What If... The Watcher Disappeared?

Marvel's "What If...?" has always thrived on its ability to reimagine pivotal moments from the MCU, crafting contained "what if" tales that explore new possibilities in familiar territory. While most episodes remain standalone, the series has a tradition of tying things together in its finales, weaving disparate threads into a cohesive narrative. Season 3 carries an even heavier burden - serving not only as the season's conclusion but as a conclusion to the animated series itself. Episode 7, "What If... The Watcher Disappeared?," takes on this responsibility with a mixed but admirable success, tying up some loose ends, but finding the journey a little bit rough.

From the outset, it's clear that the writers aimed for a grand, interconnected story. Bringing back characters and unresolved arcs from prior seasons adds a sense of continuity and stakes. Captain Carter, last seen in the Season 2 finale, makes her return in a way that acknowledges her growth while answering lingering questions about her fate. Similarly, Infinity Ultron, the formidable antagonist from Season 1, reemerges, tying together the thematic thread of powerful beings grappling with the consequences of intervention. What makes this finale particularly compelling is its decision to spotlight characters unique to the animated side of the MCU. This choice reinforces the distinct identity of "What If...?" within the larger Marvel multiverse. Although these characters may not carry the same weight as their live-action counterparts, their presence feels appropriate, especially given the series' commitment to experimentation. However, the episode's ambition often clashes with its brevity. The introduction of alternate Storm as a God of Thunder, wielding Mjolnir, is an exciting concept, but it's hampered by the lack of proper setup or explanation. Her inclusion feels rushed, and while her scenes are visually spectacular, they leave much to be desired in terms of emotional resonance or character depth. It's a recurring issue in the series - introducing compelling ideas and characters only to leave them underdeveloped due to the constraints of a 30-minute runtime. This problem is magnified by the timing of the episode. Much of the season has focused on lighter, episodic storytelling, leaving the most intriguing arcs for the eleventh hour.

"What If... The Watcher Disappeared?" doesn't fully stick the landing, but it's an admirable effort that honors the series' legacy. It connects past seasons in meaningful ways and brings animated characters to the forefront of a grand finale. Despite its flaws, it encapsulates the spirit of "What If...?" - bold, imaginative, and willing to take risks, even if the results aren't always perfect.

I try, my absolute hardest, not to be on the side of the Incel's who attack anything with a female lead. So when I say that this is a bad episode, I want to be clear that it's not agenda driven, just opinion based.

With The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) imprisoned, shards of the watchtower fall around the multiverse, including into the vicinity of Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) who, along with Kahhori (Devey Jacobs), Byrdie (Natasha Lyonne) and a Mjolnir wielding Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) are fighting threats wherever they find them. They endeavour to reach the Watchtower and find out what has happened to The Watcher but are unable to do so, so turn to the most unlikely person for assistance.

The problem with the episode is that not enough actually happens. There's a cool fight at the start, feeling like a fun link to the second Guardians film, if nothing else. Nebula is there but then doesn't get to play in the rest of the episode, which seems harsh. Whilst Thor-Storm is cool, and presumably has double lightning power, we've not seen the character before and why she's introduced rather than a Captain Marvel or Nebula, particularly in the penultimate episode, seems strange.

Again, it looks good, as they all have and the performances are solid enough. It just feels like the first couple of scenes of a story and not the first half.

This probably the worst season of what if. There are hundreds of charecters to explore And good stories to write yet somehow they always end up on peggy carter captain america.

She was good in seasonn 1 with the feminist aspect clear but season 2 and 3 really felt like they were forcing her and more female charecters down our throat.

Kahaori too. This suppose to be what if not some dr who where peggy carter is dr who

It really does feel they try force and throat down diversity as much as they can.

Even in episode 2 the whole bollywood dance was so stupid and unnecessary thing of trying to appeal to every culture and making utter garbage through it.

I'm not giving this season a "starred" review because, to be perfectly honest and fair, it is the weakest of the three seasons of "What If...?" However, that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just not as strong as the other two seasons.

Just keep in mind that the people giving the one-star reviews all have the same trait in common: they appear to hate women and simply cannot stand seeing strong women represented despite the long and storied comics history of giving a voice to the previously voiceless, thereby fundamentally misunderstanding the aim of the art medium. If you love comics to any degree, then you know you can ignore those with that myopic, men-only club of "fans."

But back to this review...

Each episode is worthwhile to one degree or another. My only real complaint is that they appear to have gone full-bore into making each "What if..." scenario a forced laugh-fest, forgetting the more mature episodes of the earlier seasons and not telling more serious tales like the outstanding Doctor Strange episode from season one. The bottom line here is that you won't want the time back that you spend watching these eight episodes, but you can obviously ignore the 1-star incel-scribed reviews before making up your mind on whether to watch beforehand.