With only a couple of weeks left to go before the premiere of What If...?, critical reactions have dropped regarding the upcoming Marvel animated anthology series starring all your favorite MCU actors. What If...? launches on Disney+ on Wednesday, August 11.
The series reimagines famous events and scenarios from the many films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring fan favorite characters like Black Panther, Thor, Captain America, Doctor Strange and Yondu, but not exactly the way you remember them. So, for example, an episode features an alternate reality where Peggy Carter takes the superserum instead of Steve Rogers, while another features Killmonger as the leader of Wakanda.
Many MCU actors lend their voice to the series, including Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Michael B. Jordan (Killmonger), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) Michael Douglas (Hank Pym), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter), Dominic Cooper (Howard Stark), Taika Waititi (Korg), Jeff Goldblum (Grandmaster), Toby Jones (Arnim Zola) and Frank Grillo (Crossbones), among others. The show is notable for being Chadwick Boseman's very last role, as the actor recorded lines as T'Challa prior to his death last year.
Now, with the show primed for release in just a couple of weeks, it is time to find out what the critics thought about What If...? Has Marvel struck gold again with their latest Disney+ show, or is the House of Ideas better suited for live-action? Does the show connect with the rest of the MCU at all? Check out some of the early reactions below — we'll keep updating as more continue to come in.
First off, here's what our own Steve Weintraub had to say about the show:
Critics seem to agree that the show is a fun addition to the MCU, with Boseman giving yet another fantastic performance as T'Challa, even if some episodes are better than others.
That being said, some critics consider the voice acting to be lackluster and the animation leaves something to be desired.
And, of course, here's Ben Mekler's mandatory humorous "reaction":