✶ (Minor spoilers ahead!) ✶
Marvel has become a rather popular and important name in the world of movies and television shows. With blockbusters such as Spiderman and the Avengers Endgame duology gaining huge traction and popularity among avid Marvel fans, it’s safe to say that Marvel has made its mark as one of the best companies with endearing heroes and intriguing villains throughout their productions. Its original, beloved comics that were published much earlier are now being adapted for theatre screens worldwide.
One particular TV show that stood out to me was the series Marvel’s What if?
Marvel’s What if? is the first animated television series that is based on the original comics; however, the series itself is a colorful explosion of novelty. Essentially, in its episodes, each Marvel movie out there has a different twist. Hence, the use of the question, “What if?”
The production explores various multiverses where characters and roles are switched and reformed for different universes where they take on different personas. Each of these twists entertains a fascinating possibility: What if instead of Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter becomes the first super soldier? What if instead of losing his hands, seeking and learning magic, and saving the universe from Dormamu, Doctor Strange goes back in time to try to save his loved one even if it means messing with the entire timeline and magic of all the universes?
This was what hooked me into watching the series in the first place. I know its fantastical set-up might sound quite outlandish at first – some who haven’t seen the series but know about multiverse might be skeptical or hesitant of watching it.
However, Marvel’s What if? is definitely worth the watch. One of the biggest attention-grabbing points of the show is the amazing 3-D animation style it was produced in, featuring a lot of the main Marvel characters you’ve seen in other movies who are voice acted by their respective original actors. Not only was the voice acting superb and the characters just the same as they were in the original movies, but seeing characters animated was a refreshing change casting them in different light. There was clear intention and thought put into the stories of each episode, and the clean-cut, well-finished animation enhancing a lot of great action and fight scenes only served to make the plot further come to life. The way each episode focused on a different character and story was a lot more interesting to watch than solely having all episodes dedicated to one specific cast of characters.
The writing was also quite good for the show. I admit that there were some corny lines or even jokes that were not hitting the marks perfectly in the first few episodes. However, as you progress through the different stories and browse through the series, the dialogue gets better and more developed.
One of my favorite episodes was one revolving around Doctor Strange. It had a ruthless twist on Strange’s character development from the original movie. (Minor spoiler!) Rather than losing his hands from the car crash that left him unable to work in the movie, Strange is left physically intact in the episode. Instead, he loses his emotions or figuratively his heart when his partner Christine does not make it because of the car crash. The grief and regret over her loss leaves Strange seeking some form of comfort in the least ideal way. Being the magician he is, he looks for a way to bring Christine back to life.
This episode was one that left me quite overwhelmed and somewhat shocked by Strange’s actions. As in the original Doctor Strange movie, he ends up saving the world, carrying Christine with him. However, unlike the original, as a result of the overwhelming pain and sorrow he has felt for her, he tries desperately to bring her back.
Benedict Cumberbatch’s voice acting was phenomenally done in this episode, with the dialogue being some of his best. Nonetheless, perhaps even more worth mentioning was how cool it was to see Strange experimenting with the different forms of magic he found in his expeditions. Here are some scenes where the animation looked stunning in this particular episode.
(Doctor Strange unleashing his magic.)
(Strange confronts and meets his darker version of himself.)
Despite the rather fast pacing of the episodes due to the exploration of different stories, which can throw some people off, Marvel’s What if? series is still highly worth watching because of its intricate storytelling and wondrous array of various multiverses. If you’re looking for a series with insane and slightly absurb outcomes of universes and storylines with characters you wouldn’t expect seeing, this is definitely an intriguing watch for you!
Works Cited:[1]https://www.cnet.com/a/img/resize/c5eb6a4354158f2e9921a4a51a8f4e5d88ec8c4e/2021/09/03/1d056d25-ef47-43a0-8fe6-b8e248e96dd9/104-eka0360-comp-v003-1030.jpg?auto=webp&width=940[2]https://www.thefandomentals.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/What-If-4a-11.png
Jessica T