The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues with the third season of What If…? This Disney+ sequence started in 2021 and allowed us to look into the multiverse to see what if some well-known moments from the MCU occurred a bit in another way.
With a brand new season comes new situations, just like the season premiere titled “What If the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?” However this title is definitely a misdirection. We by no means really see Bruce Banner’s Hulk combat the Mech Avengers. That’s not precisely a great harbinger of what’s to return. This ended up a disappointing season that once more speaks to the wasted potential of an MCU present that would have explored many higher concepts.
This evaluation is not going to spoil any episodes however will give a couple of story particulars primarily based on the episode titles. This season has managed to be an underwhelming occasion of wasted potential. The primary episode touches on one thing the live-action MCU ought to have finished, which is to discover Bruce Banner’s struggles with the Hulk. Banner’s improvement with the Hulk has at all times been largely offscreen, so this present provided the proper alternative to offer a brand new have a look at the character. However for some motive, this episode solely calmly touches on it. It options Sam Wilson befriending Bruce as a substitute of Steve Rogers, and Sam is the principle character. Sam shouldn’t be an attention-grabbing character to view this story by way of. Though they develop into pals, seeing Bruce’s struggles on display is a missed alternative.
A lot of the exposition occurs by way of the Watcher’s narration initially, and that doesn’t permit us to really feel for the scenes. The pacing feels off as a result of there’s a lot to cram in a half hour. There are a couple of enjoyable concepts with this episode, notably a kaiju battle, however it doesn’t work as a result of despite the fact that the battle is ready in a metropolis, we don’t see any of the civilians. It’s a significant distinction from the 2012 Avengers, the place we might see the people impacted by the hazard. They could possibly be preventing in an empty discipline for all we care. The story can be exceedingly predictable on this first episode. Regardless that it pushes Hulk in new instructions, he’s nonetheless a supporting character.
The second episode is “What If Agatha Went to Hollywood?” This episode drives the problems of What If…? residence. Firstly, the episode is so caught up within the concept of setting its characters in Outdated Hollywood and having elaborate dance numbers on this movie shoot that it doesn’t have any substance. These episodes continually provide the impression of world-ending stakes with out providing you with any motive to care. It may typically strive so onerous to have enjoyable that the bodily and emotional stakes develop into imprecise.
By the point the third episode rolled round, this present actually misplaced me. “What If the Pink Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier” is genuinely embarrassing. This episode takes one of many darkest moments in MCU historical past, the second in Captain America: Civil Struggle the place Tony finds out that the Winter Soldier killed his dad and mom, and throws Pink Guardian in there to cease the Winter Soldier by making a whole lot of MCU quips. It tarnishes probably the most devastating Marvel scenes by making jokes out of it. And also you’d assume that if Tony’s dad and mom have been the topic of an tried homicide, that may change Tony lots. However this episode isn’t targeted on creating Tony, it’s a buddy cop journey with the Winter Soldier and the Pink Guardian.
Does this work? No. The makes an attempt at comedy are frighteningly tough. It’s painfully unfunny. David Harbour offers a whole lot of vitality to this function, however his dialogue is atrocious; He’s not an individual, he’s a caricature of a Russian man. He’s an American’s cartoonish approximation of a Russian individual. His dialogue consists totally of references to Moscow and communists. He doesn’t behave like a human being. It’s irritating to look at this, particularly when Harbour performed him with brashness and nuance in Black Widow. This challenge existed within the second episode as effectively, with Howard Stark’s habits being ridiculously over-the-top. These are eye-rolling concepts of characters, not precise characters.
The third episode additionally fully skips over the ultimate combat. It tries to justify this resolution on the web page, however I can’t consider a motive why they’d do that in addition to the chance that they ran out of time or finances. That is genuinely baffling. I can’t consider that that is what the MCU is changing into. Why do we have to have Jeffrey Wright because the Watcher narrating the tacky ethical of the story on the finish of each episode? Why does he want to inform us what’s occurring on display reasonably than simply exhibiting us? This present solely ever turns into attention-grabbing when he really takes motion, not when he simply serves because the Morgan Freeman narration machine.
As soon as we bought to the fourth episode, I used to be hanging on for pricey life. Does it get higher? Not right here. “What If Howard the Duck Acquired Hitched?” Sure, we now have an installment of the MCU the place Howard the Duck has a child with Darcy Lewis. I can’t consider this exists in the identical franchise as Daredevil, however it does. Firstly, we don’t care about their romantic relationship as a result of, like each significant character relationship, the episode simply montages by way of it with Wright’s narration reasonably than letting us really feel something in direction of the characters. Secondly, I’ve some questions that no rational grownup ought to ask, however I’ve to, being the excuse of an individual I’m.
How do a human and a duck get pregnant with a child? Who wanted to impregnate who? There’s an egg that they spend the episode attempting to maintain secure. Who laid the egg?! Was it Darcy or Howard? I’m attempting to think about each situations in my head and none of that is making my night any higher. Additionally, I’m fairly positive that is simply bestiality. This relationship is the definition of bestiality. However hey, if Lea Thompson might get down and soiled with this duck in ’86, then something is feasible. Are the children watching this episode going to ask these questions? No. Ought to I shut up as a result of this can be a cartoon? Sure.
However I can’t. This present barely appears to know what it’s made for. This episode has humor so reductive and lazy that it feels prefer it was written for a six-year-old. After which, in the identical episode, we’ve got references to Eyes Extensive Shut, Rosemary’s Child, and orgies. None of this present is humorous, and it’s so shameful that it’s attempting so onerous to be. It desires to be ridiculous, however caring about any of it turns into fairly unattainable when each episode is so outrageous in its premise. This episode is the manifestation of each criticism individuals have of the live-action MCU, cranked as much as 11. From senseless cameos to make you go, “Hey, I do know that individual!” to limitless quips, this episode is all the pieces that could possibly be fallacious with this cinematic universe.
As a longtime fan of the MCU, it brings me no pleasure to write down any of this. I merely can’t stand how poorly written this present is. Fortuitously, the latter half of the present picks up. Beginning with the fifth episode, the standard improves. The storylines are a bit extra attention-grabbing, particularly because the Watcher turns into extra concerned. However the character work continues to be underdeveloped and the ultimate two episodes don’t make you’re feeling very a lot as a result of they observe characters you haven’t seen for almost your entire season. All the things may be very loosely linked, relying in your preexisting data of the MCU characters to get you to care, despite the fact that this present clearly depicts totally different variants of those characters.
Though this present ends on a excessive be aware, stepping issues up within the writing division and giving a couple of enjoyable moments that followers could eat up, this season is a disappointment. With hundreds of Marvel comics that discover totally different character journeys, What If…? Season 3 manages to get you to care about nothing. It’s the kind of present that will likely be gold to any informal, simply entertained MCU fan with low requirements. Those that set the MCU to the next commonplace will, at finest, be detached to this season. Marvel followers deserve higher.
SCORE: 4/10
As sondramedia’s evaluation coverage explains, a rating of 4 equates to “Poor.” The negatives outweigh the optimistic elements making it a battle to get by way of.
Disclosure: sondramedia obtained screeners for our What If? Season 3 evaluation.
