What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?

There really was so much working for this idea. The visuals were pretty amazing, the vast of characters were a grouping we've really never seen together, and we frankly have been starved for content this year, so anything short of a full blown Love & Thunder was going to be a hit.

But this fell flat, and it fell flat on what is arguably Marvel's greatest post-End Game weakness; dialog between characters.

With this much action and a massively compressed storyline, you really only had to wrote about 5 minutes of good, human conversation. Why is that so hard? The one-liners and schmaltz drowned out everything else. I really hope we get back on track with the rest of the season.

This episode may not be everyone's favorite of the series or the season, but it is another excellent example of What-if trying something different for specific genre fans to enjoy. This episode is for Godzilla fans and Gundam fans and power rangers fans and Japanese anime fans so it might not be a good fit for the MCU fans that didn't grow up on the comics or those that enjoyed the Marvel Zombies episodes. The story did feel a bit rushed overall, but they did a good job of giving a brief spotlight to over 10 MCU characters. What-if once again surprises us by showing that in an infinite multiverse, if it could happen, it has happened.

While I appreciate the very obvious kaiju and anime references, I would much rather watch a true kaiju film or catch some old Voltron, Star Blazers or Battle of the Planets.

I also feel this episode strays too far from the multiverse plotlines we have been seeing which question how the current world/universe would be different if only one or two things in history had changed, as this episode looks to the future and basically just tells us a future story.

I look forward to Season three, episiode two to see where they are planning on going with this, but if they repeat the same kind of story or storyline, I may just have to draw an end to watching 'What if...?"

Godzilla+Pacific Rim/Transformers+ Power Rangers=What If... The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?

The latest entry in the MCU's alternate universe exploration arrives with high hopes, particularly for those eager to see Sam Wilson take on the mantle of Captain America. After all, the transition from Steve Rogers to Sam was one of the more powerful moments in the last few phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet, this pilot episode, intended to reintroduce Sam in his new role, feels like a missed opportunity. The episode remains stilted, disjointed, and underwhelming throughout its short runtime.

From the very beginning, it's apparent that the episode's primary objective is to solidify Sam Wilson's place as the new Captain America. With the "Red Hulk" storyline casting a long shadow, there's a certain urgency to the narrative that, unfortunately, leaves little room for nuance. The storytelling itself is uneven, rushing through key moments without allowing them the narrative to breathe.

There's a sense that the episode relies too heavily on the familiar tropes, with plot points unfolding predictably, almost mechanically. At no point does the episode reach for something truly original.

The real disappointment, however, is in the missed potential of the "What If" format. With so many rich stories to explore within the first three phases of the MCU, it feels strange to spend so much time on characters who have, in many cases, only been given a single film or series to develop. Perhaps the most intriguing alternate realities lie in the earlier days of the MCU, where the scope of possibility felt broader and more profound.

This episode, as the season opener, doesn't quite instill the sense of excitement we've come to expect from Season 3. Unless the show's subsequent episodes offer something interesting, I worry about the direction this season is headed. For now, it's hard not to feel that the series is treading water, rather than diving into new and compelling waters.

This episode just proved to me that who is making this stuff has no idea of what they're doing or don't care or both. I just think that they have no understanding of what made all these characters so appealing in the first place. The Hulk, Bruce Banner, a Kaiju?! Really? And a bunch of mechs with superheroes inside... What is the point of their powers if they're just going to operate a giant mechanical toy? Moon Knight can punch and kick and use giant weapons, okay, but why do you need Moon Knight? What benefit is there? And human person can operate the mech, so again, I ask you... WHAT IS THE POINT OF HAVING SUPER POWERS!?

And the dialog is so cringy and cliche. It's just repurposed quips from older material. Nothing original or clever or inspiring. Nothing to relate to the characters with. The plot is just awful and the story is just stuffed ripped off from IPs that have done it better. I mean, I'm sure little kids will like it. They'll like anything that goes pew pew and boom boom, but there's nothing for them to identify with, or inspire them to overcome their struggles or be a hero themselves and they'll just grow up never having anything to love about these characters. Marvel has completely abandoned the fans that made them beloved in the first place. It's almost as if they're taunting us. Sometimes the dialog sounds like subtle dig at us that says, "get lost, we don't care about you".

I don't even look forward to their stuff anymore. I just expect to hate it and I'm usually right. I do and it's super disappointing.