The genius of Marvel productions has, for the last few years, been giving you not just what you want, but what you didn't even know you wanted. I was prepared for "What If" to be what they said it was, a series of unconnected stories showing alternate takes on the characters and utilising much of the roster of talent we've seen in the MCU. That they've then provided more besides, a season arc and a resolution, is a cherry on top of an already impressive cake.
Unable to stand idly by anymore, The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) collects a team of heroes and villains from the previous episodes to make a stand against Ultra-Vision (Ross Marquand) and save the multiverse. His team, consisting of Doctor Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch), Starlord T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Gamora (Cynthia Kaye McWilliams), King Killmonger (Michael B Jordan) and Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth) attempt to coexist, in a world they barely understand and against a foe who seems to hold all the cards.
I feel like I keep saying this, but the show looks amazing. The battle against Ultra Vision, which cribs from the fights against Thanos in both Endgame and Infinity War, is a joy to behold. I'm not sure exactly why, the writing maybe, but this performance of Captain Carter worked a lot more for me than her individual episode did and there are strong returns for Hemsworth and Cumberbatch as well as a final emotional performance from Chadwick Boseman.
It's the writing though that is the most impressive, tying up what felt like loose ends from other episodes of the show, making a use out of the two episodes that this one doesn't lift a character from, the resurrection of Doctor Strange and the punishment for Killmonger. Brilliant stuff. Shame we didn't get a chance to meet this Gamora before, as her episode was cut (or perhaps shunted to season two) but still truly tremendous stuff and I can't wait to see if they can top it next time out.
