Plot: Season two of “What If…?” continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Featuring fan-favorite characters this season like Nebula, Hela and Happy Hogan, episodes are directed by executive producer Bryan Andrews with executive producer AC Bradley as head writer.
Review: 2023 has been rough for Marvel Studios. After the box office disappointments of The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and the critical failure of Secret Invasion along with Jonathan Majors’ real-life legal woes putting the Multiverse Saga in jeopardy, the MCU has one final shot to try and redeem themselves in the eyes of fans. Two years ago, the animated series What If…? managed to entertain fans of feature films, fans of comic book animation, and fans of the long-running alternate-timeline comic book series with an anthology that blended the famous live-action actors from the MCU in interesting and original ways. Now, with a unique release schedule just in time for the holidays, What If…? returns for a second season full of fun, surprises, and the most epic finale since Avengers: Endgame.
In the first season of What If…?, The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) narrated alternate stories of what could have happened if small changes altered the path of heroes and villains in the MCU. The nine-episode season culminated with a tale that brought elements together from episodes throughout the season for a massive finale involving Doctor Strange, Ultron, and The Watcher intervening against his rules. Season two has a similar structure but a far different path for the characters. As the trailers have shown, this season brings back Captain Carter, Strange Supreme, and Marvel Zombies while introducing elements from Shang-Chi and an all-new hero named Kahhori. It makes for an exciting season that also adapts one of Marvel’s most unique story arcs set in the year 1602. It also means that we get a lot of big-name voice talent and some surprises along the way.
The first episode, which follows Nebula (Karen Gillian) if she had joined the Nova Corps, is a cool little action story with a fun turn by Jude Law as his Captain Marvel villain, Yon-Rogg. After that, the series shifts to a Peter Quill-centric story that finds the return of Kurt Russell as Ego before segueing into a Christmas-themed story starring Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan. These early episodes are fun, but I was worried about this season until I got to the episode about Tony Stark meeting The Grandmaster. This episode proved that not getting Robert Downey Jr and Jeff Goldblum in a movie together may have been Marvel Studios’ biggest missed opportunity. The episodes continue to improve from there, bringing Cate Blanchett back to voice the under-used villain Hela and expanding on the legend of the Ten Rings. The return of Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter is also an important highlight for the direction this series is headed.
The two most notable episodes are “What If…Kahhori Reshaped The World” and “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?”. Both episodes factor directly into the season finale in distinct ways. Kahhori, voiced by Devery Jacobs, is an indigenous woman with incredible abilities that are cool to see on screen. This is the first time in MCU history that Marvel Studios has created a completely original character, which works very well. The entire time I watched the episode, I pictured Amber Midthunder in Prey and hoped that Marvel would pursue making more brand-new characters in phases to come. The other episode, set in 1602, brings a different version of the Neil Gaiman-penned limited series to the screen but still captures the world of superheroes set four centuries ago. Both of these episodes combine narrative threads for the finale titled “What If….Strange Supreme Intervened?” of which I will spoil no details. I recommend avoiding all spoilers for this episode and absorbing the absolutely epic magnitude of this chapter, something that you feel as tangibly as if it were produced in live-action.
Jeffrey Wright is ever present in each episode, lending his deep voice in a different capacity than he did in the first season. Wright is wonderfully cast as this character, which can also be said about director Bryan Andrews and writer A.C. Bradley, with Stephan Franck helming a chapter along with a staff of writers who truly understand why this series is so special, What If…? is clearly the best Marvel Studios property right now. I love that these episodes recast characters differently, providing insight into what makes multiverse storytelling so unique. Having these actors turn their heroes into villains and vice-versa is achieved through the safety of animation. Still, the style of how these episodes are created makes them feel at once like living comic books and something unlike any other animated project out there. The visuals are beautiful and haunting, and the short running time of each half-hour story prevents them from overstaying their welcome.
With a new episode each night, as most of the country celebrates Christmas and New Year’s, this is better than a binge-watch, as we get just enough to keep us entertained each night through the coldest part of the year. Marvel Studios may want to do this annually and turn it into an MCU advent calendar. What If…? is a treat and the gift that keeps on giving. This season has great voice acting, improved animation from last season, and one of the single best episodes of television this year. Overall, What If…? may even be the best Marvel Studios production of the entire Phase Five. That may not be a high bar, but it has allowed me to maintain some confidence that Marvel Studios still knows how to deliver.
Marvel Studios’ What If…? season 2 will premiere a new episode each day starting December 22nd through December 31st on Disney+.