Yesterday, we got our first BIG look at the newest MARVEL series, What If..?, which streams on Disney+ on August 11th. So... what is "What If..?" and what were some of the "holy crap" moments in the trailer?
Let's discuss...
First off, what is What If..?
What If was a Marvel comic created in the 1970s that continues on today. The series tells alternate reality stories that are outside the mainstream Marvel continuity. Some classic stories in the series include, "What if the Hulk had the brain of Bruce Banner?" and "What if the Fantastic Four had different superpowers?". The stories are definitely "out there" but have become fan favorites and have spawned some serious classics.
On August 11, 2021, Marvel is rolling out their animated anthology series based on the classic comic series, but with some all-new stories and some returning Marvel actors reprising their roles in voice-over form.
There's a ton of great content in this trailer (too much to list), so here are our TOP 5 moments from the What If..? trailer.
HOWARD THE DUCK
After a few cameos in the Guardians of the Galaxy films, we finally get to experience the majesty of one of my favorite Marvel characters, Howard the Duck. Howard is an extraterrestrial anthropomorphic duck who moonlights as a private investigator for hire. Let's hope we get lots of him in What If..? and that he gets his own episode.
UATU THE WATCHER
In the comics, Uatu the Watcher is telling readers how "if one thing changed, the whole world might have turned out differently." Uatu is a member of a race of extremely powerful beings committed to watching the universe but never interfering. Among his gadgets and gizmos that enabled him to perform those duties were machines that would let him see alternate possible realities. Uatu will be voiced by Jeffrey Wright (awesome).
MARVEL ZOMBIES
This is going to be the MCU debut of the Marvel Zombies which is a concept ripped straight from the comics. The extremely popular series was penned by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and drawn by Criminal artist Sean Phillips in 2005 as an extended riff on a What If story arc in Ultimate Fantastic Four. It introduced a world where all the Marvel heroes and villains were turned into flesh-eating zombies who then went on to eat their way through the galaxy.
CAPTAIN CARTER
“What if Peggy Carter got the super-soldier serum?”... we're about to find out. While Peggy doesn't appear to be taking the mantle of Captain America (duh, she's British) rather she seems to be taking on the role of Captain Britain. Captain Britain is a character created by legendary X-writer Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe and surrounds a character named Brian Braddock, brother of the Xmen, Psyloch (aka Betsy Braddock). This will certainly be a BIG storyline and a fan-favorite episode, but not one will be as eagerly anticipated as...
CHADWICK BOSEMAN AS STAR-LORD
Having Black Panther as the head of the Guardians of the Galaxy is one thing, but fans will be getting a very special treat on August 11 when the late Chadwick Boseman takes on the role of T'Challa for the final time. It looks like T’Challa was picked up at some point by Yondu and raised in space as part of Yondu’s Ravager team. T’Challa has been largely defined by his relationship to his parents, and to his father especially. He’s swapping one strong father figure for another here, and it’s going to be fascinating to see how much his temperament changes because of Yondu, and how much his temperament changes what Star-Lord would do.
Those are some of our favorite moments, what were some of yours? Sound off in the comment section, and check out What If..? on August 11 on Disney+.
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