The What If..? series was a surprise hit from Marvel. Distinguishing Marvel Animation in a way that the company had not managed previously, the series boasted high quality animation and intriguing storylines that pushed the boundaries of the MCU. In this episode we explore the third season of the series. We discuss the individual episodes and what each meant to us. We talk about the characters and how the various alternate scenarios influenced them. We also get into our overall sense of the story, whether we thought that the final two episodes were a worthy resolution, and and whether we’d like to see the What If concept make a comeback.
This week’s five-minute controversy asks if we think that the Broccoli family’s loss of control of the Bond film franchise to Amazon is a good thing or not.
This week Director Faber, Anji, and Alli join the cast.
Show Notes:
What If..? Season One Panel
What If..? Season Two Panel
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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…?
After a long hiatus due to the writer’s strike, the MCU returned last February with Captain America: Brave New World. While many fans of Falcon and the Winter Soldier had high hopes for this movie, there were concerns about the use of characters from 2008’s Incredible Hulk, the minimal involvement of Bucky Barnes, and the reshoots that resulted in inserting a completely new main character in the form of Sidewinder. In this episode we take a look at the movie as a whole. We analyze the plot and the performances. We debate its impact on the MCU and what forces we believe shaped the story. We also discuss some of the thematic elements and whether or not we feel that they worked in the movie. 
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. 
Loki was one of the most anticipated of the initial Marvel series announced for Disney+. Many had wondered how Marvel would handle the Loki variant that escaped during Avengers: Endgame. The series would eventually be incredibly important, setting up concepts that would be developed further in What If…, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. In this episode we discuss the Loki series. We talk about the characters, how they’re developed, and how they’re portrayed. We discuss Loki in the context of the MCU and multiversal variants. We also get into a discussion of the multiverse, how the MCU has portrayed it, and what this could mean for the future. Hang around for the outtakes as Alli goes into detail about her feelings for Avengers: Endgame. 
Falcon and the Winter Soldier was the second of the MCU series released on Disney+. The series had the expected amount of action and intrigue, but surprised viewers with its hard hitting look at race relations in this country over a span of decades. It also expounded upon the effects of the Sakovia Accords and the Blip on the MCU at large. It took returning characters and gave them surprise twists as well as giving us some new characters, including the new Captain America, John Walker. In this episode we talk about the series and delve into the characters and storyline. We also discuss the ramifications of the events of the series and how we think it’ll influence the MCU going forward. 
Eighty years ago a man named Martin Goodman founded Timely Comics, and the world would never be the same. We discuss the history of Marvel, starting with its founding in 1939 as Timely Comics. We discuss the name changes to Atlas and eventually Marvel. We talk about the major characters of the golden, silver, and bronze ages. We discuss our theories of what differentiates Marvel from its competition. We also talk about favorite characters in each era. 
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. 
Last year was the year of time travel shows. Most of them were canceled, but one series, Timeless, turned back the clocks and changed its destiny. In this episode we take a look back at Timeless season one to discuss it’s premise, characters, cast, and why we felt that this show is worthy of going on. We also talk about what we think didn’t work and how we’d like to see the show continue.