New episodes of Marvel’s What If…? stream Wednesday’s on Disney+.
Synopsis
When asked to leave the room, Margaret “Peggy” Carter chose to stay. But soon it would be her venturing in to the unknown, creating a new world.
Review
We’ve been hotly anticipating the arrival off Marvel’s What If…? since it’s announcement back in 2019. Now the series is here and comes out swinging with an episode twisting the origin of Captain America. But does Marvel’s first animated series prove its existence in the multiverse is necessary?
Revisiting the moment when Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers became Captain America feels like the perfect jumping off point. Thanks to a strong opening monologue from The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), What If…? makes its mission statement incredibly clear. In addition, the savvy writing makes the moment this universe diversified from that of Captain America: The First Avenger clear.
Director Bryan Andrews plays brilliantly on the familiar throughout the episode. Alongside Hayley Atwell are the returning Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough and Toby Jones. Even Bradley Whitford returns as John Flynn, Carter’s SSR boss from the Agent Carter short film. With so many returning voices it’s impossible for “Captain Carter” not to feel steeped in MCU lore.
The story itself is littered with moments from The First Avenger. For example, there’s the rescue of the 107th, which includes Bucky Barnes and Dum Dum Dugan. Also, the looming threat of Red Skull, voiced by Ross Marquand, and the Tesseract plays strongly in to the storyline.
Nods to the prime MCU universe are also key to the story. A legendary moment for Bucky Barnes ends with the line “you almost ripped my arm off,” making the episode very nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
What was missing from the episode was connective tissue. After the climax of Loki I had anticipated What If…? to connect somehow to the broken timeline. But, for now, it appears What If…? will continue to explore standalone stories.
It’s always a pleasure to have Atwell return as Peggy Carter. She has been one of the most constant supporting roles in the MCU. Here she’s able to take centre stage once again and command the episode. Captain Carter is a wonderful variant of her character. She’s strong, both physically and mentally, and commands the mission against Red Skull with pure heroic enthusiasm.
Whilst a glimpse in to the alternate timeline is exciting, it’s the visuals of What If…? which really break new ground. Stephan Franck’s team has created a wonderful world of cell-shading animation. More over, character likenesses are outstandingly rendered. In other words, everyone is recognisable to their roles in the original film in appearance and in voice. What If…? certainly brings the spectacle of the MCU to the small screen in unique and exciting ways.
Verdict
What If…? comes out of the gate strong with an episode which feels quintessentially Marvel. It has all the elements of an excellent MCU movie, emboldened by stunning animated visuals.
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