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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Thunderbolts* was one of the risky ventures that Marvel puts out from time-to-time. Featuring a cast of supporting characters from previous films and series, the story catapults several characters to prominence while doing a fair amount of Marvel world-building and character development. In this episode we go over Thunderbolts*. We talk about the plot of the film and how well it works as a bridge between phases Five and Six. We discuss the characters and how they’re utilized within the story. We also give our opinions on whether this story feels like it has “homework”. We’ll also get into that asterix and whether we think that Marvel dropped the ball on the marketing. 
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.