Marvel What If…? Episode 9 Review

For nine weeks, Marvel’s given us our first look at the new MCU Multiverse with their animated series, What If…? At first, it looked like this show would be an anthology series. We’d look at an alternate version of the MCU every episode, then move on. However, all that changed when Marvel threw us a universe-sized curveball. In one universe, Ultron beat the Avengers, got the Infinity Stones, and killed almost everyone. Worse, he learned how to travel to other universes and stood poised to wipe out all life in the multiverse. Not even the Watcher could sit back and do nothing. It was time for him to step in and save the multiverse. But first, he was going to need a team.

Multiversal Avengers, Assemble!

The first few minutes of the episode pick up where we last left off: the Watcher and Strange Supreme need to assemble a team to stop Infinite Ultron. Thus, they recruit heroes from several of the worlds we’ve seen throughout the season. The exceptions being the universe where the Avengers all died, and the zombie universe. The latter for obvious reasons.

However, there’s one member coming from a universe we never got to see: one where Gamora somehow beat Thanos. Rumor has it that that story was supposed to be in the first season, but got pushed back, leaving fans left in the dark for the moment. After catching everyone up to speed, the Watcher dubs his new team…the Guardians of the Multiverse.

While I can understand why he’d give them that name, I don’t like it. It seems better to have something with the Avengers in it. Considering that this is the multiverse equivalent of the Avengers first assembling, it would be appropriate. Alas, there’s no time to worry about that, as the threat of Ultron comes knocking.

The Final Battle For the Multiverse Was…Okay.

The team’s fight against Infinite Ultron ends up taking them back to his original universe, where they’re joined by Black Widow, who’s now the last sentient being left on Earth. With her help, they come close to beating Ultron, but fail to destroy the Stones. Turns out, the MCU’s Infinity Stones don’t just work outside their universe; they’re unique, meaning any attempts to destroy them with another universe’s tech won’t work!

In the end, it doesn’t matter: Natasha fires a well placed arrow into Ultron, uploading Zola into him and ending Ultron for good. Then Killmonger pulls the classic double-cross, and he and Zola get sealed away in a pocket of reality, forever engaged in a tug of war for the Stones. Justice!

As far as battles go, this one met all the basic tenets of the MCU. Strange Supreme showcased how magically jacked he was several times, even opening a portal to the zombie universe! However, the overall final battle felt…meh. Considering how it’s supposed to be for the fate of the multiverse, we shouldn’t feel like that. Yet, the final battle of Avengers: Endgame carries more emotional weight. Marvel could’ve gotten a lot more creative with it, if you ask me.

What’s Next for the Multiverse?

With the battle over, the Watcher sends everyone back to their respective realities while Strange Supreme guards Killmonger and Zola. However, he gives Natasha a well-deserved reward. Rather than send her to her dead universe, he lets her move to the one where the Avengers never rose, letting her reunite with some of her old friends. As for Captain Carter? The post-credits scene teases that an old friend might be waiting for her.

Speaking of friends, a big highlight of the episode was the relationship Captain Carter and Natasha had. They were firm BFF’s in their universe, and certainly acted like it. However, there was also some romantic subtext going on between them that I think a lot of people will pick up on. I don’t know if we’ll see Captain Carter again, but if we do, I think I now ship her and Nat together.

As for T’Challa, this marks the final time we may see him in the MCU, due to Chadwick’s passing. The worst part is that there could’ve been a Star Lord T’Challa spin-off series, were he still alive. Maybe in another universe, they’re enjoying that right now. For the rest of us, though, we have to wait for season two to travel the multiverse some more.

As far as season finale’s go, I think the action could’ve been a lot better. Still, at least the show tied everything together, so I have to give it credit for that.

I Give “What If…The Watcher Broke His Oath?” A 3/5

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Marvel What If…? Episode 8 Review

So, I’m just going to get down to the nitty-gritty for this. The MCU multiversesa has just given us a villain capable of destroying it I’m the form of Ultron. Who, as you recall, was able to push the Avengers to the breaking point in his short existence. Whose legacy would fracture the Avengers and lead to their loss against Thanos. Now, the Watcher’s found a universe where Ultron’s become a mechanical god and defeated almost everyone. And as we saw at the end of last week’s episode, he’s not stopping there.

What if…Ultron Won and Became a God?

In this iteration of the MCU, the Avengers failed to stop Ultron. He managed to upload his mind into what should’ve been the Vision’s body, and curb-stomps humanity before bringing about Judgement Day.Then things get worse: Thanos shows up, and…see for yourself.

With all the Infinity Stones and an inorganic body immune to radiation, Ultron uses the Stones to curb stomp the rest of the universe. It’s a preview of just what would’ve been in store for the main timeline if the Avengers had lost.

Then, things get even worse. For the entire multiverse.

Black Widow is Last One Standing

As Ultron continues wiping out all life, we learn he missed Hawkeye and Black Widow. Back on Earth, they work together to find a secret weapon to help them destroy Ultron: Dr. Zola’s AI. However, due to circumstances beyond their control, the unlikely trio fails in even doing this. Worse, this universe’s Hawkeye, already broken by the loss of everyone he knows, sacrifices his life to give Nat and Zola a chance to escape.

This was a very tough moment to watch, even if it was visually stunning. It also represents a great parallel between the two characters fates in the main universe. However, while Black Widow fans might be happy, Hawkeye fans won’t be. Especially since he died once before in the comics.

All of that, though, is only secondary to the main focus of the episode. Ultron becomes the first multiversal threat that the MCU faces. And it’s partially the Watcher’s fault.

Peekaboo, Ultron Sees You

Having decimated his native universe, Ultron has a moment where he goes “Oh no, what do I do now?” However, thanks to the Stones (and the Watcher’s own narration), he becomes more aware of the universe around him. He can see the Watcher from behind the fourth wall separating him from the rest of the multiverse.

The idea of a character breaking the fourth wall isn’t a new concept, but rarely is it played so menacingly. The Watcher, for all his power, is terrified when he learns Ultron knows about him. That terror turns to desperation as he watches Nat and Barton almost give up, wanting to intervene so badly, but held back by his oath.

Then, Ultron does the impossible. He breaks the walls between universes and attacks the Watcher. In a treat for longtime Marvel fans, we see the Watcher unleash his full power against Ultron, and the fight is Shonen anime levels of action. This was my favorite moment of the entire episode, and we got to see the show’s animators use the medium to its fullest extent. The sight of Ultron growing large enough to devour an entire Galaxy is something I’d never thought I’d see, but was amazing to look at.

In the end, not even the Watcher can stop Ultron, leaving the AI free to wipe out all life in the multiverse. But all is not lost.

Multiverse Spanning Avengers, Assemble

There’s an underlying point to this entire MCU, one that was also made clear in Loki. If left unchecked, a threat in one universe could become a threat to the entire multiverse. Thus, the TVA was founded to keep the number of timelines down to a minimum. But the TVA’s methods weren’t right. Luckily, there is a better idea in place. An idea involving remarkable individuals and fighting battles others never could.

The Watcher knows that what’s at stake goes beyond his oath. However, he also knows he can’t make things worse. So, why not create a team of multiverse-spanning Avengers to protect it? Because that seems to be what we’re headed for. And the Watcher’s already got his first recruit: Strange Supreme, who we last saw getting his universe destroyed.

This has to be the best episode of What If…? thus far. The action was superb, and it’s bringing all the disparate stories together into one plot. I can’t wait for the finale next week! Multiverse Avengers, assemble!

I Give “What If…Ultron Won?” a 4.5/5

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Marvel What If…? Episode 6 Review

Who’s the best villain in the MCU? Given how most of the MCU baddies are forgettable, there are only three real choices right now: Thanos, most versions of Loki, and Erik Killmonger. Erik Killmonger may not be a demi-god like Loki or a universe-altering warlord like Thanos, but he’s still one of the best villains in the franchise. His backstory elicits sympathy. His motives, while violent, are understandable given what he went through. And though he lost, he ended up changing the Black Panther’s view on the world. So, when I saw that Killmonger would be coming back for Marvel What if…?, I was excited to see how things would turn out for him in this part of the Multiverse.

Having seen the episode, though, I am…a little let down.

What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?

In the latest alteration to the MCU timeline, the fateful attempt of the Ten Rings to capture or kill Tony Stark fails, thanks to the intervention of Erik Killmonger. According to him, he was in deep cover with the Ten Rings when he got word about the attack, and thus saves Tony from the events that make him Iron Man. Then, to further ingratiate himself (and show just how far above he is over most of the MCU villains), he ousts Stane as the mastermind behind the attack.

That is only step one of Killmonger’s master plan. From here, he orchestrates a Machiavellian chess game that would make Littlefinger and Tywin Lannister jealous. Firstly, he talks Tony into building mini Gundam drones (he likes anime, just like his actor). Then, he offs both Rhodey and T’Challa and frames both sides for the other’s deaths. Tony follows suit, along with Klaw (Andy Serkis was great as him), and uses it to get himself into Wakanda where he “heroically” saves the day from the drones he helped to create.

On the one hand, this just hammers home how dangerous Killmonger really was, rivaling even Loki in terms of manipulation. On the other hand, it feels like they wasted him this time around.

What the What If…? Should’ve Been

When I first saw the teaser for this episode, I hoped that things would take a far different turn than what they did. Saving Tony Stark could’ve been Killmonger’s start to a better life, one where he could actually do some good for the world. He could’ve turned his back on his violent past, become a better person, and become the Prince he could’ve been if T’Chaka hadn’t left him behind. If he did that, then he could’ve entered Wakanda under much happier circumstances.

Instead, they wasted one of the MCU’s best villains just to hammer home how dangerous he really is by playing everyone like a fiddle. Almost everyone, really; Pepper and Shuri team up at the end to stop his plans for good; that seems like even more of a cop-out than it did when Hank Pym killed the Avengers. Even the Watcher disapproved of how things turned out.

The Watcher May Not Watch for Much Longer

Speaking of the Watcher, this episode dropped a subtle, yet important, clue about his role as the show continues. When we started out, we never saw the Watcher; only his silhouette. Then, we saw him cloaked in shadow. The story with Dr. Strange had him directly interact with events in the show. And this week, we see him in full view as he watches everything with disgust.

Those who read the comics will know the Watcher’s history, and that despite his oath to not interfere, he ends up breaking it many times for the greater good. My guess is that as these alternate timelines in the MCU continue to grow worse, it gets to the point where the Watcher says “Screw it. I need to fix this mess!”

I would not blame it. There’s a time to observe and a time to take action. And something tells me the Watcher will take action soon. Until then, Disney should go back and use an alternate Killmonger better.

They did, however, hit home with this scene of T’Challa’s funeral.

I Give “What If…Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?” a 2/5

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Marvel What If…? Episode 5 Review

Ahh, the zombie apocalypse. It’s a classic horror film scenario, or the premise behind a long-running show like The Walking Dead. For superhero comics that use the concept of the multiverse theory, though, it’s all but mandatory to have one universe filled with zombies. Case in point, in 2005, Robert Kirkman of The Walking Dead wrote a mini-series titled Marvel Zombies. In this alternate universe, a zombie apocalypse occurs and threatens to kill everyone in that universe. So, with the MCU now tapping into its own Multiverse, it was inevitable that What If…? would cover this. It ends up being one of the goriest things the MCU’s shown us; and that includes the Netflix series!

What If…? Zombies!?!

In the MCU film Ant-Man and the Wasp, Hanky Pym traveled to the Quantum Realm to find his long-lost wife, Janet. However, in this timeline, Janet got infected by a quantum virus that turned her into a zombie. Hank got infected, and when he got back, he spread it to the entire west coast of the US. The Avengers reunite to stop it, but…you can guess what happens.

Fighting a zombie apocalypse is already a terrifying prospect, but Marvel cranks it up to 11. While the MCU zombies are mindless beings driven only to multiply, they retain all the skills and abilities they had in life. Dr. Strange and Wong can use magic; Tony Stark’s got his armor. And Wanda? You don’t want to face her!

Considering how the last two episodes of the show have shown us universes where things don’t end well, this episode ups the ante. However, it stops short of being as dark as the story with Dr. Strange, as that episode ended with the entire universe being destroyed. Additionally, the story with the alternate Strange hit harder as it felt far more tragic with almost no humor. In contrast, Marvel balances out the horror with their trademark humor. It works, but a little too well at times.

Spider-Man Is the Smartest Survivor of the Zombie Apocalypse

In world-ending events like this, usually it falls on the oldest and most experienced to help everyone survive. However, in this zombie apocalypse, it’s the youngest member of the surviving heroes who proves to be the smartest: Spider-Man.

MCU Spidey’s repeatedly proven to be very pop-culture savvy, and while some may find it annoying, that knowledge has proven invaluable on numerous occasions. In this case, watching enough zombie films taught him how best to survive the undead. Which only makes it more frustrating to see the adults ignore his advice, which leads to several of them dying.

Spider-Man’s really the MVP of this entire episode (along with the Cloak of Levitation), giving the team sound advice that even Okoye admits she should’ve listened to. Moreover, his optimism in such a bleak scenario makes him all the more endearing. There’s a reason why he’s Marvel’s greatest hero, and this is why.

I’d Bail On this World, Too, Watcher!

Unlike last week, which saw the Watcher indirectly interact with that universe, here he maintains his distance. And you know what? I don’t blame him. While he could end up helping the heroes (if he could), he probably knows that it’s best not to make things worse. If he got infected, it would spread to other universes, and then the Multiverse would be screwed!

While by the end of the episode, the survivors have a ray of hope for a potential cure, the Watcher makes it clear that their odds aren’t great. A threat just as big has just made its way to Earth, only to get infected. As a result, this whole universe looks to be screwed. If they can’t cure the virus, then it’s best to get out of that universe quick!

This episode doesn’t reach the emotional highs as last week’s, and gets hampered at times by it’s own need to balance out the bleakness with comedy. However, it also makes up for it by being fun to watch. Also, it gave us this:

And this.

I Give “What If…Zombies?!?” a 3.9/5

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Marvel What If…? Episode 4Review

It finally happened. After four episodes, our trip into the new MCU Multiverse has taken viewers to a Universe where there’s no happy ending. No light at the end of the tunnel! Everything that can go wrong does go wrong! And this week, the Watcher shows us a reality where Doctor Strange loses it, and everyone suffers as a result.

Doctor Strange, Minus the Dose of Humility

Whereas every episode of What If…? has started out following the main MCU only to branch off, this week’s Universe sees it having branched off before hand. In this universe, Doctor Strange and his colleague, Christine, are dating and going to an award show together. Then comes the car crash that changes his life. However, instead of losing his hands, Strange loses Christine instead. And somehow, this still motivates him to learn magic and become the next Sorcerer Supreme. The real problem comes afterwards, where his inability to accept Christine’s death leads to horrific consequences.

While I think the concept of the episode is hampered by the fact that no explanation is given as to why Strange and Christine were dating, I quickly ignored that in lieu of how this affected the plot of the episode. Having kept his hands intact, Doctor Strange never gets that dose of humility that he needed to become the hero he was meant to be. As a result, he arrogantly tries to use the Time Stone to try and prevent Christine’s death, only for the universe to keep willing it to happen.

And, being Strange, he doesn’t accept this, and tries to undo this event anyway. And this leads him down the path to becoming a monster.

Strange Supreme

Using the Time Stone, Strange spends centuries learning magic to bring Christine back. More terrrifying, though, is the fact that he spends that time absorbing all manner of supernatural creatures to increase his power. As a result, he gradually becomes less human and more of a humanoid abomination.

Doctor Strange is one of my favorite characters in the MCU, and Benedict Cumberbatch brings so much life to him. Needless to say, seeing the snarky but good-natured Doctor fall down this dark path was hard to watch. Even more so when an alternate, good version of him created by the Ancient One tries, and fails, to defeat his dark counterpart. By the time the episode ends, he’s barely even human anymore!

And he does bring Christine back, but as Mordo would say, the bill comes due. With Christine now alive, Strange had no reason to study magic. The resulting paradox then causes the entire universe to implode, killing Christine again and leaving only Strange himself, alone in the void.

The Watcher Begins to Interact

As heart-breaking as that ending was, it’s nothing compared to the Watcher’s role in this episode.

Until now, the Watcher has kept to his role, merely observing events as they happened, like a stand in for the audience. However, at one point in the episode, Strange seems to become aware of the entity’s presence when he remarks how he’s tempted to intervene and warn him about the folly of his actions. Yet the Watcher decides to keep to his decision to not intervene, as he knows that that will only make things worse.

This then comes to a head in the episode’s final moments when the Watcher confronts Strange directly, with the maddened sorcerer pleading for help. While a part of us wants to fix Strange’s mistake, the Watcher rightfully calls him out on his decisions, and leaves him to face the consequences. It may seem terrible to abandon an entire universe, but this was the result of what Doctor Strange did. His hubris destroyed his entire universe.

Regardless, this marks a notable shift for the Watcher. Fans of the comics know that he has repeatedly intervened in universe-threatening events in the comics. Given the threats that this new multiverse may unleash, the MCU Watcher may soon have no choice but to intervene. Either way, it’s likely that these one-off episodes are building up to something bigger.

This was the darkest episode of the series thus far, and it’s only a fraction of what the series can give us. Definitely a step up from last week’s story.

I Give “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” a 4.5/5

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Marvel What If…? Episode 2 Review

Like so many others, I was left stunned by Chadwick Boseman’s sudden passing last year. The fact that he spent his entire time as T’Challa fighting cancer, and letting almost one know about it, serves as a testament to that man’s will. He knew how important T’Challa was, and he tried to see it through to the end. And while we will likely not see T’Challa again in the main MCU, Marvel What if…? offers a chance to see Chadwick have one last hurrah as the iconic character.

Since his passing makes it very hard not to have a bias regarding his episode of What if…?, I won’t bother hiding it. This series will posthumously include Chadwick in at least four episodes, each with a different version of the character. As of now, though, I think this was my favorite, as well as my favorite episode of the show.

What If… T’Challa Became A Star Lord

Whereas the first episode of What if…? started out with a relatively safe story, the second episode goes all in, showing us just how crazy these stories can, and will, be.

In the main MCU, Peter Quill was abducted by Yondu, who got hired to take him to his Dad. However, here he had Kraglin and Taserface do it instead. They grab T’Challa by accident, and Yondu decides to just keep him around.

Flashforward two decades, and T’Challa’s become Star-Lord. And unlike Peter, he’s every bit as legendary as Peter wanted people to believe. He doesn’t just steal from others: he takes the wealth of the powerful and gives it to those who can’t help themselves. In other words, he’s an intergalactic Robin Hood with admirers across the universe.

T’Challa at His Most Free

Given how serious and responsible T’Challa is in the MCU, one would think that What If…? took some liberties with this version’s personality. However, once the show gets a few minutes in, you’ll see that Chadwick’s playing T’Challa as essentially the same person from the MCU. The difference here is that this T’Challa does not have the burden of the Black Panther to weigh on him.

The T’Challa we get in this episode is light-hearted, charismatic, and free-spirited with an insatiable curiosity to explore the universe. He loves being Star Lord. However, at his core, he’s still the same noble and just person who fights injustice. When he steals, he does it to help people, and a lot of characters are in a better place than when we found them in the MCU. Drax never lost his family and is a happy bartender. Yondu and his Ravagers now help people through their thieving activities. Thanos works alongside them.

Wait, what?

This Version of Thanos is a Hero

Yes, you read that right: Thanos is not only a hero, he works alongside T’Challa and the Ravagers. Apparently, T’Challa reached out to him and made him realize that his plan to use the Infinity Stones wasn’t the right answer. Now he focuses on gardening and trying to atone for what he did to Nebula (who flirtatiously calls T’Challa “Cha Cha”.)

Seeing the man who served as the overarching villain for the MCU fighting as a good guy may seem unsettling to some. However, his prescence serves a purpose in the show’s narrative. Infinite number of universes means infinite versions of a character. And some of them can turn out to be heroes instead of villains. Or villains instead of heroes. The possibilities are infinite.

Farewell to Chadwick Boseman

This episode won’t be the last time that we see T’Challa in Marvel What if…? There will be at least three other versions of him in future episodes. However, for all intents and purposes, this episode serves as a send-off to the character, and to Chadwick Boseman.

Looking back, I honestly cannot imagine anyone other than Chadwick playing the role of the Black Panther. He brought the perfect amount of charisma, inspiration, and physical prowess that the character needed. There may not be another actor like him for a long, long time. So, while we say goodbye to Chadwick as T’Challa, let’s remember the impact he had on the world. And this episode’s essentially a love letter to everything he did to bring the Black Panther to life.

I Give “What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?” A 5/5

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