What If…? is a unique animal within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While, the series is indeed MCU canon, it’s never felt necessary — both as to the greater MCU’s storytelling (minus some allusions in Multiverse of Madness) or as essential viewing for Marvel fans. There were a few novel concepts, but ultimately it felt like a way to get people hyped for a Marvel Zombies series as opposed to being its own thing.
When the first season ended about two years it let us with one burning question… “What If…? This Series Actually Told Good Stories.”
The answer came on right before Christmas with the Season 2 Premiere — “What if Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”
Now the title might seem as disposable as some titles from Season One (e.g. “What if Thor Were An Only Child” or “What If T’Challa Were Star-Lord”) — but the story told here is one of the strongest Marvel animated pieces they’ve done since the days of the X-Men saving the world on Saturday mornings in the ’90s.
The plot finds Nebula (Karen Gillan) investigating the murder of Yondu (Michael Rooker) — who seemingly stumbled upon an intergalactic plot to allow Ronan (Lee Pace) to finally invade Xandar after being stymied by a planetary shield. At the behest of Nova Prime (Julianne Grossman replacing Glenn Close) she breaks Yanrag of Captain Marvel fame (voiced still by Jude Law) to help her break into a high security Xandarian databank to prevent the planetary shield’s source code from ending up in Ronan’s hands.
The episode’s Blade Runner-inspired techno neo noir vibe works perfectly for a Nebula-fronted episode. Karen Gillan remains one of Marvel’s best casting choices ever, and her vocal work her is absolutely perfect. Her intense cadence is perfect for noir narration and the direction the creators take Nebula never feels crowbarred or artificial — everything remains true to the core values and characteristics of a character that’s gone from second banana villain to one of the most important heroes in the MCU.
The supporting cast enriches the episode to a wonderful degree. Jude Law’s return to the Yanrag character is a bit of a surprise and he’s unlike his more stoic role in Captain Marvel, he delivers on that patented Jude Law charming rapscallion charm. However, it’s Nebula’s motley crew of sidekicks — Howard the Duck (Seth Green), Groot, Miek and Korg (Taika Waititi) that adds a much needed element of fun to the episode. While on paper this might induce some eye-rolling, they actual fill out the requisite “lead detectives underworld friends with a heart of gold” to perfection.
What If…? should always lead to two thoughts (in this writer’s humble opinion). First, the episodes should feel like a real cool, intriguing, one-off concepts, no unlike a vignettes you’d see on The Twilight Zone or read in an O.Henry book — and this episode succeeds at that with flying colors. The other thought is that you’d love to see more and a series with Nebula as a hard-boiled detective with a cavalcade of quasi-criminals as her main allies sounds pretty awesome. (It also could serve as a cool way to finally debut Nova into the MCU. )
The What If…? Season 2 Premiere is a smashing success. It’s a wildly creative and unique story that adheres to the core characteristics of a heroine that’s been an intrinsic part of the MCU for over a decade. Let’s hope this a sign of great things to come for the second season of this Marvel animated series.
