‘What if…?’ A scene from season 3
My favorite episode in the third season of what if…? ‘What if… Agatha went to Hollywood?’ Or it’s one of the Wild West, ‘1872’ or this excellent series finale, ‘What If…What If?’ It’s very sad that this third season is the last, especially when there are so many alternate timelines to explore.
what if…? Based on the Marvel comics of the same name, it explores what happens when one of the giants in the Wheel of Time does or chooses one thing instead of another. There’s the Seer (the talented Jeffrey Wright), a being from the fifth dimension, who is the guide and narrator. What happens when instead of being a detached observer, the observer starts pushing things this way or that way? Then her bosses, including the nobleman (Jason Isaacs), come down on her like a ton of bricks.
The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is coming out of retirement to fight giant, gamma monsters when Captain America (Anthony Mackie) reassures him that he’s “not gone Colonel Kurtz”. In 1991, instead of killing Howard and Maria Stark, the Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) injured them and were only able to obtain a vial of the super-soldier serum. As the two race across America with Goliath (Laurence Fishburne) on their tail, they learn things about the country and each other.
When Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) decides to cast a powerful spell as part of the making of a movie, she needs the help of the Eternal, Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani). She asks director Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) to bring Kingo to her side in the epic masterpiece they’re shooting. They take seriously the suggestion of a big dance number by Jarvis (James D’Arcy), Stark’s harried assistant director and butler, and a Bollywood-Hollywood dance-off takes place to the tune of ‘Jeet Hai Hamari’.
‘what if…?’ Season 3 (English)
manufacturer: AC Bradley
cast a voice: Jeffrey Wright, Anthony Mackie, Mark Ruffalo, Sebastian Stan, Simu Liu, Oscar Isaac, Kathryn Hahn, Kumail Nanjiani
Episodes: 11
run-time: 25 – 32 minutes
Story: Reimaginings of major events in the MCU, including the Hulk’s battle with the Avengers, the dance between Agatha and Kingo, and Shang-Chi in the Wild West.
The rather bizarre ‘What If… Howard the Duck Got Hitched’ shows Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Howard (Seth Green) having a baby the size of an egg. Since the baby was born at the time of convergence, the universes are after the egg, including the Grandmaster (Matt Friend), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Zeus, and Thanos (Josh Brolin) from S.H.I.E.L.D. Meanwhile, the Frost Giant Loki, (Tom Hiddleston) is offering Jotunheim as a winter resort.
‘What If… The Emergence Destroyed the Earth?’ Quentin Beck (Alejandro Saab) encounters Riri (Dominique Thorne). And What If… 1872? In, Xu Shang-chi (Simu Liu), searches for his sister while a sinister gangster, The Hood, terrorizes the Wild West. He is accompanied by Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), who seeks revenge against The Hood.
The finale sees Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Kahori (Devery Jacobs), Storm (Alison Seeley-Smith) and Byrdie (Natasha Lyonne) ally themselves with the Watcher to save the multiverse from the Eminence.
The animation is of the highest order, with eye-popping action set pieces. The voice acting is of the highest order. The writing “The house will make you question the decency of capitalism” and other smart cutting lines of thought are manna for the brain. Plus, the concept is very attractive. This bright, catchy song is a unique thought experiment for the many cana, vista, shoulders in our lives.
what if…? Currently streaming on Disney+Hotstar
published – December 31, 2024 05:54 PM IST
