What If...? Series Review

The Multiverse is a concept that, when done well, can branch into some of the most interesting stories that we’ve ever seen. Permutations upon permutations, different variations of the characters and events that we know. Combine that with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and you have a recipe for success. Which was what I thought… until I finished Disney’s What If…? series. 

9 episodes of animated fantasies, each more different than the last in terms of structure and story, each of wavering quality. It was nine weeks ago that we were introduced to Captain Carter, an episode that was a safe approach when it came to how different the multiverse could be, but was an enjoyable time nonetheless. Honestly, the first half of the season was a great ride, with great performances from the late Chadwick Boseman in episode 2, a fun genre-bend of a murder mystery in episode 3, and my personal favorite of the season with Doctor Strange in episode 4. It was after this episode, however, that the show began a decline that it couldn’t pull itself out of for its remaining five episodes. Rushed emotion in the zombie episode, forgettable Killmonger episode, childish and boring writing in the Thor episode… It was only in the final two episodes that I became intrigued again, but the sour taste from the leadup to it, paired with spoilers in a promo thumbnail for the show, left me uninterested.

To turn to some praise, I really liked the visual style of the show. There were some shots, especially early on, that seemed worthy of the OnePerfectShot Twitter account. I’m a bit of a sucker for a good wide-shot. I thought the animation was great too, with fight scenes looking fluid, dynamic, and creative. The show is at its best, however, when it focuses on what makes each universe different from the one we know. Doctor Strange committed his life to a path of darkness and solitude rather than becoming the Sorcerer Supreme, a world without The Avengers, the change brought about if T'Challa were sent into space. It’s these variations that prove the concept of the show. If only they had more time…

Coming out of each episode, I typically had the same critique: Each episode feels rushed. And they are, with an average runtime of about 30 minutes once logos and credits are done. It leaves each episode in an unfinished and unsatisfying state. What If… Zombies? is a blaring example of how an episode should not be written, given your time constraint. Each episode has no time to breathe, rushing into the next thing before we can sit with what just happened. This is reflected in the line delivery as well. Characters don’t give each other a moment to breathe between what they’re saying, hurriedly jumping from one eye-roll-inducing quip to another. 

Speaking of dialogue, it ranges from good to borderline awful. Hardly any jokes landed in this show for me, the worst offender being Thor’s episode. It all comes back to the idea that they have to cram as much as they can into such a time constraint, so they threw everything at the wall and hoped things would stick. They did not, for the most part. 

While the show does pick up a lot of the all-stars from the MCU, like Chadwick Boseman or Chris Hemsworth, it leaves quite a few key characters to sound-alikes. Obviously, they’re doing their best, but these stand-in actors always took me out of the experience a little. Imagine how much better Ultron would have been had he actually been played by James Spader, or Black Widow, who is in several episodes and feels far different from Scarlett Johansson’s version of the character. Even some of the actors playing their respective characters aren’t fantastic, as the world found out these last few weeks that acting is a much different skill set than voice-acting. 

Aside from all of my gripes, I can see how this show can really shine. What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands is a fantastic episode that does so many things right. It creates a narrative that fits well into its time constraint, it ditches overly humorous dialogue for serious subject matter, and ends in a way that has a feel of finality to it. It also focuses on the difference that one change can make in a universe, and how drastic the ripple effect can be. That episode alone makes this series worth watching through.

Overall, this was an okay start to Marvel’s first foray into animation. The highs were good, but the lows overpowered, leaving the series with a fairly less-than stellar taste in the mouth. Rushed episodes, not-so-great voice performances, and very inconsistent dialogue leaves the series in the lower echelon of my MCU ranking. I’m hoping that season 2 could bring more to the table, and maybe it does, in another universe...

Randy McLeod

Twitter: @TheeRandango