Sean Keane stated in his review, “The show's inspired by and named after a '70s comic series that pondered such weird possibilities as Spider-Man joining the Fantastic Four, Captain America being elected president and Wolverine killing the Hulk.” The MCU Disney Plus series gets that image, jumping to different times from the movies and changing events to make exciting new realities as the cosmic Watcher, voiced by Jeffrey Wright, gives wise narration.
The first three episodes tell three standalone stories, with the beginning bringing us back to the time when Steve Rogers became Captain America in World War II. In the new reality, British agent Peggy Carter is injected with the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve and kills Hydra agents as Captain Carter.
Keane credited, “It's a killer opening episode, with returning actor Hayley Atwell making her Union Jack-emblazoned hero as admirable as her US counterpart in a 30-minute 1940s adventure. Despite his lack of chiseled abs, Steve isn't left out -- his heroism remains intact and he gets to riff on another Marvel icon.”
Keane continued, “The gorgeous cel-shaded animation, striking color palette and spectacular action make the episode a visual treat, and it balances fresh plot elements with nods to events from Captain America: The First Avenger nicely. Watching Peggy overcome sexism from Bradley Whitford's condescending colonel is particularly satisfying.”
The second episode of the nine-episode season goes into some real-life emotional realms, since it stars the late Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa. Instead of becoming Black Panther and taking the Wakandan throne, this version of the character ended up going to space and becoming intergalactic fighter Star-Lord, which you will remember in the main MCU timeline was Peter Quill.
Keane said, “It's a clever examination of the impact someone as charismatic as T'Challa has, no matter what their circumstances. The altered character dynamics are a delight to behold, setting up plenty of fun battles in the climactic action sequence.” The animation in one crowd scene is a little disappointing, however – bar patrons stand completely still behind the main characters, briefly taking everyone out of the otherwise beautifully altered realm.
Episode Three goes all the way back to the early days of the MCU, when Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury was collecting people for the Avengers. A mysterious killer is targeting his applicants, forcing Fury and Black Widow to do a little detective work while trying to protect the survivors.
Keane admitted, “It's certainly fun to return to some settings and characters we haven't seen in years, but the concept's scope and ensemble cast means this episode isn't quite as emotionally engaging as the others -- it feels more like a Phase 1 greatest hits.”
The voice acting is consistently awesome in all three episodes, with familiar live-action actors like Atwell, Boseman, and Jackson voicing their characters along with convincing soundalikes for characters like Iron Man (Mick Wingert) and Black Widow (Lake Bell).
Given its anthology format, it’s possibly “What If…?” will continue in this way. Great episodes that’ll feel compelling depending on people’s liking to the characters and intelligence of the twist. Fans shouldn’t miss this series as non-canon either – “Loki’s” season finale opened up the multiverse, so this show will almost definitely act like a segue for new versions of characters to make their way into the mainline MCU.
Keane ended the review by saying, “What If…? is the MCU at its most unashamedly comic book-y, with beautiful animation, sharp writing and a sense of infinite possibility. 'Nuff said.”
When I was watching the show, I thought that each episode was its own individual story. However, I was surprised that by the end, how everything came together. See the show if you want to know what I mean. This is another very good show and I think all of you should check this out if you have a Disney+. You will enjoy this one, I promise.
Tomorrow I will be looking at a comedy film that is not based on any video game in “Disney Month 2022.”
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