What If poster
- Movie Name:What If
- Critics Rating: 4 / 5
- Release Date: Aug 11, 2021
- Director: Bryan Andrews
- Genre: Animated anthology series
With Marvel Studios first animated web show, What If, the franchise shuts down the many accusations it has met with over the years. Self-conscious superheroes who take up the burden of balancing the cosmos, saving the universe and representing marginal communities on their shoulders already seemed like a rigidly tiring concept in 2021. What If breaks these shackles loud and clear. Ripping traditional and iconic superheroes off of their dazzling costumes, the animated show brings to the table what everybody has been nerding about for past decades.
However, there's a genuine question at first. Given that we have had a handful of Marvel outings already this year, the audience unquestionably had no shortage of superheroes among them. So why add on a series with characters that we have seen multiple times?
There is an uncomplicated answer to this. The reason why 'What If' exists is because this animated version of MCU mythos is wholesome and exhilarating in a way that has only been discussed endlessly in Reddit threads but never executed before. It is a fun imagination that brings about a kid-in-the-candy-store excitement for pop culture fans.
What if showcases some famous events from films in the MCU and spins them compellingly, creating a multiverse of infinite possibilities. This series breaks open the MCU wide open, especially after that mind-blowing Loki finale.
The series, with its 10-episodes anthology structure, offers each episode as a standalone story. Giving fans an extra dramatic touch, the creators have given each episode a distinctive feel by playing with genres, music and setting. The way they engage with tone, form and texture are uniformly innovative and woozily alive.
These standalone episodes are threaded by one common factor, The Watcher -- the all-knowing, all-seeing cosmic being, voiced by Jeffrey Wright. The Watcher, also known as Uatu in the comics comes from a race of extraterrestrials tasked with watching over the events unfolding in the universe but never interferes.
The Watcher takes us on a journey through some of the iconic moments in the MCU so far but turns them on the head, giving us an alternate exposition. The stories are clever and just complicated enough. With a run time of 30 mins, the storyline moves quickly through silly bits, resting for tender moments and finally losing itself in creative mischief. These turnaround plots have enough references to pull and please MCU fans with more lore and precise accessibility for newbies or part-time warriors.
The show brings back iconic characters including Agent Carter, Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Doctor Strange, Nick Fury, Captain Marvel, Star-Lord, T'Challa, Thanos and Spider-Man among others. We have seen them innumerable times across 24 films over the three phases, but What If makes them feel liberated by animation. The old-style graphic techniques of comics uniting with digital wizardry is a pure treat for viewers.
Also, the creators have made sure that the fans get something they are not expecting. Directed by Bryan Andrew with Head Writer AC Bradley, What If plays in myriad meta ways with the audience and anticipation of these pop-culture characters. Right off the bat, the show is aware that those watching know these superheroes and the various incarnations of these characters, so they're not fooling around. It is the show's treatment of these characters that make sure it doesn't diminish the excitement of their adventures. On the contrary, the comic book style narration pulls us even more into their world.
Even though it's been decades that Marvel has been called out for misrepresentation, sexism and selling stale storylines, this time it seems like the franchise took the challenge head-on to crumble those accusations. Without pretence or too much preaching, Marvel wants the viewers to believe in these self-aware characters in the ever changing paradigm.
The number of things going on in What If could seem overwhelming at its best, but the makers are almost always able to keep you hooked. While sometimes your mind is blown away at these alternate stories, other times you're resting and falling for a re-imagined world. In the end, they all merge synchronically into a whole that makes the entire experience worthwhile.
Now, you may have second thoughts about investing in another Marvel project, but what if you indulge a little bit? This show is a stepping stone of what we're about to witness in the future of MCU. And at this point, this stepping stone is far from disappointment or duplication.
