect for past generations and optimism for future ones. Kahhori, pronounced ‘KAH-HORTI,’ is a real, Wolf Clan name, meaning ‘she stirs the forest’ or is someone who motivates those around her. In her debut adventure, Kahhori will have to live up to her name to recruit powerful allies into the fight to save her people and change the course of history forever.”

The team behind the show, including the director Bryan Andrews (What If…? ), Executive Producer A.C. Bradley (What If…? , Ms. Marvel), Story Editor Matthew Chauncey (What If…? ) and the entire production team also worked with members the Mohawk Nation to design Kahhori’s look and environment, and to help incorporate traditional Mohawk music to use in the score.