After the events of Loki, we’re in a new world/multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Or I guess you can call it the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, now. The first episode of What If…? showed off the brand new world in a story we’re all pretty familiar with. Remember back to Captain America: The First Avenger? This time around, Steve Rogers doesn’t end up getting the Super Soldier Serum, and instead it’s Peggy Carter. So this episode was the story of Captain Carter.

The Animation Is Groundbreaking

There is no way that Marvel doesn’t end up making a feature length movie with this animation style. So if you’re telling stories that are part of the endless new world of Marvel, you’re not going to have all the actors live, in-person. We’re getting the next-best thing here, and we could even see some of these characters crossover with our live-action. As for the action on the show, it showed off all the capabilities of Captain Carter and followed the plot of Captain America: The First Avenger pretty well. This was the real highlight of the show’s first episode.

However, This Story Is Not

The story of this episode however doesn’t really stray away from the story it’s based on. If you’ve seen Captain America: The First Avenger, you’ve basically seen this film. The finale obviously strays away from the actual plot, but the whole story to get there, is nearly identical. It was a weird choice to lead the season with this episode. From the three episodes that I’ve seen, this would definitely be the last choice to lead the season. It doesn’t show off the concept as well as it could have. Captain Carter is a completely awesome character, but the story around her fails that slightly.

As for the voice cast, they all perform their roles pretty well. Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter captures the essence of that character and I’m excited to see more from her story. Sebastian Stan returns as Bucky Barnes, and gets a bit more comedic side to his character, but the way his lines are played sounds a bit weird on this episode. The tone and volume of his actual lines don’t fit with the rest of the episode. Finally on the voice cast, Josh Keaton does the job of filling the voice of Steve Rogers. In his defense, he captures the role well, but it’s just jarring hearing someone else’s voice over Chris Evans.

Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher/Rod Serling of the MCU is perfect casting on their part though. He fits the role as the benevolent observer watching the trials and tribulations of each of these universes.

The Possibilities Are Endless For What If…?

However the story might be lackluster, the rest of the formula surrounding What If…?’s first episode shows off the infinite possibilities for the series going forward. This might not be the best episode of the series, but it definitely works well. The action and animation combine to give you the MCU experience, except in 25 minutes for an animated show.

We should all be excited for the future of this show going forward.

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