What If...? Season 2: A Multiverse Marvel

The Surprising Success of What If...? Season 2

Marvel's What If...? was probably the strangest property to be unveiled as part of Kevin Feige's over-arching MCU narrative, let alone to receive a confident multi-season order off the back of 2021's debut. But then, hindsight has proved that some of the finest moments in Marvel's timeline have been the ones with the biggest surprise factor. And with Loki season 2 proving the best MCU property of the year, and I Am Groot's 2023 return also adding a serviceable second string to the Guardians Of The Galaxy spin-off, there was reason to be hopeful for a hat-trick of sophomore successes. Happily, What If...? season 2 actually outdoes the first season.

Peter Quill walking in front of fire in What If...? season 2 trailer

Closing out a year for the MCU that can at best be described as uneven, What If...? season 2 is a good tonic for lots of the complaints leveled at the lowest achievers of the year. It is refined in a way Secret Invasion was not, avoids the perceived safety of The Marvels, and feels more substantial than the CG-bloat of Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania. And yes, while I'm still a little unsure whether anyone has ever actually asked any of its central elseworlds propositions, What If...? has enough fun with the multiverse concept currently weighing on the mainline MCU badly, that it's just about acceptable to be frivolous in that respect.

What If Season 2 Avengers Tower

What If...? season 2 compromises of 9 episodes that are mostly unlinked, aside for Jeffrey Wright's narration and constant reminders of the butterfly effect conceit of the MCU multiverse. Their propositions include questions of Nebula joining the Nova Corps; Happy Hogan saving Avengers Tower in a very self-conscious Die Hard parody; and Tony Stark battling The Grandmaster on Sakaar. None of those questions fit the original Marvel Comics concept of What If...? releases, which feel more organically tied to actual mainline events. But that was a problem that weighed far more heavily on season 1's episodes. Season 2 feels more assured in its narrative swings, simultaneously allowed to care less about justifying its existence and managing to actually propose at least one question the MCU's 616 universe sets up. As a result, that episode, which explores what would have happened if Yondu had actually delivered Peter Quill to Kurt Russell's Ego, feels a little more relevant. But even the silliest concept - the Die Hard pastiche - is cleverly observed and scores added points for its perfect festive timing. Whisper it, but I enjoyed it more than James Gunn's GOTG Holiday Special as a Marvel Christmas offering.

What If Season 2 Avengers and Peggy Carter in 1988

The Animation and Cast

What If...? season 2 looks very good: the cell-shaded animation style was already great in season 1, but it arguably feels even more polished here. Character likenesses are also very strong for the most part (though it's handy when certain characters with less distinctive features are named, admittedly). The true benefit of animation though is in allowing the story-telling team to capture spectacle and impressive effects-heavy sequences without having to push a live-action CG budget into the hundreds of millions bracket. It also allows for sequences like the Sakaar Death Race, which simply would never be a thing in the mainline MCU to be realized with beautiful, George Miller-like zaniness.

What If Season 2 Nebula Xandar Data Core

The returning What If...? cast - though not quite complete - also offers a comforting familiarity that casts off some of the more cynical accusations that nothing animated can ever be as important. To have so many of the principal cast back to voice their own MCU characters (aside from the likes of Robert Downey Jr and Scarlett Johansson) feels like a stamp of approval. And most offer vocal performances that match the amped up expectations of animation, with Jeff Goldblum and Taika Waititi both very obviously having great fun.

What If Season 2 Wenwu

A Smarter Narrative & Conclusion

While the most cynical reads might still have difficulty with What If...? season 2's justification for existence, there are more obvious attempts to balance audience rewards. Episodes offer smartly observed references to movies as popular as Blade Runner, Die Hard, and The Running Man. There is, inevitably, a higher level of humor than most live-action MCU releases, but nothing feels shoe-horned in, thanks to the medium, and there's a broader feel to the target demographic. Impressively, even with the close proximity of existing MCU stories, it feels like anyone could watch this without the usual daunting level of homework required by MCU lore. If you know those stories, you'll get added rewards in the echoes that exist here, but without that awareness, What If...? season 2 would still be enjoyable. It isn't entirely a home run though, because there are still unanswered questions here, somewhat ironically. Why Marvel hasn't offered more episodes dedicated to logical branches of the MCU - like Bucky taking over as Captain America after Endgame - remains a mystery. And with the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, and the recent example set by the SpiderVerse movies, the choice not to use different styles of animation across different stories feels like a missed opportunity. But all-in-all, What If...? season 2 is a good time. It's funny, has the right balance of heart and spectacle, and it will always be a welcome distraction to see more of the MCU's vast catalog of characters doing things that would normally be impossible. As a final note, the best episode is easily 'What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas', which in itself feels like a remarkable achievement.

What If Season 2 Happy Hogan as Santa