One of the decisions Marvel Studios seems to have made with ‘What if …?’ (‘What If …?’) is to touch but not too much. That if a story works, why inventing a new one has materialized in the first two episodes of this animated series.
Like the inaugural episode with Captain Carter it was shown as a tribute to ‘Captain America: First Avenger’, ‘What if … T’Challa became Star-Lord?’ makes his own remake from the first ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, with the difference of having the Wakandan – played by Chadwick Boseman – instead of the young Peter Quill.
Under the premise that in 1988 Yondu and his looters get confused and instead of Quill they catch who over time would have become the Black Panther, the second episode of the series begins with the theft of the Morag orb, which starts the plot of the James Gunn movie.
An alternate cosmic lore
With a bold blend of cosmic lore, the central part of the chapter takes us to a blow to the very heart (or collection) of the Collector himself in search of a cosmic dust called the Embers of Genesis, capable of terraforming any site. All this in which T’Challa discovers a vital fact about himself.
Although the episode, which is light and works well, goes through the commons, Matthew Chauncey’s script separates enough from the rundown from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ thanks to changes that go well beyond T’Challa as Star-Lord.
His entire role is more heroic than that of the original character and his group of looters has already had many adventures with achievements such as convincing Thanos not to produce his infamous snap. There is more lightness in how the late Boseman (who recorded four episodes) decided to voice T’Challa.
I have to admit that I have, for the moment, my pluses and minuses with ‘What would happen if …?’. More than anything because beyond their alternative concepts they are not knowing how to develop the premises well. This second episode confirms the feelings that the first episode gave me about the anecdotal nature of the proposal and the lack of desire to go further.
Eye, that the anecdotal is not incompatible with quality. I think quite similarly to my colleague Mikel that the series knows its place and moves within certain parameters. This episode is a pure example of it: it entertains, it leaves a good taste in the mouth, but that’s it. And that doesn’t make it better or worse, just right.