By Lily Savy-Gorman
What If’s first episode led to an exciting development in the MCU that, as far as I can tell but do let me know, has been developed entirely separately from the comics. Captain Carter brings a new and distinctly female to the MCU as well as the joyous return of Hayley Atwell. For those who have watched the ‘Agent Carter’ series (now available on Disney+) there is a reminder of the sexism Peggy experienced at S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as the glimpses in Captain America. The quick quips and further powerful actions Carter uses to answer these behaviours has carried over to her serum-self, giving a nice level of cohesion between Earth-616 and her own version. This powerful female role in the MCU was a welcome follower to the Black Widow film and a great start to the series.
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Captain Carter’s exit from within the Tesseract is a visual parallel to Loki’s arrival in ‘Avengers’ which further draws links between the worlds that ‘The Watcher’ is leading us through and the familiar Earth story line. Although it has not been directly named, the reference to the ‘world we know’ is reminiscent of the Earth-616 from the comics, allowing fans to become increasingly excited by how a single change like Peggy Carter taking the super-serum can create such catatonically different timelines. The fact that Captain Carter is released from the tesseract at roughly the same time Captain America was unfrozen is a nice detail that ties Carter not only to ‘our’ familiar universe, but between Carter and Rogers.
Rating: 7 out of 10 shields
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By Lily Savy-Gorman
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Another episode welcoming in an MCU stand-alone character, the Star-Lord T-Challa brings a unique sense of hope to the series. Notably, the character of Thanos has been completely diffused and although his ‘theory’ that killing half the universe will have a positive impact is mentioned his Avengers-threat-level status has been completely revoked in this universe. This is a welcoming tribute to the recently deceased Chadwick Boseman whose final performance as T’Challa (as far as we know) will be this addition to the MCU. It speaks not only to the power of the Black Panther without the addition of the flowers, but can also be taken with a pinch of salt.
Perhaps it was just me, but the idea that Thanos’ ideals were actually able to be challenged and reasoned with is a little insulting no matter what section of the universe it happens in. We are given no indication as to when exactly T’Challa and Thanos met but the fact he still refers to his plan seems to demonstrate that his genocidal tendencies were being cultivated. A sore spot for any marvel fan at the moment are the losses suffered in Endgame that can not be undone, notably Iron Man and Black Widow. Although multiverse theory could mean we see them again, it is unlikely, and so this episode (although a cheerful exploration of the possibilities when strong characters such as Thanos are turned good) was a slightly painful experience. Suggesting that the events of Endgame could have been avoided, that Thanos could be swayed, was an interesting angle if not an entirely enjoyably one...
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Rating: 7 out of 10 Star Lords
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By Lily Savy-Gorman
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Alright...I’m going to say it...what the hell? Are we really suggesting that not even Ant-Man but an aged Hank Pym variation of Ant-Man is essentially the strongest avenger? The reveal that Pym is tormented by guilt and grief from the loss of his daughter Hope was underwhelming. In an original timeline, Hank adapts to the loss of his wife, and although it can be argued that losing Hope would be the final straw for him, the fact that she became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and died in the line of duty seems like something Hank would be proud of. His revenge plan also seems ridiculous as despite apparently blaming Nick Fury for Hope’s death he decides to punish the entirety of planet Earth by murdering its mightiest heroes...before they’ve even become them.
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Hank leaves the door open for a pleasant twist on the battle of New York seen in Avengers, finally giving Loki his win. Following the Loki series (now available on Disney+) there has been a focus on the potential strength of Loki’s character. The TVA’s most wanted multi-verse variants are Loki’s, which has unfortunately ruined a popular meme for many marvel fans as it explains why Loki was a figure worthy of Stephan Strange’s attention. Loki’s victory on Earth turns into something that hardly deserves the title of ‘battle’, demonstrating to the audience just how crucial the Avengers were to Earth’s survival. Loki’s reign does not seem all too awful and Hank Pym’s death is hardly one the audience is led to mourn over.
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The most enjoyable element of this episode was the guessing game you could play as each murder occurred. The reveal was a surprise to me, especially as it was not so much a role reversal like what we had seen in previous episodes, but an exploration of how a character’s relationships can detrimentally affect the MCU. Despite the element of surprise being, I believe, well retained by the writers it was ultimately a let-down that failed to align with my understanding of Pym’s character.
Rating: 6 out of 10 murders
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By Lily Savy-Gorman
Finally, we see things go truly wrong as an entire universe is destroyed by Strange’s ego. Episode 4 allows the audience to further speculate about the future of the entire MCU. The episode established that Palmer is in a car with Strange, but then jumped with a single sentence to him “searching for answers in the mystic arts”. This shift doesn’t explain how Strange discovers Kamar-Taj without meeting his physiotherapist and, much to my disappointment, ignores the similarity between his new origin story and that of Kaecilius.
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Visually, episode 4 seems to occupy a space between the MCU and the comics. Strange is presented as only vaguely resembling his character in the MCU, played by Benedict Cumberbatch. His lips seem fuller, the angles of his face more defined, which has an ‘uncanny valley’ effect. The drawings of Palmer also have a similar lack of connection to comic representations or real life actors. This is as Marvel’s ‘What If’ is using cel-shading to create the new animated series. Although ‘Screen Rant’ argues this is allowing for “a smooth transition” of many Phase 1 characters into the series, personally I find it off-putting. The series now occupies a visual realm that is halfway between that of video-game and comic-style animation.
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The episode features an unusual cameo from Tilda Swinton’s ‘Ancient One’, who tries to counter the actions of the ‘evil’ Dr. Strange. This appearance is described as being an echo, as she travels from another realm. Could there be a world where Iron Man is alive? Is it one that Dr Strange can access…evil or good? The cameo leaves lots of unanswered questions about the nature of death, in cohesion with the astral self - despite the Ancient One’s astral self disappearing in Dr.Strange at the moment of her death… As the episode was released only a few days after the ‘Spider-Man No Way Home’ trailer, it is easy to make a connection between them.
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Speculation regarding Strange’s seeming lack of inhibition about casting Peter Parker’s spell was given a boost after this episode. Could the Strange we see be an ‘evil’ one? As the Strange in this episode of ‘What If’ is the first character we are yet to actually see interact with The Watcher, this theory doesn’t seem entirely implausible. The answer is aggravatingly unclear but there is an agreement among fans that Strange’s actions in the trailer are suspicious to say the least. Not just that, but speculation regarding where in the hell Wong is going has also been plaguing the forums. As Shang-Chi (spoilers!) included Wong working in a fight club, not giving an explanation as to why, extra weight has been added to the ‘evil’ Strange theory.
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The end credit scene also shows Wong without Strange, working with Banner and Cap. Marvel. The question developing now is why Wong would leave the Sanctum if he thought Dr Strange was evil? In this episode of What If, Wong leaves Strange in his moment of pensive need. Just before he falls down the rabbit hole with the Eye of Agammoto, Wong leaves him. This seems unlike Wong so could possibly be an allusion to events taking place within the wider MCU. The episode also included the first character interaction with the Watcher. The connection between Strange and the multiverse has led fans to believe that further multiverse expansion could be seen in Spider-man 3. (More spoilers coming!) The Venom 2 end-credit scene seems to support this assertion, bringing Hardy’s ‘Eddie Brock’ into the MCU!
Rating: 9 Paradoxes Out Of 10
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"What If... the Watcher Broke His Oath?"
Review Coming Soon!