Marvel’s What If…? Season 2 Review

Debuting in 2021 on Disney+, Marvel’s What If…? took the comic book series of the same name and adapted it for the MCU. Guided by the Watcher, who serves as an audience surrogate, viewers witnessed alternate realities where events for the MCU played out differently. Two years onward, though, and people are starting to get sick of the concept of the Multiverse. It’s not that it’s a bad idea, but one that’s gotten used too much in a short amount of time. Despite this and what South Park might say, the idea, when done right, can still be fun. Thus, the second season of What If…?, released over a period of eight days, manages to light a little fire back into the MCU. And it does this by coming up with some original ideas.

 What If…? Can Come up With Some Unique Ideas

At its heart, the concept of What If…? is about coming up with new spins on familiar stories. I.E., what would happen if this character met that character when they weren’t supposed to? Or how a single decision can alter the story altogether. The first season of What If…? Was largely this up until its final two episodes. Those saw a version of Ultron gain the power of the Infinity Stones and become a threat so great, not even the Watcher could sit back and do nothing. So, he pulled people from the different realities he watched to take down Ultron. The team did, but it ended with a version of Killmonger and Zola trapped in a loop fighting over Ultron’s Infinity Stones.

Season Two of the series oscillates between this trend and deciding to continue the stories of previous seasons. The original stories vary in tone; one sees a version of Nebula serving as part of the Nova Corps in a gritty space-noire. Another story sees Happy Hogan trying to save Christmas when Justin Hammer tries to steal it (no, really!) it’s the continuation of stories from the first previous that proved the most interesting. Albeit, there are only two stories that actually continue.

First on that list is the return of Captain Carter, a version of Peggy that got the Super-Soldier Serum when Steve couldn’t. Her story sees her take Steve’s place in the plot of the Winter Soldier film, with the Red Room taking HYDRA’s place and a brainwashed Steve Rogers taking the place of the Winter Soldier. The story is decent, and seeing Peggy and Natasha banter like best friends is entertaining. Then it gets crazier when Peggy gets isekai’d to a fusion of her world with Elizabethan England. More on that later, though.

The best story of the season, though, is one that is wholly original.

Kahorri is one of the best things the MCU’s done in years.

It’s not unheard of for adaptations of superhero comics to create original characters. Some of those characters end up doing so well, though, they become part of the larger canon. The DCAU had Harley Quinn; X-Men: Evolution had X-23. And now, What If…? has Kahhori, the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka woman imbued with the power of an Infinity Stone.

In an alternate universe where Asgard’s destruction led to the Tesseract, and the Space Stone within, landing in a lake on Earth, it opened portals to another world that members of the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka, or Mowhawks, fall into. Like Captain Marvel in the main MCU, the stone’s energy gives them all incredible powers, but greatest of all is Kahhori. Armed with her powers and a strong sense of justice, Kahhori leads her people in driving away the Spanish Conquistador’s before they can start the process of conquering the Americas.

 When I first saw Kahhori, I was confused; I had never seen nor heard of her before. Thats because she wasn’t an existing character: she was brand-new, created for this series. Marvel even made sure to collaborate with the  Kanienʼkehá꞉ka people to make sure they got their culture and language right, as well as hiring members to voice characters. The result is a hero truly unlike any Marvel has seen before.

I applauded Marvel for creating Kahhori and their faithfulness to the Kanienʼkehá꞉ka’s culture. Kahhori is a well-written character with awesome powers, and I hope that she makes the transition to the comics and other Marvel properties.

Captain Carter is the Main character of the Season

In the end, though, the character that gets the most focus this season is Captain Carter. After her first episode with the Red Room, she gets summoned to a world that’s a fusion of the modern-day and Europe in the year 1602. This idea isn’t new, being based on a comic series from the 2000s, but this marks the first time it’s adapted to the MCU. It provides another fun take on the MCU, but it’s the end to that adventure that sees the start of the real story.

Remember Strange Supreme, the version of Dr Strange that destroyed his universe trying to bring back Christine? Despite starting his redemption by stopping Ultron, Carter finds he’s fallen back into his old ways. This time, he’s using heroes and villains across the multiverse as fuel to recreate his own universe at the cost of countless others. Thus, it’s up to Kahhori and Carter to stop him and set things right.

Others might see two super-powered women fighting the big bad as pandering. I don’t because I don’t care. They’re both fun to watch and the fight against Strange Supreme, while breaking the power scale, is still entertaining. No spoilers on what happens, though!

Captain Carter and Kahhori Will Likely Return

 So, despite the state the MCU is in, the new season of What If…? does a good job of holding up well. It brought back its best characters from the first season, introduced a new one, and showed how crazy the Multiverse can be. Multiverse fatigue isn’t solved yet, but maybe it doesn’t have to be. The concept just needs to keep coming up with good stories to tell. That said, tbe final shot hints that the story is more important than being fanfiction made manifest.

It’s known that the MCU is building up to one big, multiverse-spanning conflict in the near future. That means that different versions of the same character will likely appear again when the time comes. In other words, Captain Carter and Kahhori will likely return and play a big role in what’s to come. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to what is to come.