Episode 5 of Marvel Studios’ first canonical animated streaming series What If…? featured one of the most widely marketed twists of the shows: zombies! Dating back to the earliest teasers for the series, the image of zombie Cap has haunted fans and been used to build hype for the series. While the episode wasn’t the strongest of the series thus far, it did include arguably the most intense and disgusting “deaths” to date in the MCU, showcasing another way that animation can change what the studio can offer.
Put simply, animation+zombies = free reign to be about as gross as you want to be and the creative team behind What If…? ran with it like they were designing Mortal Kombat fatalities. The episode included two particularly bad cases of being cut in half (Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers were bisected longitudinally and transversely, respectively); Wong continued to trend of librarians from Kamar-Taj being relieved of their heads; and Hope van Dyne got especially nasty, using ants to strip the flesh from Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian and Doctor Strange before decapitating Iron Man, repulsoring Happy in the face and then growing to full size inside a zombified Sharon Carter, resulting in a real gross mess. By the end of the episode, the body count was high and a couple of them might have made the final cut for Zombieland’s Kill of the Week.
And this is all a part, albeit a gory one, of how animation can change the future of the MCU. Sure, zombies can be killed in live-action and still get a TV-14 rating, but can they be killed in such a spectacular array of ways in live-action? Maybe, but it would be much tougher to accomplish with practical effects or without bumping of the VFX budget. So, in this particular case, an animated zombie episode seemed to be THE best way to bring the Marvel Zombies to the MCU without blowing out the budget and allowing for the creatives behind the show to have some fun without a lot of restrictions. So while it may not have been the most complete episode of the streaming series, it certainly was fun and does showcase how animation can change the game for the studio going forward.
If there’s any pattern to the rollout of each episode of What If…?, it seems to be that each episode is getting more and more removed from the original source material and more willing to push the limits of what themes and concepts the MCU is willing to explore. Episode 5, What If… Zombies!?, is the most outlandish the series has given us so far, and it was also an extremely fun ride.
First, this episode is very loosely tied to the events ofAvengers: Infinity War due to the starting point being Bruce Banner’s return to Earth that we see at the beginning of that movie. From there, we learn that essentially the entirety of Earth is infected with a brain virus that turns anyone infected into a zombie. This includes the original Avengers lineup, marking the second episode where they simply do away with the original six.
This episode, similar to the previous Doctor Strange episode, goes far beyond the plot of the source material to bring an entirely new story to the table. The result is an amusing mixture of reference after reference from previous films. Of the numerous examples: one of Sharon Carter’s skills was “Eulogies”, Bucky with the good hair found the “end of the line” with pal zombie Steve, the virus was contracted by Janet van Dyne in the Quantum Realm based on the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Kurt’s concern with Baba Yaga, Happy’s insecurities about his chauffeur profession, the New Jersey facility is visited once again, and Vision and Wanda’s romance ultimately leads to Vision’s iconic death.
The true stars of the episode are, of course, the remaining Avengers. The episode gives lip service to more of these “smaller” characters such as Hope, Bucky, Okoye, Sharon, and even Happy Hogan and Kurt from Ant-Man. The honest lead was Hudson Thames’ dominant performance as Peter Parker, who seemingly takes on a greater leadership role after the infection. While logically he is not any older than he was in Infinity War, he seems more mature in a lot of ways, including acknowledging his grief over all of those he has lost—including previously unmentioned in the MCU Uncle Ben. Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa also makes an appearance in this episode and Boseman’s performance is unsurprisingly extremely well executed. His character’s quotes about death also hit hard.
Episode 5 is undoubtedly a horror and apocalyptic episode genre-wise. It certainly has been the most violent, gruesome (toned down for a more wholesome audience), and dark episode graphically. There were plenty of decapitations and severely violent deaths of well-known characters to go around. All credit to the show for making the jump into this sort of territory—the major cliffhanger of zombie Thanos certainly sets up our zombie universe to play a significant role down the line in the series if not beyond. It is also yet to be seen if our remaining heroes—Peter, Scott, and T’Challa—actually get the cure into action.
Still, the episode was genuinely funny. Between Peter’s “How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” video, the banter between the characters, Scott Lang’s head in a jar, and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce’s commentary at the beginning of the episode—among plenty more examples—the zombie episode was at times hilarious and generally delightful with the combination of both legitimate horror and legitimate comedy.
Episode 5 of What If…?is heavily suggesting that the series is picking up steam and more unique and boundary-pushing episodes are coming. We’re also at a point where the potential universes for live-action use are expanding so dramatically that the possibilities seem endless and also perhaps overwhelming, particularly for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Either way, the long-awaited zombie episode was truly a lovely experience and wildly fun.
The Skrull Invasion is on its way. Film London is reporting that the Samuel L. Jackson-led alien espionage series, Secret Invasion, has already started filming in London, with a start date that can be traced back to the first of September.
The news comes just a few weeks after Kevin Feige himself confirmed the then-upcoming production start during the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings red carpet premiere. Jackson also took to social media to reveal his return to the Nick Fury makeup chair not too long ago, so the man is pretty busy.
This week’s episode of What If…? wowed audiences for a slew of reasons, not the least of which was the amazing fight Doctor Strange had with his evil self, Strange Supreme. With the fate of existence at stake, the fight delivered the same kind of thrills found in some of the biggest Marvel films like Avengers: Infinity War.
We sat down and spoke with What If…? editors, Joel and Graham Fisher, on how exactly this amazing fight scene was brought to life in the production offices of Marvel Studios. Turns out the fight scene was the brainchild of showrunner Bryan Andrews and storyboard artist Aram Sarkisian.
As far as the action sequences go, it’s all Bryan Andrews [director] and his right hand, Aram Sarkisian, who is now the Head of Story for the series. Bryan actually storyboarded that Infinity War sequence that you’re referencing. When the two of them are in a room, it’s amazing to watch. It’s a nonstop rapid fire of ideas.
All the best fight scenes are dynamic; they tell a story through means of punching and kicking. In Doctor Strange’s case, it’s all about using the visuals of conjuration and sorcery as a storytelling device. This episode of What If…? has the two Stranges doing all kinds of things in all sorts of ways.
Aram, as he was originally boarding it, was keeping the battle on the ground to a certain extent. And Bryan was like, “We gotta get elevation [gestures vertically]. This dance has to keep changing and can’t be all in the ground.” So they took Strange up and then took him down. All these different ways to make this fight scene flow in an organic way. And then there’s the capes fighting each other [laughs].
With great action comes great stakes and the stakes for this episode are immense. Not only is the universe in peril in the fight but Strange’s humanity is at stake as well. The Fishers shared the production’s insistence on keeping everything about the story.
It’s just an amazing collaboration between the director and the storyboard artists that drew it. But also the collaboration within the animation department is amazing because we got to a point where we went, “This is great but we’re gonna get battle fatigued if we keep doing action. We need to ground it within the story. What are the stakes?” So Strange needs to get into his head. We had that whole shadow moment that got storyboarded. He has to have that last temptation. Will he give in and bring back his love?
Marvel Studios could be using one-off specials on Disney+ to introduce new characters before they appear fully-formed in theatrical releases. The multiple reports that Marvel Studios is working on a Werewolf by Night Halloween Special for Disney+ suggest the studio could be expanding beyond traditional streaming series to formats that will allow more inventiveness in their theatrical releases. The evidence isn’t definitive at this point in time, but let’s take a look at what there is and see how it might play out beyond the projects we know about.
The Cosmic Circus reported earlier in August that Werewolf by Night would be a Disney+ project using Natural History Productions LLC as its production company and a February 2022 filming start date. But then The Wrap reported last week that the Werewolf by Night Disney+ project would be a Halloween Special. This prompted a reevaluation of 10 possible Marvel Studios LLCs that have been incorporated since the beginning of April. Natural History Productions is listed as a “DTC STREAMING PRODUCTION” while other Marvel Studios’ LLCs are listed as “DTC SERIES”, meaning this designation could indicate Disney+ specials have a particular registration.
With that in mind, it seems logical that there would be less than a year between a special airing and a theatrical appearance from the same character. So what could be filming in 2022 that could feature Werewolf by Night? Blade is currently scheduled for a July 2022 start, putting it on track for the October 2023 release date. The origins of both characters are connected to the Darkhold, as vampires and werewolves were created using the book of the damned in the comics. It is possible we might see similar traces of lore as the book travels from Wandavision to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Both Werewolf by Night and Blade have also been members of Midnight Sons in the comics. It remains to be seen whether the actor that is cast as Werewolf by Night will appear in Blade, but it’ll be exciting to look out for it!
What about the other special we know about? The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will release in December 2022 while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set for release May 5th 2023, continuing the speculated pattern of less than a year between special and film. James Gunn has said that it will contain “stuff you’ll need to know ahead of Guardians 3.” This perhaps emphasizes the point about specials introducing someone or something ahead of a theatrical release.
So what stuff could we need to know before Vol. 3? Maybe we’ll spend some time with Adam of The Sovereign from the Vol. 2 post-credit scene, or perhaps we might be introduced to a villain, event, location or event that will be important for the film. As it is filming with Guardians Vol. 3 and using the same sets, it is likely the holiday special won’t have a separate LLC, as it won’t need separate accounting so will probably use Infinity Productions III LLC.
This doesn’t stop us from speculating on what the other LLCs not listed as DTC series could be. It’s by no means guaranteed they’ll be specials as Natural History Productions LLC is with Werewolf by Night. For the fun of speculation, let’s keep them as specials connected to a film or series starting to film within 12 months of the special itself filming. Taking on board the filming date of Werewolf by Night and that each of these LLCs were incorporated in April 2021, it’s likely both the specials and connected film/series will begin filming in 2022 or early 2023. So let’s speculate about what specials On Your Mark Productions LLC, Battle Anybody Productions LLC, and Acid Pop Productions LLC could be.
Although it seems like On Your Mark Productions LLC might be related to Ghost Rider, there is a better LLC match. As previously explored, Richmond Street Productions LLC, which is registered as “DTC SERIES” could be referencing the first appearance of Danny Ketch, indicating a better connection. The Human Rocket known as Nova could be suited to On Your Mark Productions, but where could he appear soon? With The Marvels releasing in November, perhaps there might be enough time after that finishes filming to produce a special to give some background on Richard Rider before he appears fully formed.
Battle Anybody Productions LLC could seem to fit the former commander of the Red Room who has experience in mimicking fighting styles to fight anyone that comes at her. It might also fit Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine who is seemingly building a team ready to take on any threat. Perhaps Toni Masters (formerly Dreykov) is using her skills learnt from muscle memory to instruct low-level associates of organized crime when Val recruits her. This could easily be some backstory that we see filled in before appearances of both in Captain America 4 perhaps.
None of this speculation is assured by any means. It might be that these specials introduce an event, concept, or location, as recent Legends episodes have focused on The Tesseract and The Avengers Initiative. Or perhaps if a special is successful enough it might spin off into a full series. Perhaps specials themselves might be strung together as an anthology like BBC’s Small Axe before a theatrical film introduces a team-up. This speculation does perhaps point to increasing ways Marvel Studios might be creatively using their platform on Disney+ which could, in turn, enable them to innovate around their films.
With so many rumors pointing to a Shuma Gorath appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it comes as no surprise that the tentacle creature that appeared in the Captain Carter episode of What If…? got fans hyped at a possible early tease. While do not know if that was actually Shuma Gorath, we at least know that the tentacle creature Doctor Strange summons in this latest episode is the same as the one Peggy fought.
We spoke to production designer Paul Lasaine, who told us those two creatures are one and the same.
We don’t actually say it is [the same one in this episode] but we’re pretty positive it is. In fact, even on a technical level, we used that creature as a template.
Regardless of whether it is Shuma Gorath or not, it is peculiar to see a recurring creature throughout the show. It would be weird if it wasn’t Shuma Gorath as we’re dealing with the very things that character is associated with i.e. the multiverse. That creature appearing in the latest episode does make us wonder if it’ll appear again later in the season. With an overarching story for the season, it would certainly make sense to have that consistency.
Over the course of its run, Marvel Studios animated streaming series What If…? has seen its narrator, The Watcher, insert himself into the stories he’s telling. Episode 4, What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands, gave audiences their first taste of the character actually interacting with others inside the main narrative as an overpowered Doctor Strange became aware of The Watcher before begging him to intervene and save his reality. True to his word, The Watcher refused to interfere and allowed the tragedy of Stephen Strange to unfold. However, according to Jeffrey Wright, who voices The Watcher, episode 4 might be the beginning of a turning point for the character.
In an interview with EW, Wright talks about how episode 4 represents a “shift in attitude” for the character and gives some interesting hints about how that shift might develop over the remaining 5 episodes of the first season.
It’s a shift in attitude for him, and it’s a shift in purpose and intent and all of that stuff for him. That’s a fun gearshift to play. And he also becomes less disembodied. For audiences too, that’s the moment in which he steps into these worlds a little bit closer and steps a little closer to the audience as well. That’s his moment where he knocks on the door.
The Watcher is is compelled by the danger that Strange is conjuring, obviously not only for himself but for his whole reality. For The Watcher there’s only so much he can only watch. He’s not a voyeur for voyeurism’s sake, he is in some ways made up of these characters. Without them, what does he watch? [Laughs] He’s profoundly compelled by them, and maybe there’s only so much he can take. We’ll see.
It seems as though the Watcher’s rules may not be as unbreakable as his calm, stern voice might make audiences believe. Comic readers are already familiar with Uatu’s inability to live by his code and, according to Wright, the MCU version might be headed in the same direction:
Well, I guess the question is, how reliable a narrator is The Watcher? How trustworthy can we be of his description of himself and the rules that he says he abides by? We’ll see.
Wright also indicated that while these stories seem disparate, the fact that they take place in a multiverse of endless possibilities means that one possibility is the separate threads of each episode finding a way to “weave themselves into the other”, something production designer Paul Lasainebacked up in an interview with Murphy’s Multiverse. Episode 4 gave us our first hints at that, including the return of our tentacled friend. As we head into the back stretch of the series, we’re sure to see The Watcher move into a more integral role, perhaps being responsible for assembling the Guardians of the Multiverse.
As we approach the midpoint of the first season of What If…?, a certain subset of fans have wondered what exactly is the endgame of the show, given the anthological nature of the show. Every episode seems to be its own thing with stories wrapping up as the credits roll (except for Captain Carter). But according to the show’s production designer Paul Lasaine, whom we got to chat with, there is an overarching plot that the show is sneakily setting up.
Obviously, with it being an anthology series, each episode is a standalone. But there is an overarching story which will become more.. [pause] ..without giving spoilers, you’ll see that there is a big storyline going on.
Now, this isn’t particularly new. If you’ve been paying close attention to all the details of this show, you know there’s something happening at the conclusion of the show. But if you haven’t and are worried that the show isn’t going to go anywhere cohesively, this should alleviate some of those concerns.
Based on the remaining episodes we haven’t seen, it looks like the creators of the show are upping the ante in giving us crazier scenarios like Marvel Zombies and Ultron taking over the world. This recent episode alone has started seeding somewhat of an arc for the Watcher. There’s still a lot of stories to build up so that’s something fans can all look forward to.
With just about 2 months to go until its debut on Disney Plus, the Marvel Studios streaming series Hawkeye continues production. Some cast and crew recently completed additional photography for the series in Atlanta and now, according to a report from Hollywood North Buzz, crew members are headed to Toronto for another round of additional photography.
Series co-star Jeremy Renner is currently working in Toronto on the Paramount + series Mayor of Kingstown, so this seems to be a case of the studios accommodating his schedule in order to get the additional shots. HNB reports that the shoot will be brief, with work being done on September 7th and 8th.
6 episodes of Hawkeye are set to stream on Disney Plus beginning November 24th. The anticipated series will see Hailee Steinfeld join the MCU as Kate Bishop, introduce Alqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo ahead of her own spinoff series and is strongly rumored to feature the return of Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
With four episodes behind us, Marvel Studios’ What If…? is slowly but surely becoming a staple of Phase 4’s approach to the Multiverse. What, for some, was initially seen as a minor entry in the MCU, is not only allowing for the exploration of alternate realities in a way only animation allows to but also building some of the foundations of future live-action events. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe turned into the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, branching out its storylines deviating from the Sacred Timeline, the path ahead of us could be one similar to our own Universe’s.
Following The Big Bang, one of the theories regarding the ultimate fate of the universe is The Big Crunch, where the average density of the universe will be enough to stop its expansion and the universe will begin contracting. The storylines could then eventually begin to merge, bringing together characters that weren’t ever supposed to exist in the same timeline. But such an event, that could very well be an adaptation of Jonathan Hickman‘s Secret Wars (2015) comic book storyline that deals with a similar premise, in order to connect with audiences the way it should, people need to care about the characters, both new and old ones. The gimmick of introducing Captain America or Spider-Man variants could be a fun one to experience, but it’s only by devoting time to each of those characters beforehand that their appearance might mean something more.
So being, the timelines explored so far in What If…? have eventually left us with a focus on a central character, that while maintaining a few of the traits already seen in the movies have gone through very distinct experiences that ultimately left them in a different place in their life. When and if they do manage to show up down the line on a live-action project, their motivations and impulses will have been properly explored allowing for more dynamic interactions and for the movie itself to hit the ground running as only minimal exposition will be required.
A project of this size and scope could still be years away, but with What If…?planned as an annual release on Disney+, it seems the waiting time will be well spent, with more characters added to the MCM roster every year, as we all await a possible Russo Brothers return for what might be the mother of all crossover events. A Marvel Studios led Secret Wars.
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