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 Marvels was the last MCU film of 2023. Combining plot threads from Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel, it created a crossover storyline to begin preparing the MCU for its next big event. In this episode we look at the movie and discuss whether it worked as a sequel for the various properties that came before. We’ll also talk about how the plot worked for us and what we think of the characters and how they were used. We end by going over where we think the storyline is going for the MCU and these characters. 
WandaVision was the first of Marvel’s Disney+ releases. It faced the seemingly impossible task of progressing the story of Wanda and Vision despite the fact that the latter was dead. What followed was to date the most experimental of the MCU’s offerings, and one that had a wide distribution of opinions from fandom. In this episode we’ll talk about the series, how it utilized sitcoms to tell a story about grief, returning faces, continuing threads from elsewhere in the universe, and where we think it’s all leading. We’ll also talk about fan expectations and whether or not we think people are justified for crying “foul”. 
Captain Marvel rocketed onto our screens last year. Marvel’s first female lead series provided and origin story for Marvel’s newest hero and gave some insight on the MCU of the 1980’s. We talk about the captain herself, the plot and tone of the movie, the old friends that we see again, and how well the movie fits into MCU continuity. There’s also a bit of cat talk as we discuss Marvel’s newest feline. but things get a bit more serious as we discuss the passing of Stan Lee and the tribute given to him in this film. 
We all know of examples of fandom behaving badly, and in this episode we delve into the question of whether or not fandom is “broken”. It’s a complicated issue as we examine the interaction between fans and creators and how fans relate to other fans. We talk about how things can go South, how to know if you’re the problem, and give some tips on how to avoid things escalating. We define a “broken fandom” and we each give our own opinions on whether or not it’s broken.