TV Review | Marvel's What If…? Season 2

“What If…? season 2 is even better than the first season. It is at its best when it doesn’t try to put a twist on well-known stories but instead does something original. This season also gives the spotlight to more secondary characters while continuing some of the stories started in season 1. This is a thrilling ride full of surprises.”

Marvel’s animated series What If…? is back with a second season. This time, the episodes aren’t released weekly but they are released daily from December 22 to December 30 as a Holiday present for the fans!

STORY

(L-R): Xu Wenwu and Hela in Marvel Studios’ *WHAT IF…?*, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

Season 1 was great but season 2 is even better. Marvel’s What If…? is at its best when it doesn’t try to put a twist on well-known stories but instead does something original. And this is exactly what you get with most of the episodes this season. It also gives the spotlight to secondary characters. Yes, it is nice to see the main characters from the films in different situations but I do find it even more interesting to see secondary characters become main characters and exploring a different side of them. This season gives us stories with Yon-Rogg, Happy, Hela and another team of Avengers. You can’t tell me this isn’t cool.

It wouldn’t be What If…? without Captain Carter. Undoubtedly, she became an instant-favourite in season 1. So it makes to continue her story with season 2. She gets 3 episodes that focus on her story and I couldn’t be happier about it. She is my favourite character of this series too so the more we see her, the better. Her first episode starts out as a Captain America: The Winter Soldier 2.0 but it ends up being so much more than that. It’s a compelling action-spy episode. While her second episode is something entirely different. It puts a Shakespearean twist to the MCU. And her third episode is an epic action-packed one. This confirms Carter’s central place in the series.

Continuing from season 1, Gamora’s lost episode with Tony Stark that was originally cut has made its way to season 2. It’s a fun and explosive episode that reminds me of pod-racers in Star Wars mixed with Mario Kart.

Moreover, this series is able to masterfully switch between genres. Each episode has its own tone, you never know what to expect. There is a Blade Runner-esque detective episode, there is a Christmas themed episode that is very much inspired by Die Hard, there is a Shakespearean episode, there is a race episode… This series has so much to offer. But maybe the most surprising episode is the one with the Native Americans. This one is a subtitled episode with the characters only speaking Spanish (the conquistadores) and Native American languages. It’s so refreshing to get a story like this. We should generalize having subtitled stories with characters speaking their original language and not English when they shouldn’t speak English.

CAST

(L-R): Black Panther/King T’Chaka, Howard Stark, Bill Foster/Goliath, Peggy Carter, Dr. Wendy Lawson/Mar-vell, and Hank Pym/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ *WHAT IF…?*, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

Like season 1, season 2 is bringing back a lot of the original cast that played these characters in live-action. It’s great to see actors like Cate Blanchett, Jude Law, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker and Michael Douglas coming back to the MCU. They clearly have a special voice that you would recognize anywhere. But, this also shows that Marvel Studios is treating the animation medium with a lot of respect, which is important.

The Grandmaster appears in an episode and Jeff Goldblum gets to do even more nonsensical Jeff Godblum than in Thor Ragnarok. This is simply priceless. Cate Blanchett gets to explore her character Hela in a different way, which is also really interesting! She’s definitely one of the highlights of this season. It’s always better when you can bring back as much as possible the talented actors and actresses who first brought to life these iconic characters.

Obviously, not everyone was able to come back. Robert Downey Jr. unsurprisingly didn’t not return. Nevertheless, Mick Wingert did a pretty decent job voicing Tony Stark. He definitely did the best he could to mimic Downey Jr.’s voice. It’s one of the better replacements. For example, the actress voicing Doctor Lawson in episode 2 didn’t sound like Annette Bening at all. On top of that, Jeffrey Wright has the perfect voice to be the Watcher. I could listen to him narrating stories for hours!

VISUALS & SOUNDTRACK

Kahhori in Marvel Studios’ *WHAT IF…?*, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

Moreover, the animation style of What If…? is a unique style, it sets it apart from other American series. It’s a style that captures the heart of the MCU visual storytelling while also putting its own twist to it. Indeed, you can immediately recognize each character on screen, the way they act is exactly how the actors playing them in live-action would. With season 2, the animation team has outdone itself in terms of scenery. The first episode has really impressed me with its Blade Runner-esque visuals. This series is absolutely beautiful. I certainly hope it will run for a lot more seasons. In terms of stories, the possibilities are endless.

Finally, Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and Laura Karpman have composed the score for this season. She has done a good job creating a musical score that is fitting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

VERDICT

What If…? season 2 is even better than the first season. It is at its best when it doesn’t try to put a twist on well-known stories but instead does something original. This season also gives the spotlight to more secondary characters while continuing some of the stories started in season 1. This is a thrilling ride full of surprises.