The first season of What If…? was a surprise hit. Showcasing different paths that the MCU could have taken allowed the storytellers to reveal new aspects of familiar characters. In this episode we talk about the second season of the series. We discuss the various plot lines and what we think about them. We also compare it to the first season and what we think of the overall course of the season. We also give our opinions on whether or not new characters should be introduced in What If…?
Due to time constraints there is no five-minute controversy this week.
This week Juliette, Kelley, Kori, and Wil join the cast.
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Hawkeye was the last in the first wave of Disney+ Marvel series. The show introduced Hawkeye successor, Kate Bishop, played by Hailee Steinfeld. It also debuted new character, Echo, as well as saw the return of Vince D’Onofrio as the Kingpin and Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova. In this episode we discuss the plot of the Hawkeye series. We talk about it’s place in the MCU and how well it meshes with the various characters and references that it makes. We also give our opinions on the performances and how we feel the various characters are utilize. We also get into some of the deeper cuts and talk about a very unexpected character that makes an appearance. 
Marvel has gone into the multiverse in a big way. In this episode we take a look at the biggest expression of that to date with What If. We discuss the series as the MCU’s first animation project. We discuss the What If concept and talk about which episodes worked for us. We also debate why this series had such a mixed response from the public and what we want to see from it moving forward. We also talk about what this series could mean for the future of Marvel going forward. 
We almost didn’t make it, but we couldn’t let you have a week go by without another episode of The 42cast. In this episode we discuss the MCU’s summer sensation, Black Widow. We discuss the film’s status as a prequel. We talk about the new characters and where we’d like to see them go from here. We also give our opinions on unpowered characters in super situations, visually awesome fights, and the importance of setting up your villains. We also get into the public perception of Hawkeye, the fluid nature of Disney+ series and the MCU films, and whether or not brainwashing absolves someone of culpability for their actions. 
In 2008 Marvel released the movie, Iron Man, and the world would never be the same again. Now with their 22nd film, Marvel brings many of the story threads that they’ve been building for eleven years to a conclusion while leaving the door open for so many more stories. In this episode, we talk about Avengers: Endgame. We talk about the characters, discuss the plot, ponder time travel and parallel worlds, and opine on just where the MCU will go from here. Along the way, we discuss epic battles, characters we were delighted to see again, endpoints, the MVP that no one noticed, and the significance of a finger. 
Avengers: Infinity War was a unique event in the history of cinema. Never before had 18 movies and multiple franchises culminated in a single movie combining all of the franchises and giving payoff for the various stories. In this episode from the archives we do a deep dive into the storyline. We talk about the ways that all of the existing characters are handled. We talk about the epic scale of the crossover, and we discuss breakout hit character Thanos. 
Four years and 2 networks into the series, Supergirl seems to have finally found it’s footing. In this episode we discuss difficulties of writing for the eternal optimism of Kara Danvers. We also discuss John Cryer’s surprising turn as Lex Luthor, Brainiac 5’s addition to the cast, and why a little moral ambiguity goes a long way in a series like this. 
We finally start our summer movie podcasts! Grab your walkman and moonwalk over to your parents’ place, because The 42cast delves into the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. This time we’re talking about the series as a stand alone film, part of the MCU, and as a comic adaptation. How does it measure up? Is it a good idea for them to double down? Who’s your favorite character. All this and more are answered in this episode.