What If…? Presents Infinite Possibilities With MCU Favorites

I am one of those people who is constantly questioning my “what ifs” in life – “what if I would have said this”, “what if I would have just left 5 minutes earlier”, “what if I didn’t eat those cookies last night”. Then I imagine the potential outcomes of those what ifs. It’s probably not healthy, but neither is the world’s obsession with Marvel. The next Disney+ series brings Marvel fans exactly that… Infinite possibilities by presenting viewers with this one question: What If…?

Narrated and guided by “The Watcher” (Jeffrey Wright, Westworld), each animated episode of What If…? takes us on a roughly 30-minute journey using familiar characters, voices, and moments from the MCU films (except Chris Evans, because contracts) to present you with an alternative reality. What makes this series pretty magical is there is no fan-obsessed debate over how things “should” end up. No one is right and no one is wrong; it is just a concoction of hypotheticals for our pure entertainment where one simple tweak causes a catalyst of changes.

The first episode of the anthology series (of the three episodes critics received for review) encompasses the following scenario: what if Steve Rogers didn’t become Captain America and instead, Peggy Carter became Captain Carter? No spoilers, but collectively the world will agree the answer is an astounding YES, PLEASE! Seeing and hearing Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) become the dominating force for the country makes my heart swell. You’ll find that these actors are just as talented on the screen as they are off the screen and behind a microphone. 

Director Bryan Andrews and head writer AC Bradley work seamlessly to ensure that the characters movie-lovers have come to know and adore are still who they are at their core. Bradley and his team created innovative, fresh ideas where the film actors reprise their role and are faced with a new voyage. They even found a creative way to hilariously integrate a Marvel villain in. Marvel as a whole has historically been known for their unique and bold artistry and What If…? is no exception.

In order to reflect the MCU films and using inspiration from classic illustrators, head of visual development at Marvel Studios, Ryan Meinerding, helped define a cel-shaded animation aesthetic, a common style that mimics comic book characters, which was implemented by Stephan Franck serving as head of animation. This visual really connects the Disney+ series with the comic this concept is based off of and is filled with action and intimacy within the character details. 

If you hadn’t heard, What If…? features our beloved T’Challa’s final voice performance from Chadwick Boseman, who has the focus of episode two. While this was done prior to his passing, it still comes across as a beautiful way to commemorate the actor’s endless contribution to the industry, but more importantly, the people who looked up to him. 

If, like me, you suffer for regularly pondering the possibilities that exist and miss some of the best actors and characters to grace our screens in recent memory, you’ll enjoy the lunacy of streaming What If…? on Disney+.