What if…? Episode 1 review: Surprisingly bland for a series having the potential to offer much more

The highly anticipated animated series is off to an uninspired start with its first episode titled ‘What if…Captain Carter Were The First Avenger’,

Story:

The entire premise of the series is based on, what if someone makes an alternative choice in the timeline and it would create a multitude of other timelines. The first episode takes the story to the first chronological series of events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) - the day Steve Rogers became Captain America. In this alternative timeline, Peggy Carter is forced to step in for Steve, due to unforeseen circumstances, thereby becoming Captain Carter and changing the course of history.

Review:

The concept of the series and the choice of focusing on this particular event was an intriguing prospect. The animation style can take a minute or two to get used to, but it starts to really show its merit once the action sequences begin. The sound design and voice acting have left some room for improvement when compared to some of the other animated films and television shows in recent years. Most of the original cast from the movies return to voice the characters, which includes Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, among others as well as a few surprise cameos.

The story however is uninspired and offers nothing truly original other than a few minor changes and the fact that Peggy and Steve have swapped places. This contradicts what The Watcher, the narrator of the series voiced by Jefferey Wright, informs the viewers, and the timeline theories discussed in Avengers Endgame and Loki. Even ignoring these minor plotholes by considering it as a self-contained story does not help elevate it. This is a letdown considering it is an original animated show on a streaming platform, which should ideally offer more creative freedom to really stretch the boundaries to produce something unique and captivating.

For instance, animated films like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths had entire timelines descend into chaos. In the R-rated The Flashpoint Paradox, a third World War is fought between Wonder Woman and Aquaman which threatens a global apocalypse. It is because The Flash decided to go back in time to save one person, causing a ripple in the timeline which in turn causes a ‘butterfly effect’ thereby creating massive changes in the timeline. There are several other parallel-earth superhero animated films and TV shows such as Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse and Justice League: the Animated Series that have perfected the art of telling excellent stories involving multiverses.

The pacing of the narrative is rushed and it relies on the audience’s knowledge of the first Captain America movie to add context to the overall plot. The script is devoid of any sort of depth or nuances. Instead, it adds a never-ending barrage of references from the original film. The production value of the episode cannot be faulted, but it is redundant for a plot that shies away from showing even a drop of blood, despite the episode being littered with death and destruction right in the middle of World War II.

Verdict:

The first episode of What if...? is a case of ‘what might have been’ had Disney at least let an animated show break free from their regular template of storytelling adopted for the MCU.

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