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What If…? Season 2 Is a Nostalgic Reminder of What the MCU Used To Be

By Trent Moore  |  December 22, 2023 | 3:01am
Photo Courtesy of Disney+
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What If…? Season 2 Is a Nostalgic Reminder of What the MCU Used To Be

It’s been more than two years since Marvel and Disney+ last dropped a batch of animated multiverse adventures with the What If…? series—a gap which makes it all the more jarring to see heroes and characters long abandoned on the big screen pop up in these one-off adventures.

If you’re unfamiliar, a quick refresher: What If…? was one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) first “prestige” animated projects, featuring many of the A-list stars we’ve come to know in these iconic roles returning to provide voice work. The show is based on the long-running multiversal “What If” comic one-shots, which imagine a major change to the world or a character, and shows how that tweak would have altered the story. Instead of Steve Rogers, what if Peggy Carter took the super serum and became Captain Britain instead of Captain America? What if Nebula had joined the Nova Corps? What if Black Panther went to space and became Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill? You get the picture.

The first season was largely well received among Marvel and animation fans, then the franchise was put on hiatus for the better part of two years. But after punting the second season of What If…?, Disney+ is finally rolling out one episode per day to wrap up 2023. Basically, it’s the Nine Days of What If…? for Christmas, and the run even includes a full-on Christmas episode to really make the timing work. Episodes will premiere nightly starting on December 22, with a new episode every night through (almost) the end of the year.

What If…? Season 2 picks up pretty much where Season 1 left off, with characters like Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) popping up in all kinds of weird and wild worlds, while the all-seeing Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) looks on, providing narration. Like the first season, this second batch of episodes keep the runtime tight, with most adventures clocking in right at the 30 minute mark. It requires some storytelling shortcuts and MCU knowledge at times, but the condensed schedule to tell these stories often make them all the more fun. You get to jump right into the action, and figure out the changes along the way.

No spoilers, but we can talk specifically about the two episodes Marvel premiered early at the world premiere, and that pair gives a fitting example of just how varied these stories can be.

The episodes run the gamut from silly, to sci-fi, to action-packed and poignant. The premiere is a full-on Blade Runner-ish noir, imagining what might have happened if Nebula had joined up with the Nova Corps instead of the Guardians of the Galaxy. We get tossed into a twisty, hard-boiled conspiracy thriller, set on a dark and shady version of the Nova Corps’ homeworld Xandar, closed off from the rest of the galaxy as they try to avoid a looming invasion.

The season’s third episode, “What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?,” is a Die Hard homage that finds Tony Stark’s chief of security Happy Hogan left to fend off a Christmas Eve assault on Avengers Tower from Iron Man 2 villain Justin Hammer, who in this reality escaped prison and is out for revenge on Iron Man and his superhero pals. It’s tightly paced and packed with humor, including plenty of cameos along the way.

If you enjoyed Season 1, you’ll love Season 2 of What If…?. It’s more of the same kind of multiversal chaos that comic fans enjoy, and even beyond the appeal to comic fans, the stories are great. But in the wake of Avengers: Endgame and the Marvel universe’s semi-reboot over the past few years, dropping into these alt-tales where characters like Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, and Natasha Romanoff are still key players in the narrative is a culture shock. It’s also a reminder of what we fell in love with in the first place about this franchise and world. That’s not a bad thing, and the nostalgia itself is an inevitable byproduct of the concept, exploring alternate takes on familiar stories and characters from prior movies. But it’s such a stark reminder of just how much the MCU has changed in the wake of Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, and Scarlett Johansson’s departures. This is the MCU we know and love, and there’s a sadness reconciling that these characters only exist in animation and alternate universes now. 

That’s not to say it’s all characters and concepts from days gone by, though. The season also introduces a brand new hero in the young Native American woman Kahhori. The episode is an ambitious period-set swing, told entirely in the Mohawk language. No spoilers, but there’s no doubt Kahhori will be a breakout favorite, much like when Season 1 turned Captain Carter into a household name (at least among Marvel fans) once the full season goes wide by New Years Eve.

With films like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (which famously featured a live action version of Captain Carter, albeit from another alternate universe), and the Loki series digging deeper into the multiverse, it raises questions on exactly how Marvel will eventually square the peg across these various corners and interpretations of the multiverse. But thankfully, What If…? isn’t all that concerned with the big picture. It’s created its own arcs and stakes in this animated multiverse. And if this is the end, What If…? leaves its story in a good place once all is said and done.

But here’s hoping it’s not the end—and that it doesn’t take another two years to see what other alt-universe adventures they come up with next.

What If…? Season 2 premieres December 22nd, with one new episode airing nightly through December 3oth on Disney+. 

Trent Moore is a recovering print journalist, and freelance editor and writer with bylines at lots of places. He likes to find the sweet spot where pop culture crosses over with everything else. Follow him at @trentlmoore on Twitter.

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