Marvel's What If...? (Ep. 2)
This article was originally published on September 14, 2021
Written by Thomas Salerno
Marvel Studios first animated series hit the ground running with an action-packed premier episode. For their second foray into the realms of the multiverse, Marvel elegantly merges The Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther mythologies into a fun and at times emotional new story. Despite what I thought were a few minor missteps, this second episode maintains the high standards of quality animation and engaging storytelling that this series has set for itself.
I love space-fantasy, so it should come as no surprise that The Guardians of the Galaxy films are my favorite entries in the MCU. As for Black Panther, I’ve been a fan of the character ever since actor Chadwick Boseman’s phenomenal portrayal of T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War. The standalone Black Panther movie solidified T’Challa in my mind as a top-tier Marvel hero — and as a cultural touchstone. Boseman’s untimely death was a sore blow to many. In this episode of What If…? Marvel Studios has crafted a touching final send-off to the King of Wakanda.
“What If… T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?”
When the Ravagers arrive on earth to abduct the half-human son of the malevolent Celestial Ego, they mistakenly grab T’Challa, the young crown prince of Wakanda. I thought this premise was a bit too contrived, but no matter. The premise leads to a fun space adventure!
Coming from a background of royalty, T’Challa is a very different Star-Lord from the emotionally scarred orphan Peter Quill. T’Challa’s nobility really shines through. He is an unapologetically Robin Hood type of outlaw, stealing from the powerful and corrupt to give to the needy. Peter can be vain and self-centered at times, whereas T’Challa is more cooperative and empathetic, recruiting the likes of Yondu and even Thanos (!!!) to his cause. His adventures are more than simply “Black Panther in space.” While T’Challa remains T’Challa, you can tell his experiences among so many galactic wonders and bizarre aliens have shaped his personality. He’s less stern and serious, more quick with a joke. This theme of nature vs. nurture is overtly referenced in the episode: The Watcher (who narrates our tour of the multiverse) poses the question “Is your destiny determined by your nature or by the nature of your world?” The answer, at least in this case, is a little bit of both.
This episode is jam-packed with interesting themes about family and trust, and has a refreshing optimism embodied by T'Challa himself. When debating the wisdom of Wakanda’s isolation with his father, the young prince declares, “There must be more, but we must be brave enough to search for it.” In perhaps the most profound line of the entire episode, an older T’Challa says, “No treasure is worth as much as the good that can be done with it.” Christians know that it is folly to keep our treasure, that is our faith, to ourselves. Jesus Christ himself exhorts us:
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:14-16 Revised Standard Version)
Unfortunately, I do have a few criticisms of this episode. Despite the obvious inspiration taken from Guardians of the Galaxy, some of the humor didn’t work for me. Korath the Pursuer joins the Ravagers early on and acts mostly as a source of contrived comic relief. I found his odd and obsequious fanboying over T’Challa grating. I wish this element had been dropped from the episode altogether, or at least toned down. There’s also a running gag in which Thanos defends his Infinity Gauntlet plan against the obvious conclusion that it’s genocide. I thought the joke was kind of funny...once. But the script keeps recycling it and that got old quickly.
But, really, these gripes are so minor when set against the high quality of the episode as a whole. It was pretty mind-blowing to realize that it was actually Chadwick Boseman voicing T’Challa. This episode is a splendid final performance.
What If…? continues to deliver spectacular animation, engrossing action, and surprising new takes on familiar characters. Stay tuned for my reviews of future installments!
I spoke again with Brannon Hollingsworth COO and Creative Director for Brainy Pixel and asked for his thoughts on episode two:
Any thoughts on T’Challa as an alternate-universe Star-Lord?
I really liked it. I loved the dramatic shift that a gentle and respectful Star Lord made on the universe -- and for me that was one of the most impactful statements that the film brought to me. This, to me, is the key to these types of “What If....” stories - you really need to show the dramatic and far-flung impacts that the single choice can truly make; if you can do that, then in my opinion, you’ve grasped the ring for a show like this.
This episode was chock-full of compelling themes! Did any in particular resonate with you?
You could not be more correct. I loved the theme of fatherhood and of its impact upon a child, especially. This is such an understated (or outright undermined) theme in our culture and I was overjoyed to see it in this film. The impact that both T’Chaka and Youndu have upon our alternate universe T’Challa are evident upon the screen with the dramatic effect that the Ravagers have on their universe. I could not have been more excited!
Did you enjoy the heist-movie elements of this episode or did they seem too cliche?
I thought they were underplayed, actually, and would have loved to have seen the heist strokes become bolder, if anything. They felt more like a device to have T’Challa uncover a key element about his past than anything and while that was powerful, I could have definitely dealt with a little more sneaking and subterfuge.
There were some amusing cameos in this installment! Do you have a favorite?
The Thanos cameo was a definite surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed his role as well as the running genocide joke; however, I think that my personal favorite cameo was Cosmo. (BTW, I could not agree with you more about Korath and his comedic relief role - that was one element that fell completely flat for me).
What did you think of this story as a tribute to Chadwick Boseman?
In light of the character, I think it was very well done and quite fitting.
