What If…? Episode 1 Review: The Marvel Animated Series That Tackles Alternate Versions Of Characters And Stories

Streaming Platform: Disney+ Hotstar 

Ratings: 4/5 (four stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Time, space, worlds. With these concepts in mind we tiptoe into the review of the first episodes of What if …? and we prepare to reflect on all that this entails for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If Loki had left us with the very structure of the cinematic universe of the House of Ideas totally upset, the new series that begins the journey on Disney + from 11 August 2021 takes a further step on the road that will lead to the next projects that we will see in the coming months. , between now and next spring and the Doctor Strange sequel. The new animated anthology series created by AC Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name and essentially on one simple question.

WHAT IF …?

How many times have we said or thought this in life? How many times have we wondered about the path that our life would have taken if we had made a different choice in a fundamental moment of our existence? Marvel Studios in What if …? Are asking this too, using this simple yet powerful question to create a series of episodes that show us as many worlds in which things have gone differently from the story that has already been told by the 2008 onwards, from Iron Man to today. Stories that are illustrated to us by the narrator of L’Osservatore voiced by Jeffrey Wright (Paolo Marchese in Italian) and that, from episode to episode, propose alternative versions of characters and key moments of the cinematic universe that the world has come to love,

Reverse History, On Earth As Well As In Space

It starts with Cap, who on the other hand is the first avenger , and wonders what would have happened if Peggy Carter hadn’t been in her place in her cabin while administering the super soldier serum to Steve Rogers. Could it have been her instead of the Cap who accompanied us to Endgame, facing the difficulties and distrust of the military for a super- soldier ? Similarly, the second episode takes us to the cosmic side of the Marvel universe in the company of the characters who animated that portion of the story, from Yondu to Nebula and the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, to follow the stellar path of a Star-Lord other than what we have been used to.For the third step of this unsettling chapter one wonders instead what would have happened if the operation orchestrated by Nick Fury to put together the Avengers had not gone as we all know, if someone had gotten in the way to ruin the plans of the SHIELD, with so much of healthy tension in dealing with the mysterious figure behind the boycott and his motives. Three very interesting ideas for the first weeks of this journey that will accompany us for nine weeks (with a second already announced of as many episodes), during which we will see some good ones judging from what we see in the promotional films.

The Strength Of The Ideas, The Richness Of The Developments

There is so much in each of the episodes that we have seen, which do not limit themselves to conveying the inspiration linked to the What if …?on duty, so much so that one even has the feeling that the stories told are too complex for the thirty minutes of each episode. The individual deviations from the main story are cleverly exploited to put the characters we know in front of choices, situations and dilemmas different from those we have already seen them face and it is suggestive and powerful to see them emerge in ways different from those we were used to, different but consistent with themselves. Yet another confirmation of a structural solidity that supports the universe managed by Kevin Feige, which remains standing and conquers even when some of its solid foundations are changed and the narrative lines reshuffled.We think about the role of Steve Rogers in the first episode or how one manages to joke about cataclysmic joints or characteristic traits that are part of the mythology of the world that has been built brick by brick. A job made easier by the return of most of the original voices of the Marvel films in their respective historical roles, for a cast of voice actors to shake the wrists of all the competition that deals with animation, from Michael Rooker to Josh Brolin, up to get to the late Chadwick Boseman, who managed to register his participation before breaking up.

A Sumptuous Animation

Nor can the technical aspect be overlooked when it comes to an animated series and What if …? demonstrates a sumptuous visual sector. With its cel-shaded style, the Marvel series manages to offer a realistic but original look, which reproduces the visual aspect of the live-action counterparts with its own well-defined personality. You never get the feeling of drawings that try to mimic what the actors of the Marvel Cinematic Universe did, but of a concrete and non-binding inspiration, which left the studio animators freedom of action in re-proposing their own version of the characters. , led by the voices of the original cast.A visual impact that is supported by a fluid animation, which effectively and powerfully stages the richness of the stories and variety of situations, which does not look bad in the presence of the live-action counterparts who have been able to take advantage of everything over the years of budget. respect. In short, a success on all fronts for the fourth series, the first in animation, of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which confirms that it has clear ideas on how to carry out its Phase 4 between theater and streaming, playing with itself and dealing with wit and force the upheavals that began in Loki and await us also in the next titles.

The Last Words

In summarizing our review of the first episodes of What if…? we can reiterate the good feelings we had from what we have seen so far, both on the narrative level, with interesting ideas developed by drawing on what is already known from the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to overturn the assumptions, both from the technical one, with a graphic and d ‘sector. First-rate animation and a cel-shaded look that is well suited to characters and situations. The cast of voice actors is priceless, with the return of the great names of Marvel films to give voice to their respective characters, including the late Chadwick Boseman.