Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Breaks Free From MCU Canon
It’s not hyperbole to say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most successful movie franchise of all time. Not only has it grossed more than $20 billion, but it’s also a pop culture juggernaut that has basically become the mythology of our time. Everyone’s seen at least one Marvel movie. Everyone knows the characters. Everyone’s heard of Tony Stark, Thor, Captain America, and Thanos.
As the MCU moves into a post-Infinity Saga world, Marvel is throwing all sorts of new stuff at us, particularly in the form of streaming shows on Disney Plus. We’ve had WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. Now we get an animated series that correctly assumes we’re all familiar enough with the characters of the MCU to wonder what would happen if they were thrown into completely different scenarios. Enter Marvel’s What If…?.
This show takes familiar faces and events in the regular MCU timeline and imagines what would happen if things were mixed up. What if Peggy Carter got the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers? What if Peter Quill wasn’t abducted by the Ravagers and they picked up a young T’Challa instead? The MCU is so engrained in pop culture that they can create their own fan fiction and make even that totally worth watching.
As always, it’s incredibly difficult to talk about these shows without spoilers, so I won’t go into detail about what happens in the first three episodes. I will say that I really like the variety of situations and it’s pretty fun to imagine these alternate timelines/universes where familiar events play out totally differently. A lot of familiar voices return, including the final performance from absolute legend Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa. The recast voices aren’t jarring and they’re close enough to the live-action actors to not be distracting.
In general, What If…? has more freedom to be fun because it’s less dependent on driving the overall narrative forward. When you’re not as beholden to setting up the next step in the sacred Marvel phase timeline, you can make fun little self-contained stories, and that’s exactly what they do here. You can also bring in more levity and humor, and I found myself enjoying the ride, particularly in the second episode.
What If…? seems meant to skew a bit younger than the usual MCU fare, likely because it’s animated instead of live-action. Occasionally, this can make things feel a bit simplified. The quips aren’t as witty and the scenarios seem easier for kids to grasp, but nothing is stripped down to the point where you feel like the show is solely aimed at younger audiences.
I’ve said before that the MCU is so massive that it can offer something for everyone, and with the new swath of Disney Plus content, that’s more true than ever. If Marvel movies were a giant Cheesecake Factory menu of stories to choose from, throwing in Disney Plus makes it a full all-you-can-eat buffet. What If…? is yet another tasty treat to throw on your MCU plate.
