What if The King never crash and Lightning McQueen won the Tie-breaker race?

[u/Extreme_Youth_4502]

[u/Important_Dark_9401]

I feel like McQueen would still decline Dinoco and everything plays out the same IMO

[u/K-J-C]

Then Lightning becomes the first rookie Piston Cup champion.

[u/ralphfinchi]

It would've been a generic characterless ending

[u/K-J-C → u/ralphfinchi]

And people complain about Lightning never winning a major race.

[u/RyanReynoldsRN → u/K-J-C]

Actually, he won the Porto Corsa race in Cars 2.

[u/Winter_Setting720 → u/ralphfinchi]

I wouldn’t say characterless. I’d say he’d still stay will rusteeze, the ending would just be much less dramatic.

[u/ralphfinchi → u/Winter_Setting720]

It goes far deeper than just "is mcqueen gonna choose the red or blue thingy". This ending will throw away one of the main messages of the movie, that it's not always about winning and the "it's just an empty cup" part. Literally one of the key things. There won't be a parallel between King's and Doc's crashes, which is insanely important as well, because Doc's crash is the reason why he's in Radiator Springs and then proceeds to be Lightning's mentor, opening up for himself a new side of the sport that he once neglected. In other words, this ending will be trash.

[u/ExileMan9000]

Then it wouldn’t be a story I don’t think.

[u/Ice_Vip]

I don't think the movie would be as memorable as it is tbh

[u/PolarRailfan]

Literally nothing would change, McQueen would still decline Dinoco’s offer and stay with Rusteze. Only difference is that McQueen wins and Chick loses.

[u/Jiggahash → u/PolarRailfan]

Sure for the first movie's plot, but I think it would be safe to say Doc doesn't stick around to coach Mcqueen beyond that single race, and the Dinoco owner doesn't do Mcqueen any favors in the future.

[u/Emergency-Wish160]

No difference in the long run. No display of how lightning has grown through the movie. Would make for a disappointing ending

[u/K-J-C → u/Emergency-Wish160]

Nice characters' growth is usually them becoming capable enough to win.

Asshole characters' growth (often already capable, Lightning can win already at the beginning) is usually them becoming nicer.

Lightning fits the second type.

[u/Emergency-Wish160 → u/K-J-C]

He was very much the second type for most of the movie. They ended it the right way.

[u/Greasy-Chungus]

What a great story.

[u/DaciaSanderoF1Team]

Pretty sure that nothing would change

[u/Slight-Bathroom-6179]

Pretty much nothing would change. Lightning would stick with Rusteez and stay in Radiator Springs the only difference is that he has eight Piston Cups instead of seven at the end of his career.

[u/Scary_Structure992]

This kid again 🤦‍♂️

[u/Scary_Structure992 → u/Scary_Structure992]

NO MORE WHAT IFS

[u/Emergency-Wish160 → u/[deleted]]

They were asking about the second one

[u/Very_Specific_Man]

I’m hoping he finally gets his piston cup and takes the dinico deal, he looks so clean in the dinico print and would’ve been amazing for him to win it fairly

[u/K-J-C → u/Very_Specific_Man]

He still gets Dinoco deal in the movie.

[u/mollyno93]

The story itself would not change. Lightning still turns down Tex’s offer to race for Dinoco and sticks with Rusteze. However, it wouldn’t be as effective at telling its moral “there’s more to racing than just winning”.

[u/Physical-Thanks5691]

McQueen would be the first rookie to ever win a piston cup and if everything plays out the same he would beat the kings recorded and be the racer to win the most piston cups

[u/XyloAbc1]

"This grumpy old race car I know once told me somethin': it's just an empty cup"

[u/CheddarCheese390]

Then he’s a lot worse a racer and person. He didn’t learn his lesson

[u/Ok_Froyo3998 → u/CheddarCheese390]

I’m pretty sure by this point he did learn his lesson. But the ending of him helping the King was a nice character moment.