Honestly, it’s a bit of a miracle it exists at all. When Marvel first announced a show dedicated to hypothetical scenarios based on a niche 1970s comic book run, everyone figured it was just filler. A way to keep the Disney+ subscription numbers from tanking between big-budget movie releases. But What If Disney Plus ended up being something way more chaotic than just a collection of "what-about-this" scenarios. It became the testing ground for the entire Multiverse Saga.
It's weird. It’s colorful. Sometimes it’s genuinely heartbreaking.
Think back to that first episode with Captain Carter. People expected a simple "what if Peggy took the serum?" story. What they got was a ripple effect that eventually tied into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It proved that these animated stories aren't just side quests; they are foundational pillars of the current Marvel Cinematic Universe canon.
The Animation Style That Split The Fanbase
Let's talk about the look. Sinking millions into a stylized, cel-shaded 3D look was a massive gamble by Marvel Studios and Blue Spirit. It doesn't look like X-Men '97. It certainly doesn't look like Invincible. Some fans hated it at first. They called it "stiff." Others saw the vision—a living comic book that allowed for scale that live-action budgets simply couldn't touch.
You can't do a "Zombies" episode in live action without it costing $300 million. Animation lets them go bigger. It lets them destroy entire galaxies without worrying about the catering bill for a thousand extras.
The voice acting is another hurdle. Getting Chris Hemsworth or Benedict Cumberbatch to return is huge for continuity. But then you have the gaps. When someone like Robert Downey Jr. or Scarlett Johansson doesn't show up, the illusion flickers. Mick Wingert does a killer Iron Man, don't get me wrong, but your brain knows something is different. That "uncanny valley" of audio is part of the What If Disney Plus experience. You're constantly toggling between "this is the MCU" and "this is a dream."
Why The Watcher Matters More Than You Think
Jeffrey Wright’s Uatu is the soul of the show. Initially, he’s just a narrator. He’s the guy who promises not to interfere, but we all know how that goes. By the time he’s duking it out with an Infinity-Stone-wielding Ultron, the stakes are higher than most of the Phase 4 movies.
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Uatu represents us, the viewers. We watch. We judge. We wish we could jump in and fix the tragedies. When he finally breaks his oath, it’s a meta-commentary on our own relationship with these characters. We don't want to just watch; we want them to be okay.
The Best Episodes vs. The Filler
Not every swing is a home run. That’s the nature of an anthology.
- Doctor Strange Supreme: This is arguably the best thing Marvel has produced on Disney+. It’s dark. It’s about grief and the absolute refusal to accept loss. Watching a hero become a monster because he loves someone too much? That’s heavy stuff for a "cartoon."
- T'Challa as Star-Lord: This one hits differently now because of Chadwick Boseman’s passing. It’s a bittersweet farewell. It also showed a much lighter, more optimistic version of the galaxy than the one Peter Quill inhabited.
- The Party Thor Episode: This is the one people love to hate. It’s fluff. It’s basically a cosmic frat party. But hey, after the trauma of the Strange episode, maybe we needed a break?
The inconsistency is the point. What If Disney Plus isn't a linear narrative; it’s a sandbox. If you don't like one world, wait thirty minutes. The next one will be completely different.
Breaking The "Canon" Anxiety
There is this obsession with "does it matter?" in modern fandom. If it’s not leading to Secret Wars, some people don't want to watch it. That’s a boring way to consume art. What If Disney Plus challenges that mindset by showing that these alternate timelines are real within the logic of the multiverse.
The Captain Carter we saw in Multiverse of Madness? She’s a variant. The dark Doctor Strange? Another variant. These aren't just "fake" stories. They are glimpses into the infinite possibilities that the MCU is now built upon. If you skip the show, you're missing the context for why the multiverse is so dangerous. It’s not just about cool cameos; it’s about the fragility of reality itself.
The Technical Wizardry Behind The Scenes
Directing an animated series like this isn't just about drawing. Bryan Andrews and head writer A.C. Bradley had to coordinate with the live-action teams to make sure they weren't stepping on any toes. Imagine trying to write a story about the multiverse while five other movies are also trying to define what the multiverse is. It’s a logistical nightmare.
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They used a "2.5D" approach. It’s 3D models painted over to look like 2D illustrations. This allows for cinematic camera movements that traditional 2D animation struggles with. The lighting is the secret sauce. Look at the way the light hits Uatu's cloak. It’s designed to feel tactile, even though it's entirely digital.
What Most People Get Wrong About Season 2 And Beyond
People thought the show would just stay as "one-offs." Then Season 2 introduced Kahhori.
Kahhori is a massive deal. She’s an original character created specifically for the MCU, not pulled from the comics. A young Mohawk woman who gains powers from the Tesseract in a timeline where the Americas were never colonized by Europe. It was a bold, culturally significant move that used the What If Disney Plus format to do something genuinely new.
It proved the show could be a source of new lore, not just a remix of the old stuff.
The Stakes Of Infinity Ultron
Let’s be real: the Ultron we got in Age of Ultron was a bit of a letdown. He was too "quippy." He felt like a mid-tier villain. What If Disney Plus fixed that. The version of Ultron that actually wins and starts munching on galaxies is terrifying. It gave us the high-stakes villain we deserved. It also showed the terrifying potential of the Infinity Stones when not held by someone with a moral compass (or a limited imagination).
How To Actually Watch This Series (The Right Way)
If you’re diving into What If Disney Plus for the first time, or rewatching before the next season drops, don't binge it like a movie. It’s too much. Each episode has a different tone and a different "lesson."
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- Watch for the details: Look in the background of the Watcher’s realm. There are Easter eggs hidden in the stars that point to future MCU projects.
- Ignore the "Main" Timeline: Stop trying to figure out where it fits in the 616 timeline. It doesn't. That’s the freedom of the show.
- Listen to the score: Laura Karpman’s music is phenomenal. She takes the familiar themes from the movies and twists them, making them feel alien and new.
The Future Of Animated Marvel
Marvel is doubling down. We have Marvel Zombies coming (a direct spin-off from the What If episode). We have Eyes of Wakanda. The success of What If Disney Plus convinced the higher-ups that animation isn't just for kids. It’s a legitimate medium for complex storytelling.
The "What If" concept is infinite. They could do ten seasons and never run out of ideas. What if the Eternals fought Thanos? What if Quicksilver lived? What if Hela found the Ten Rings? The permutations are endless.
Actionable Steps For The Modern Marvel Fan
If you want to get the most out of the "Multiverse Era," you can't treat the animated stuff as optional.
- Priority 1: Watch the "Doctor Strange Supreme" episode (Season 1, Episode 4). It is the most important piece of character development for the multiverse concept.
- Priority 2: Look up the "What If" comic runs from the 70s and 80s. They are much darker and weirder than the show, and you can see where the writers got their inspiration.
- Priority 3: Pay attention to the "Nexus Events." The show explains these better than Loki does. Understanding what causes a timeline to branch is key to following the next few years of Marvel movies.
Stop worrying about whether everything is "perfectly" connected. The beauty of What If Disney Plus is the mess. It’s the "what could have been." In a cinematic world that is often criticized for being too formulaic, this show is a welcome bit of madness. It reminds us that these characters are modern myths, and myths are meant to be retold, reshaped, and turned upside down.
Grab some popcorn, turn off the "canon" part of your brain, and just watch the multiverse burn. It’s much more fun that way.