Review of 'What If...?' Season 2 Disney+

I truly enjoyed the first season, especially the finale. I love this interconnected storytelling, and I think it was one of the last shows that had the quality that I was expecting from Marvel back when we had ‘Wandavision’ and ‘Loki’ Season 1 right until Season 2. I am open to seeing more ‘What If’ in the future, and this release strategy is a delight! I wake up early, I go for a run with the dog, then I make a cup of coffee and I open the next present. 'Loki' kind of restored my faith in Marvel, I hope this show builds on that. All episodes of 'What if...?' Season 2 are directed by Bryan Andrews, and from what I've heard a star is born. 

Here are my daily reviews for this season, streaming from December 22nd to December 30th:

Episode 1: ‘What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?’ 

The first episode was good; the animation, for the most part, was beautiful and smooth. Nebula, as always, was a badass, voiced once again by Karen Gillan. I don’t know how to feel about the story because, as soon as I heard that Ronan overthrew Thanos, I thought to myself, 'What the hell.' Thanos was the big bad for the last phase, and to die at the hands of Ronan seems unbelievable. The episode looked like a colorful ‘Sin City’ meets ‘Star Wars’. The Nova Corps looked a lot like Coruscant, but I will allow it because I really liked the idea of this shield and the hard aftermath. The episode had that noir presence, and the narration reminded me of some dark detective thriller. The pacing slowed down in the middle, and I was hoping for a bigger action sequence. I mean, this is an animation; it has to exceed the action of live-motion pictures, yet it stayed on the same level. Nevertheless, I am excited to absorb this Marvel content for the next 8 days like a Saturday morning cartoon with my cereal. And I feel that the director is doing a great job. Coming back to voice their charachters were Jude Law as Yon-Rogg, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta and Taika Waititi as Korg.

Episode 2: 'What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes?' 

The second episode was even better. I love seeing other teams in action, and most of the time, I am pleasantly surprised by who is on the team. Let's mention the actors who came back to voice their original characters here: Michael Douglas as Hank Pym/Ant-Man, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, John Slattery as Howard Stark, Kurt Russell as Ego, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster/Goliath, Atandwa Kani as King T'Chaka/The Black Panther and Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier. I was initially convinced I heard Annette Bening as Wendy Lawson/Mar-Vell, but it turned out to be voiced by another actress who sounded just like her - Keri Tombazian. And, of course, the cherry on top was when Chris Hemsworth showed up; hearing him reprise his role as Thor just made me smile.

This show is something and is full of Easter eggs throughout the episodes. The revelation about the shield of Captain America being a donation by King T'Challa's grandfather? Like I said, I love these interconnections in Marvel storytelling. Also, Dr. Wendy Lawson, who was the heart of the episode, voiced by Tombazian, sticking around as the Kree warrior that she is, was a great surprise that I didn't see coming, even though she was part of the trailer. I find it interesting to hear of Thor losing his world to Ego and seeing Quill coming home, only to find out that Ego killed his mother. The only thing that let me down in this episode was that they left the children without any security, and Hope van Dyne could let Quill out just like that; it was a bit too cartoonish. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this episode and this team-up.

Episode 3: 'What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?' 

I really wanted to enjoy this episode, but I found myself spacing out multiple times. In a universe filled with amazing characters, spending time with Happy and Darcy felt disappointing. Where's the excitement of a Moon Knight or Midnight Sons episode? How about more Wanda and Doctor Strange or Spidey? There are countless possibilities, and dedicating so much time to characters I didn't care much about in the first place seems like a waste.

Sure, it's enjoyable to see these characters occasionally to support the main story, but devoting an entire episode to them? It felt like a misuse of the potential for more compelling narratives. The moment when Happy turned into the purple Hulk was more interesting to me because it meant I didn't have to look at Jon Favreau's animated face anymore. Is this some kind of thank-you episode for Jon Favreau's work at Disney? I appreciate his contributions, but was this necessary?

I get it; I might come across as a hater, but I can't help but feel disappointed. The silver lining is that at least I don't have to wait a whole week for the next episode.

Episode 4: 'What If... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?'

I am not a big race fan, neither do I like cars. After yesterday, I went into this episode expecting to be disappointed, but the story turned out to be exciting. I appreciate Jeff Goldblum coming back to play the Grandmaster, who in this episode was fantastic and so funny, as well as Tessa Thompson reprising her role as Valkyrie and Taika Waititi as Korg. 

After 'Thor: Love and Thunder,' my respect for Taika Waititi almost disappeared. Not that long ago, I read him talking trash about one of my favorite characters that he had a lot to play with - Thor. After that and butchering two of the most interesting stories that I have read with his second movie, I started to see him as a failure. In 'What If,' he is amazing. The jokes are very funny, and I never even liked Korg character, but now, he is definitely growing on me. The commentary that he and Grandmaster delivered this episode was the cherry on top of the cake. Here, both of them were utilized appropriately. 

Tony Stark, aka Mr. Mojo Man, voiced by Mick Wingert, got me laughing several times also. When he called Gamora 'Xena,' I died. And so far, I've heard Chatty-Catty, Judgy-Judger, Debbie-Downer, etc., but Logic-Linda was a first one. Finally, we saw Logic-Linda evoke an emotion during the scary part of the race. I guess she needs adrenaline to unlock this side of her. 

The race was interesting and exciting, which was totally unexpected for me. And Thanos dying everywhere is becoming a gag. Like the Grandmaster said for one of the characters this episode, I will say it for Thanos: 'He was made to be roadkill!'

Episode 5: 'What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?'

What an incredible episode that was! Every aspect of this episode was exceptional; it truly set everything ablaze. I particularly enjoyed the score, which added a powerful layer to the story. The narrative unfolded swiftly; it felt like I had much more than just 30 minutes with Carter and the Widow. The episode introduced plenty of fascinating characters and dynamic relationships. I appreciate that it seamlessly continued from where we left off in the last season.

This episode stands out as the best among all the "What If...?" episodes so far. The action was unbelievably well-choreographed. Captain Carter's fighting style and resilience were unlike anything I've ever seen. It was a delight to see the other Widows in action, and amidst all the storytelling, there was ample time dedicated to the confrontation with the Red Room. Malina's appearance was a pleasant surprise, providing a glimpse of her capabilities.

The colors in this episode were captivating. The main action scene with the Widows took place during an incredible pink-orange sunset in a super creepy, semi-American town with a horror-themed marionette aesthetic. Although the Red Room was intimidating, much like Thanos, they were ultimately made to be roadkill!

Remarkably, the episode still found time to conclude with a nod to 1602 and the inclusion of Wanda. Even though her appearance was brief, the moment of taking Carter from space and time, instilling fear even in the Watcher, was a badass move.

I officially declare this episode as my favorite, and I eagerly anticipate revisiting it. This is how it's supposed to be done.

Episode 6: 'What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?'

Is Doctor Strange really the biggest threat in the Multiverse? He appears to be very resourceful when it comes to getting what he wants. At the end of this episode, we finally had some connection to the MCU when he showed up looking for the brand-new Marvel hero, Kahhori. She came across as a very powerful creature from the Mohawk Nation after getting inside the 'Fountain of Youth' that came to Earth as a result of Asgard's demise. The Tesseract gave the Mohawk people powers such as super speed, super jumps, the ability to control the portal between the two worlds, telekinesis—basically, they can do a lot, and it was beautiful. The blue light adopted from the powers of the Tesseract was mesmerizing to watch.

Until the end of the episode where Strange showed up, this could easily have been any animated show. And when he appeared, the episode got a boost of excitement, similar to when I saw a glimpse of Wanda in the last episode. I appreciate the native languages used here. For me, this is how it is done—not with accents or broken English, but using the real language to portray the nation. Seeing Kahhori's people for the first time and getting to know them a little was what made this episode so interesting. I love that we took a left turn and went to discover something new. With a multiverse with countless possibilities, I expect to continue developing many new characters and mixing them with our familiar realities. This is paramount when it comes to storytelling—the 'What ifs.'

Episode 7: 'What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings?'

Cate Blanchett returned to voice her character. I love that I saw a different part of her. Here, she played more like the daughter of Odin and the sister of Loki and Thor. It's as if we didn't see enough of her during Ragnarok, and, as usual, Marvel disposes of every villain in one movie, except Thanos. Thanos, Marvel kills in every episode of 'What If...?', because what? He is roadkill.

Here, we went in a very unusual direction, and seeing the characters from 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' is always a blast. I re-watch Shang-Chi every now and then because some would say it was the last movie that really delivered. I remember watching it in the cinema, and during the bus fight, I exclaimed loudly, 'Wow.' The movie kicked it up to 11, and since then, everything has been 6-7 at best. Seeing Wenwu and Jiang Li is a joy, and they were very much versions of themselves.

What surprised me from the beginning and built the shock at the end of the episode was how powerful Odin is. He did to Hela what he did to Thor and banished her from his side. I thought that the lesson she had to learn in this episode was very interesting. No one should have power over death if they have no appreciation for life. After seeing Odin’s power, and later seeing him defeated by Hela 'The White' with the help of Wenwu was a shock. I really thought that they would kill him, and he put up a good fight. I was so impressed that a couple of times, I thought to myself, ‘Damn, Odin.’ This episode didn’t fail to deliver on the promise of the series. Exploring such possibilities is what makes this show fresh.

Episode 8: 'What If... the Avengers Assembled in 1602?'

Marvel, what are you doing to Peggy? How many times should she lose Steve before it's enough? All jokes aside, this episode was more interesting than I expected. I think Steve coming from the future was a great turn of events. I love that I saw Wanda again, but her role being so small was disappointing. Seeing how this world works, Hela once again on the throne, this time with her brothers beside her, and Thor with his new weapon. Hearing Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Loki and Chris Hemsworth was a treat. All the other superheroes had their roles in this 1602 universe. The ripple effect happening across the universes seems to be the problem that everyone is facing in this phase. Still, I am not familiar with this 1602 universe, but now I am interested in exploring it. Marvel did the job right. One more to go.

Episode 9: 'What If... Strange Supreme Intervened?'

To answer my question from the Episode 6 review, yes, Dr. Strange is the biggest problem in the Universe. I guess he is the big bad for this phase. Too many hints, I would say. I imagine in his third film, he will become the evil that he is supposed to be, and in the next Avengers movies, he will be defeated by everyone. Nevertheless, I loved this episode, my second favorite from the season. Seeing all these characters at once gave me goosebumps. Captain Carter and Kahorri make a great team! When they received Hela's Helm and Thor's hammer, I was gagged, and when Wenlo gave them the rings, I gasped aloud. This episode was on fire. I love how Peggy fought Diablo back to hell. It reminded me of Gandalf's fall-fight with the Balrog in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.' Love, love, love this episode and all the action in it. Wanda! 

 

Overall, this season delivered. I was impressed multiple times, especially with the action. I was surprised by episodes that I didn't expect to like, and except for one episode (3), I liked every single one of them. Seeing a clip from the third season yesterday was such a boost. Tomorrow, I will look around to see what could come next, and I'll think about what I want to see, creating my dream scenario for the next season and I will share it as soon as it is ready.

And here are my ideas for the upcoming season of 'What If...?'. I know, I know, a lot of killings, but this is what I came up with and what I want to explore. Such a fun idea to giggle with these possibilities.

Ep.1 What If... Wanda killed America Chavez?

Ep.2 What If... Captain Marvel fought the Black Order?

Ep.3 What If... Spider-Man and Deadpool became friends?

Ep.4 What If... Moon Knight is hunted by Elsa Bloodstone?

Ep.5 What If... Shuri killed Namor?

Ep.6 What If... She-Hulk killed Loki?

Ep.7 What If... Daredevil was a vampire?

Ep.8 What If... the Avengers fought the Eternals?

Ep.9 What If... Tiamut was born?

Iliya Badev