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Cast: Hayley Atwell, Benedict Cumberbatch, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeffrey Wright, Lake Bell, Mark Ruffalo and Cate Blanchett
Creator: A.C. Bradley
Director: Bryan Andrews
Streaming On: Disney+
Language: Disney+
Runtime: 9 Episodes, Around 30 minutes each.
What If…? Season 2 Review: What’s It About:
What If…? Season 2 is the continuation of What If…? A Marvel Cinematic Universe Spin-off that was conjured into existence with the start of Phase 4, which had, as a pivotal plot point, the multiverse. In this show, Marvel rewrites much of the canon of the cinematic universe and offers alternate takes on characters, settings, and resolutions, making each episode a surprise, as you don’t know what or how the ingredients mix to create these “What if” scenarios.
What If…? Season 2 Review: Script Analysis:
What If…? Season 2 follows the same presentation and logic as the first season, resulting in a series of stories that takes the famous Marvel characters in new directions. Some of these stories are better than others, but that is to be expected from an anthology series. However, it would be disingenuous not to admit that this level of inconsistency does affect the enjoyment of the series, as the highs in quality are never sustained for long before the lows appear, putting everything to rest for a while.
So, to talk about this show is to talk about the individual stories, although an overarching plot is also being developed. I believe the best episodes of this new Season of What If…? were episodes one, three, six, eight, and nine. Episode one is excellent as it takes the Nebula character in the opposite direction to what we know of her but retains the edge the character is known for, adding a very relaxed and appreciated detective noir flavor that makes the episode feel like its own story.
Episode 3 is also great as it gives its due to Happy Hogan, played by John Favreau, one of the leading responsible creatives for the success of the Marvel brand in cinemas. It is great to see his character in the spotlight once after being a background character for most of the MCU lifetime. Episode six feels very different from many by focusing on a brand-new character named Kahhori and how she rewrites history thanks to the powers of the Tesseract, which is the MCU’s most used artifact.
Episodes six, eight, and nine all tie together with the overarching plot related to Doctor Strange and his destroyed universe, which began in Season One, and thus, What If…? Season 2 feels like a sort of culmination for the anthology series. Still, knowing that there is a third season in the works makes me curious how they will start another plot like this or if they will just restart everything once again. The rest of the episodes suffer from being entirely forgettable, thanks to stories that don’t stand by themselves.
What If…? Season 2 Review: Star Performance:
What If…? Season 2 has the task of bringing many characters into the fold, which means getting many actors to play these roles. The result is a mix of actors from live-action films like Tom Hiddleston, Mark Ruffalo, and What If…? Exclusive actors who are doing their best to keep continuity to play the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, and Robert Downey Jr., for example, who don’t come back to voice their characters.
Lake Bell, Josh Keaton, and Mick Wingert deserve great praise for their work. Yes, they are imitating the original actors’ voices, but to do this and still get great performances throughout these new stories feels like an accomplishment. Sure, some people would love to have Robert Downey Jr. back, but these actors prove that these original actors are not needed in animation.
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What If…? Season 2 Review: Direction & Music:
Animation has enormous advantages when it comes to delivering superpowered beings battling each other in fantastic settings. What If…? The second season keeps the tradition by providing some of the best action sequences in the MCU. It is to be expected as Bryan Andrews, who directs most of the episodes in this Season, comes from an animation and storyboard background, which means he knows the importance of cool keyframes that let us enjoy the action in all of its glory.
Nora Kroll-Rosabaum arrives in charge of the musical department this Season, and she and her team do a great job at creating that heroic feeling that every score fit these movies should have. The score works excellently in the most intense, calmest, and atmospheric moments. She could graduate to score one of the live-action films after proving herself with her work here and in the Ms. Marvel.
What If…? Season 2 Review: Last Words:
What If…? Season 2 is inconsistent, some episodes are pretty dull, and they don’t really add much to the Marvel Cinematic Universe mythos, but at the same time, the Season does enough good work to feel like an actual culmination of what they have done with this series. Season 2 is good enough that many people will be left curious about where Season 3 will go next. Let’s hope that Season 3 can feel more consistent and connected, as the episodes that felt like that in Season 2 ended up being the strongest.
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