Disney+: Marvel Studios’ What If...? Has High Potential and Higher Expectations
By Pete Hernandez III
For the first time in a long time, Marvel Studios is working in uncharted territory and with new material as they commence Phase 4. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer being isolated to the big screen, now your favorite MCU heroes and villains will be venturing to your laptops and tablets. With the incoming launch of Disney+, Kevin Feige and company will be overseeing the production of the MCU’s first streaming series.
Among them is the announced What if…?, the studios’ first animated series being overseen by Feige himself, which will include a majority of the characters from the MCU’s 23 films. To convey how serious the studio is about the animated series, numerous actors and actresses will reprise their roles in the animated show via voice performances.
For a brief context, the animated show will adapt the series of comic books published by Marvel Comics, exploring scenarios in which the Marvel Universe might have unfolded if key moments in its history had not occurred or were altered.
From the few synopses and screencaps revealed so far, the potential plot points and animation look promising. Among the included alternate scenarios: Peggy Carter consuming the super-soldier serum, T’Challa as Star-Lord, and Captain America as a zombie.
With the MCU largely working on an overarching and connective plot tissue, exploring these interesting twists and alternate realities is pretty exciting.
At the same time, while the What If…? Animated series has plenty of potential, it also comes at a time of possibly higher expectations. It might be an unorthodox but very real truth: animated superhero films are now held at a higher standard than those of live-action.
If the likes of The Incredibles created the standard for quality superhero animation, then Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse expanded that standard two-fold. The 2018 animated superhero film, focusing on the half African-American and half Puerto Rican Miles Morales based in Brooklyn, won the hearts of superhero fans and critics alike.
Spider-Verse came away with the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, along with (for many) the unofficial title of being the best Spider-Man film on the big screen. Fans were enamored with not only the style of the animation but the film’s ability to stay incredibly accurate to the source material. While simultaneously, making the stakes seem significant (again, we’re talking about an animation film).
That is the standard fans are working with today, as well as the likes of Marvel Studios. If there is any group of producers and filmmakers to place one's trust in, Kevin Feige and those at Marvel Studious fit the bill. Just know that the standards have been raised, fans want something new, something fresh, but also something worthwhile.
As Disney+ launches, time will tell if What If…? Is the content that can fit the bill.
