WHAT IF…? EPISODE 1 REVIEW : OFF TO A GREAT START!

From D&C 

WHAT IF…? EPISODE 1 REVIEW: OFF TO A GREAT START!

by Mr. Y

THIS RECAP & REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

What If? Season 1 Episode 1

THIS RECAP & REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

If you’ve followed the MCU shows so far, including the most recent ‘Loki’, you’ll know that the multiverse has opened a whole new realm of possibilities. ‘What If…?’ explores some of these multiverses with an apparent free reign to delve into different eventualities. It’s also fitting (besides being obviously cost-effective) that Marvel chose to go the animated route for a show whose main appeal comes from seeing new spins on familiar events. We’ve already met these characters and seen their arcs play out in the (Sacred?) timeline. Building on that, ‘What If…?’ moves rather quickly since we don’t need to understand who they are or how they fit in.

Many of the actors who portrayed these characters on-screen return to play their animated versions. But before we meet them, we’re introduced to Jeffrey Wright’s gravely, deep baritone as Uatu, aka The Watcher. Wright is ideally suited to narrate the series as the omniscient and omnipotent being who can see all timelines across the multiverse. We get the vocal returns of Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Stanley Tucci as Dr. Erskine, and Toby Jones as Arnim Zola. This version of Steve Rogers is played by the established vocal actor Josh Keaton, while Ross Marquand reprises his cameo appearance as Johann Schmidt or Red Skull in ‘Infinity War’.

Even if her character has only appeared in cameos in the films, albeit crucial ones, fans have spent additional time with Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter in the TV show of the same name. So it’s refreshing to see her take on an altered role, along with a spiffy new look. Peggy Carter’s turn as ‘Captain Carter’ is incredibly effective. She doesn’t take long to get used to the shield, and her first time wielding it is showcased in a beautifully choreographed action set-piece. This also sets the bar high for the rest of the series. Fortunately, it’s repeatedly met in this first episode, at least. Carter quickly establishes that she’s more than capable of standing her ground. True to the setting of World War II, the army’s inherent patriarchy and their disgruntled reaction to a female super-soldier is her most significant hurdle. It forms the emotional core for the powered agent, combined with her natural romance with Steve Rogers. This ‘regular guy’ version of Rogers gets to don a primitive suit of armor dubbed the Hydra Stomper, courtesy of Howard Stark. It’s fitting and poetic that Steve Rogers is a different iteration of Iron Man in this universe. Seeing Captain Carter and Hydra Stomper team-up is highly gratifying as the episode showcases more of that gorgeous action.

In the first episode itself, it’s evident that ‘What If…?’ is only beginning to scratch the surface of the stories that can emerge from this premise, rendered beautifully with stunning animation and a competent vocal cast.