I really, really, really want to like this series! In fact, I want to love it! I love concepts that explore alternate realities and the like.
In the original "what if...?" Series that Marvel published back in the day, you would see things like:
- "what if Spiderman had joined the fantastic four?"
- " what is the avengers defeated everybody?"
- "what if The alien costume had possessed Spiderman?"
- "what if the Hulk had Bruce Banner's brain?"
And on and on it goes. The thing is that these stories were great because they tied directly back to Marvel's original continuity and sometimes ended better, but usually ended more tragically with a twinge of irony.
The only episode I've seen in the series that reflects that vibe so far is the Dr. Strange one. I think it resonates better than all the rest simply because it's based on a choice that we can believe would happen in Stange's continuity. And of course, the results are mind-blowing.
I don't get that same feeling from "T'challa becomes Starlord," because...well, because...or the entire MCU are zombies for no explicable reason. Or that Peggy could've saved Steve best by putting him in a machine that would accelerate his healing. Duh... the Avengers not forming episode was oh-Kay.
What could have made this a powerful series would've been if it had explored real events and choices in the MCU like:
- "what if Clint had succeeded in sacrificing himself for the Soul Stone instead of Natasha?"
Or
- "What if Steve had said "no" to the super soldier project?"
Or
- "What if Starlord had kept his cool and not punched Thanos in the face as they tried to remove the gauntlet?"
Or
"What if T'Challa still kept Wakanda hidden from the world after BP?"
Or
- "what if Tony hadn't made ultron (and thereby there'd been no Vision)?"
See? Way more related to what we know and waaaay more interesting.
Oh well, maybe a writer at the Big D will read this and one of these could end up in season 2?