Marvel Studios’ What If…? strongly delivers as the animated series arrives on Disney+ for nine consecutive days of streaming fun.

The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) is back along with a number of fan favorites. The second season is full of new stories but a few returning characters from the first season are back along for the ride. There are not many universes in which Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) exists but sure enough, The Watcher follows through on her story. After all, Captain Carter became an instant fan favorite upon launch. It would have been a letdown to come back for season 2 and then not follow through on more tales with everyone’s favorite captain who is not named Steve Rogers. Carter’s popularity is almost certainly a factor in three episodes devoted to the hero’s storyline.

Episode 4 is the only episode with a mid-credit scene. Of course, the credits are always worth watching.

The second season of What If…? is fun for Marvel fans and is an entertaining antidote for anyone suffering from franchise fatigue. Whether you want to watch one episode a day or wait until all nine episodes are available for binge-viewing is up to you. I can tell you that I binge-watched 7 episodes on Thursday night/early Friday before watching the two-part finale this morning. Disney only sent screeners on Thursday and it’s not easy making time in my schedule with so little notice.

My thoughts, which may contain spoilers, are below the photo.

Where the Avengers did not form in the Marvel Cinematic Universe until 2012, the same could not be said about elsewhere in the multiverse. That’s the beauty in putting this animated series together. Of course, the series puts classic twists on what we’ve seen in the films. Take the second episode, for instance. Howard Stark (John Slattery) and Peggy Carter form a team when a young Peter Quill threatens Earth in 1998. It’s just not the classic Avengers lineup but it’s interesting to see just who S.H.I.E.LD. knew about and how a certain character came back into play.

While Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) isn’t used much, it’s interesting to see a universe where she is interning under Happy Hogan’s (Jon Favreau) supervision. It’s the same episode in which Marvel fans can see Happy finally turn into The Freak. This mutation is long overdue for anyone familiar with Happy in the comics. Honestly, in terms of VFX work, it’s probably for the best that Hogan mutates in animation form. Will we ever get an opportunity to see this in live-action? I really do not know.

While I have no issues whatsoever with the storyline that introduces Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), I do think it’s an interesting choice to devote an episode to a completely new character for Marvel. To my knowledge, Kahhori is not a previously established character in Marvel Comics but regardless, the Mohawk hero fills a void in the representation front. While the characters in the episode are new to Marvel in general, the episode does manage to put a twist on classic MCU storytelling because of how things play out. You’ll see when you watch the episode. In the meantime, we’ll see what happens with Kahhori going forward, whether the character will spin-off into live-action or other MCU appearances or if it’s just a one-off apperance.

The team-centric episodes are also where the series offers its strongest storytelling. Next to Episode 2, the other episode that I really enjoyed was the 8th episode. It imagines a world with the Avengers living in 1602 and there’s also a Robin Hood twist. Interestingly, some of our favorite heroes and sidekicks also find themselves on different sides, much like Captain America: Civil War. But still, it’s a lot of fun to watch and it would not be be unfair to want to see it play out over a longer run time. There are episodes where the half hour run time is perfectly fine and there are the episodes where one wishes they were told as a movie or limited series. It’s just a shame that Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson said no to offering their voices.

EPISODE 1: WHAT IF… NEBULA JOINED THE NOVA CORPS?

When Nebula is recruited to join the Nova Corps, she sets out to prove her detective skills within this intergalactic police force.

EPISODE 2: WHAT IF… PETER QUILL ATTACKED EARTH’S MIGHTIEST HEROES?

When Ego and a young Peter Quill threaten Earth in 1988, Howard Stark and Peggy Carter form a team.

EPISODE 3: WHAT IF HAPPY HOGAN SAVED CHRISTMAS?

Avengers Tower is under attack during the holiday party and it’s up to Happy Hogan to stop it.

EPISODE 4: WHAT IF… IRON MAN CRASHED INTO THE GRANDMASTER?

Tony Stark challenges The Grandmaster, leading to a grand prix-turned-demolition-derby death match. 

EPISODE 5: WHAT IF… CAPTAIN CARTER FOUGHT THE HYDRA STOMPER?

Captain Carter’s mission to save Steve Rogers sets her on a collision course with new enemies.

EPISODE 6: WHAT IF… KAHHORI RESHAPED THE WORLD?

A Mohawk woman ventures into the waters of the Forbidden Lake to help save her people.

EPISODE 7: WHAT IF… HELA FOUND THE TEN RINGS?

Hela—stripped of her powers and banished to Earth—comes across a new source of power: the Ten Rings.

EPISODE 8: WHAT IF… THE AVENGERS ASSEMBLED IN 1602?

Captain Carter tries to undo the anomaly that strands familiar heroes and villains in the year 1602.

EPISODE 9: WHAT IF… STRANGE SUPREME INTERVENED? 

Captain Carter discovers the greatest threat to all existence may be closer than she realizes.

DIRECTORS: Bryan Andrews (2-9) and Stephan Franck (1)
HEAD WRITER: AC Bradley
WRITERS: AC Bradley (3, 4, 5, 8), Matthew Chauncey (1-3, 7, 9) and Ryan Little (6, 8)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Bryan Andrews, AC Bradley
CAST: Jeffrey Wright, Hayley Atwell, Cate Blanchett, Clancy Brown, Josh Brolin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kat Dennings, Michael Douglas, Idris Elba, Karen Gillan, Seth Green, Frank Grillo, Jeff Goldblum, Laurence Fishburne, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Rachel House, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Rooker, Kurt Russell, Peter Serafinowicz, John Slattery, Cobie Smulders, Sebastian Stan, Tessa Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Taika Waititi, Rachel Weisz

Marvel Studios’ What If…? Season 2 is exclusively streaming on Disney+ with new episodes premiering daily through December 30, 2023. Grade: 4/5

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