Annlyel James 
Annlyel takes a detour into Marvel’s What If Multiverse to present her quickfire review of WHAT IF…HAPPY HOGAN SAVED CHRISTMAS?
We are now three episodes into the second season of What If…? One thing that has become very clear to me is that this series is truly one of my favorites in the MCU. The writers somehow managed to take what appeared to be an uninteresting Christmas-inspired concept for the third episode and created something that left me smiling from ear to ear.
HAPPY HOGAN TO THE RESCUE
Happy Hogan, having always been a nice dose of comic relief, gets to shine in a truly inventive way in this episode that perfectly combines the elements of Die Hard and Marvel into an exciting package deal. Also returning for the first time since Iron Man 2 thirteen years ago is Sam Rockwell’s hilariously lovable antagonist, Justin Hammer. He gets a lot of time in this episode to remind fans why he’s always been one of the most memorable characters to only appear in one movie in the MCU.
I think one of the surprising developments in these last two phases of the MCU is the incredible use of creativity and imagination to bring to life these genuinely enjoyable holiday specials.
TOP TIER MARVEL?
Hawkeye is a surprisingly fantastic series. It has become one of my favorite series that has been created so far. The Werewolf by Night series was something I wasn’t looking forward to. But it turned out to be one of the greatest things the MCU has ever made. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is hilarious, fantastic, and profoundly moving. And now this episode of What If…? has shown us, the audience, once again that Marvel Studios understands the fundamentals of stories surrounding the holidays.
VERDICT
This has undoubtedly been my favorite episode of the season so far. I cannot wait to see what’s next.
Marvel’s What If…? is now streaming on Disney Plus with episodes released daily until December 30.
Annlyel James is a Senior Correspondent of The Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter where she channels the Force frequently!
