Just the tip: Marvel Studios' What If...? starts slow and whether you should watch it depends on how much patience you have

So many shows, so little time. How do you know what's hot and what's not?

That's where our first impressions come in. We will watch the first episode of the latest series to hit your screens and tell you whether it's worth your time.

This week, we're looking at...

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What If...? (Disney+)

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9D0uUKJ5KI[/embed]

What is it

What If…? is Marvel Studios' first-ever animated series and flips the script on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) by reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. The series features fan-favourite characters including Peggy Carter, T'Challa (Black Panther), Dr Strange, Thor and more — with several MCU stars returning to voice their characters.

It's partially narrated by Uato/The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) who guides viewers through each story.

It has also been confirmed by head writer AC Bradley that the events of What If...? are officially MCU canon. Not surprising, considering that by the end of the first season of Loki, the MCU has established its multiverse — something which has been teased in Avengers: Endgame.

What we like

With the MCU pulling more from the pages of its comics, using streaming/television is the perfect medium to bring these different stories to life.

It allows for a more focused and intimate look at characters that never truly got their own spotlight on the silver screen, and it gives more breadth to tell a fuller story.

The past few Disney+ series from the MCU have showcased how efficiently Marvel Studios is utilising the medium and What If...? is no exception. In fact, one may even argue that What If...? is only possible because it's a streaming series instead of a film.

The series kicks off with the first Avenger, Captain America. Or rather, Captain Carter — the name that Peggy Carter takes on when she got the Super Soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers.

MCU fans will be familiar with Peggy from Captain America: The First Avenger. She is also Steve's first and only love (we're actively disregarding that weird kiss he had with her great-niece Sharon Carter) and the woman who inspired Steve to get the happy ending he's always wanted in Avengers: Endgame.

Hayley Atwell, who plays Peggy in the live-action films and her standalone series Agent Carter, returns to voice the character but Chris Evans, unfortunately, does not reprise his. (On that note, don't expect some of the big names to return for this.)

Despite voice acting being a separate skillset all together, I have to say that the MCU actors have done a decent job. Yes, they are the big draws for this show but don't discount the other voice actors who are stepping in for other iconic characters.

The full cast list has yet to be released — sans the MCU actors — but there are famous voice actors (such as Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, and Nolan North) who have done voice work for other Marvel projects and I hope they get tapped on for What If...?.

For its first animated series, Marvel Studios has done a bang-up job — perhaps also capitalising on Marvel Entertainment's experience with its roster of animated shows — and everything is fluid and smooth.

Props have to be given for evoking that larger-than-life feel (through a combination of scene composition and animation) that we often get from live-action MCU series/films but is hard to bring out in animation.

There are also many beautifully drawn set pieces that audiences are allowed to take in and appreciate, along with some Easter eggs — like that iconic scene of Captain America in the first film bursting through the doors with his shield and gun.

Narratively, each episode is different and offers something completely original which is interesting in and of itself. You never quite know what you are going to get and it allows the MCU to reinvent itself.

What we didn't like

However, the first episode doesn't do the series justice and actually feels like a step backward in terms of the work that the previous Disney+ series have done in progressing the overarching narrative of MCU's Phase 4.

As mentioned, the episode goes all the way back to Captain America's origin story but explores what happens if Peggy had taken the serum instead.

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I'm all about paying homage to our origins but after the incredible storylines that WandaVision and Loki have put us through, it felt a bit boring to step back into the world of Phase 1.

Like, we're starting to get into the mystical (and possibly demonic) aspects of the MCU, and after the jaw-dropping creation of the multiverse in Loki's season finale, we're back to Captain America's origins.

It also didn't help that the "What If" element of the story didn't provide anything drastically different as the basic plot was rather similar to the events of The First Avenger.

However, the subsequent episodes drum up more interest simply because the divergent scenarios are like nothing we've ever seen.

In one episode, T'Challa gets picked up by Yondu's team instead of Peter (from Guardians of the Galaxy) and we are shown a reformed villain (no spoilers) as well as some Easter eggs that make one wonder what happened to the Avengers in this reality.

In another, the Avengers are targeted by a mysterious assailant and the reveal is both shocking and heartbreaking.

To watch or not to watch

Marvel Studios' What If...? is an enjoyable entry to the MCU series and is a great introduction for the casual fans to the What If line of comics.

Through the series, Marvel Studios brilliantly expands the MCU by exploring different versions of familiar characters and it is a fun lens for viewers to look through.

It also answers a fundamental question that has plagued humanity since time immemorial and will definitely pique your interest at the least.

But with a first episode that sets the MCU narrative back, the series 'starts' off pretty slow and it pretty much depends on how patient you are with waiting as the episodes drop weekly.

Although, as an anthology series, it also means you don't need to watch all the episodes or in chronological order so you could just dive into the ones you find the most compelling.

If that's what you choose to do, we strongly suggest that you do not miss the third episode.

ALSO READ: What If…? writer and director on predicting the plot for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and their favourite episodes

bryanlim@asiaone.com