(Spoiler Warning!!!)
After my post of the first episode, I said that I wasn’t going to talking about the What…? series. During that time, I had so much going on in my life that I rarely got a chance to sit down and discuss the episodes properly. Well, I figured now that I have time. I would talk about the episodes that have come out so far. I’ll try not to talk about each episode as much as I usually do. Maybe like a recap and short review. With that being said, let’s ponder the question, What If…?
Episode 2 - What if… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?
So the twist to this episode is pretty much what the title tells you. Instead of Yondu picking up Peter Quill from Earth, the Ravagers pick up T’Challa in Wakanda. I should say that Taserface and Kraglin were the ones who mixed up the children. Anyway, T’Challa’s Star-Lord is quite different from Peter’s. I mean the world around them is vastly different. Thanos is a good guy because he had a deep conversation with T’Challa? The Mad Titan is on their side? Insane. T’Challa is just the guy to go to save the universe. Their objective in this episode is to get an Ember of Genesis to transform an entire ecosystem that would save planets. The problem is it is in the hands of The Collector. They come up with a double-sided plan to get it. During the mission, T’Challa finds out that his home wasn’t destroyed. His father and Wakanda were looking for him. It is quite emotional when he confronts Yondu about it. It doesn’t stop them from fighting The Collector. He brings out some collections like Hela’s crown and Korg’s arm. He has Cap’s shield and Mjolnir, which is awesome to see. Ultimately, the two are able to fight off The Collector, and the others fought off the Black Order. In the end, T’Challa is reunited with his family and his home. It seems like a great ending, but Ego has other plans. He comes back to Earth to find Peter, so he can start his master plan from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. I enjoyed this episode mainly because they twisted so many things that it really felt like a What If situation. It was also heartwarming to have Chadwick Boseman’s voice T’Challa.
Episode 3 - What if… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?
The events of this episode happen in one week. They take out scenes from different movies from the MCU like Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk. It is Nick Fury and Black Widow’s job to assemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, but there’s a problem. When they meet with Tony at the donut shop, they don’t help him with his arc reactor issue. They accidentally kill him. Black Widow is the main suspect for his murder. She escapes by beating up SHIELD agents with ease, though. At the site where Mjolnir is stuck, Thor is trying to get his hammer back. In the movie, Hawkeye gets ready to hit him with his arrow but backs down. In this scenario, he accidentally shoots at him. He kills Thor since he was stripped from his power at the time. Hawkeye is put in holding when something mysterious happens. He dies out of nowhere. At Culver University, Black Widow is trying to find out what killed Tony Stark. She goes to Betty Ross. At the same time, Earth has a visitor from space. Loki comes to seek revenge for the death of Thor. Fury has a plan that could save Earth with the help of Loki. Banner is forced to turn into the Hulk after the army showed up at the university. Again, something suspicious happens. He starts to grow larger and larger until he explodes. Hulk can die. That’s tough.
Black Widow tries to get to the bottom of the deaths happening recently. She finds out that someone who died accessed the database not too long ago. Black Widow senses someone in her presence. Nobody to see, and she takes a beating from them. Before vanishing, she warns Fury that it is all about Hope. Fury is about to call help from Captain Marvel but puts away the pager. His last plan is to go to the grave of Hope Van Dyne. That is where our villain is shown; Hank Pym was the one behind all the deaths. He sought revenge for Hope’s death. He goes to kill Fury, but he can’t. Fury looks too good because it is actually Loki. He takes down Hank, and later, Loki is shown ruling Earth. In the end, Fury finds Captain America with a surprise from Captain Marvel. New heroes will come again. I enjoyed this episode, but I felt it was paced too fast. The concept is great, but I wanted more of it. I feel like it could be a cool idea for a live-action movie.
Episode 4 - What if… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands
A love story at the fate of the universe. Dr. Stephen Strange picked up Christine for their night out since Stephen is getting a medical award. They’re on the same road where Strange had his crucial accident in the MCU. It happens a little bit differently. Instead of Strange lose his hand, he loses his love. After his loss, he goes on his path to find answers in the mystic arts. He became the Sorcerer Supreme and beat Dormammu. Even with everything he has learned and gain, he couldn’t forget about Christine. Wong tells Strange not to do anything reckless. But you know Strange, right? He uses the Time Stone to go back to their night out. Using what he knows, he tries to avoid the accident, but it happens anyway. He tries again and again and again. Every time he goes back something causes Christine to die. At one point, he switches places with her, so he would be the one that dies. It is still her, though. The Ancient One comes to tell Strange that Christine’s death is an absolute point in time. It is irreversible. Without her death, he doesn’t go on his path to the mystic arts. All he wants is more power to bring her back. He goes to find a book in the Lost Library of Cagliostro.
He meets with the librarian, O’Bengh. He finds the book he is looking for and starts to ask for power from other beings. The first try doesn’t go according to plan. The suffering is worth the love for Christine in Strange’s heart. On the second go, he decides to take the power instead. During his attempts to absorb power from other beings, he senses the presence of the Watcher, which is the first time anyone throughout the series could do that. Dr. Strange spent centuries absorbing power. O’Bengh informs this Strange that there is another Strange. The Ancient One split the timeline, which would allow both Strange to live in the same universe. The end of the world is near, and the only person to stop it is him. Strange has to fight Evil Strange. Evil Strange needs to absorb Dr. Strange so they can bring Christine back. The fight between the two is mad awesome. Their powers are so cool to watch. Evil Strange is able to absorb Dr. Strange. He brings back Christine, but the world is ending. There isn’t anything Evil Strange can do. The universe is crumbling because of his action. He asks the Watcher to stop it. Crazy, right? He can talk to him?! The Watcher can’t interfere, though. Evil Strange’s selfish behavior caused the death of billions. In the end, he couldn’t have Christine. It was all for nothing; he is left in the mirror dimension by himself; the universe is gone.
Final Thoughts
Okay, episode four is by far the best episode of the series. The story, the emotions, the voice acting, and the consequences were just top tier for me. Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice acting just golden. You could feel the emotions, and it could make you choke up. The fact that he could sense and talk to the Watcher was a surprise. I wasn’t expecting that. It makes me wonder if we will ever see him interfere with a situation. What will happen to Evil Strange? Will he escape from the mirror dimension, and where would he go? Let’s talk about the series so far, though. Episodes 1-3 have been average or just a little above average to me. Episode 4 was nearly perfect; episode 2 comes second; one and two were at the same level. Have you noticed that most of these episodes leave with a cliffhanger? I don’t know if they are teasing for a second season or everything is coming together at the end. I will say that I have lowered my expectation down since the start of the series. What If…? was one of my most anticipated shows on Disney+, and to be honest, it has been a letdown. I wish there was more time for each episode. In a way that they could flesh everything out better, you know? I’m hoping my opinion changes by the end of the series. I still think it is cool taking a look at the Multiverse, though. I will continue to ponder the question, What If…?
Hello there! I’m happy you took the time out of your day to read my post. Remember if you have any questions or want to have a discussion, leave a comment! I’ll try to talk about episodes 5-7 next week. Happy days and take care!