What If had perhaps the riskiest premise out of the slate of Marvel TV shows coming out in 2021. Coming off the heels of the far-reaching ramifications of Loki, What If takes a look at how familiar situations from the MCU may play out differently in alternate universes. This basically gives the show a blank check to do whatever it wants to do. While it doesn’t always take full advantage of this freedom, the few instances it gets things right are worth the blandness and misfires of the rest of the show.
The episodes are narrated by Uatu, the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), a powerful being who watches the multiverse from another dimension. He notes repeatedly throughout the series that he cannot intervene, until circumstances force his hand.
The first episode is mostly a recreation of the first Captain America movie that substitutes Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) for Steve Rogers. It’s disappointingly tame, although it’s nice to see how Captain Carter fights differently, almost taking joy in her prowess as she fights Hydra across Europe.
The second episode focusing on a T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) who became Star Lord is a better representative of the show’s potential. Instead of recapping a movie, it presents a situation and gives us a look at familiar characters with different personalities. Of course, Thanos can be convinced that his genocidal plans are misguided. Unfortunately, his power level also seems to have been nerfed with this change.
The third episode is a decent whodunnit about Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) investigating the death of the shortlisted heroes for the Avengers Initiative. It’s solidly plotted, but there’s only so much you can do in one thirty-minute episode. The fourth episode, which focuses on a Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) that loses his way, is perhaps the most poignant and impactful episode in the series (other than the last two episodes, for reasons I will soon get into). It does play a little fast and loose with the rules of time and reality, but it gets many things right, such as Strange becoming literally monstrous. The fight scenes are also large scale and epic in scope, taking full advantage of the animated format.
The fifth episode is about a zombie outbreak, and it unites unlikely characters as they try to save the world. It does pay homage to the zombie genre with most heroes dying to give others a chance for escape. The action is decent, but the humor sometimes doesn’t work (especially when Hope jokes about the recently departed Sharon).
The sixth episode focuses on a scheming Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) as he uses Tony Stark to ignite war with Wakanda and then plays the Wakandans against the US forces. However, other normally smart characters fail to detect his villainy so that the plot can progress. Still, it’s a good expansion of the fan-favorite Killmonger character that makes him appear even more formidable than in his cinematic outing.
The seventh episode is another highlight, as it focuses on a brash Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who organizes a party on Earth that attracts people from across the Norse worlds as well as other well-known alien planets like Sakaar. This Thor is adorably dumb, and he has a series of delightfully over-the-top fight scenes with Captain Marvel (Alexandra Daniels) that are reminiscent of the battles between Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. It pays homage to the teen comedies, complete with the imminent arrival of Thor’s mother as he races to undo the effects of his prolonged party. The episode also features a different version of Loki which has enamored many fans.
The penultimate episode is about an Ultron (Ross Marquand) that gains the Infinity Stones and conquers his universe. As the Watcher narrates his tale, however, Ultron notices his presence and engages him in a cross-dimensional battle. Overwhelmed, the Watcher retreats into the pocket universe where the Strange Supreme from the fourth episode resides.
Other than the epic nature of the main plotline, there is also Hawkeye and Black Widow, who are trying to stop Ultron by finding and downloading another AI that can take him on. There’s a beautiful flip on the Endgame sacrifice on Vormir, and the shot of Clint as he prepares to shoot arrows into a rapidly approaching swarm of Ultron drones is gorgeous.
The finale sees the Watcher unite heroes from the previous episodes (as well as a Gamora who beat her father) and task them to defeat Ultron. The action is suitably epic and high stakes, however, it feels too comfortably within the default template of climactic battles that we have seen from the MCU in the last decade or so.
One of the main attractions for What If is that many of the original actors and actresses from the MCU returned to voice their characters. Unfortunately, even with a voice cast this stacked, the voiceovers for the show leave a lot to be desired. There are some exceptions, such as Cumberbatch, Hemsworth and Boseman, but the rest are serviceable at best.
The first season of What If is the first Marvel TV series that feels more of the same (though some might argue that is true for Falcon and the Winter Soldier as well).
Still, it has its strong points, and hopefully, there’s enough interest for the second season, which was already announced before season one aired. Let’s hope the show finds a stronger footing in the future.