Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • Marvel Exec Confident the Netflix Series are Sacred Timeline Canon

    Marvel Exec Confident the Netflix Series are Sacred Timeline Canon

    Marvel Studios upcoming streaming series, Echo, will the be first project under the studio’s new Marvel Spotlight banner. That means, according to newly minted Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation at Marvel Studios, Brad Winderbaum, anyone who tunes in “doesn’t need to have seen other Marvel series to understand what’s happening in Maya’s story.” That’s not to say that watching other series or films won’t add some additional context to the series, only that while watching Echo, the audience “can focus on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity.“

    Just what does or does not make up MCU continuity had been an ongoing debate for quite some time; however, in the forward to Marvel Studios: The Marvel Cinematic Universe An Official Timeline book, the studio’s One Above All, Kevin Feige, indicated that with the Multiverse now in play, pretty much everything is canon. “On the Multiverse note, we recognize that there are stories – movies and series – that are canonical to Marvel but were created by different storytellers during different periods of Marvel’s history,” wrote Feige, before adding that the “timeline presented in this book is specific to the MCU’s Sacred Timeline through Phase 4.” That book does not contain references to some of Marvel’s best-loved TV series including Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist or Daredevil. And so while those stories are canon, the events depicted within did not take place on the MCU’s Sacred Timeline, aka the one in which all of the studio’s films and Disney Plus series have been set…but maybe that’s not the case after all.

    In an interview with Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeier, Winderbaum seemingly contradicted Feige’s statement. When asked if the events of the Netflix series were part of the Sacred Timeline, Winderbaum went the long way around to say yes…at least in his mind.

    So, I can say that up until this point, we’ve been a little bit cagey about what’s Sacred Timeline and what’s not. That was born, frankly, out of a period at the studio where we were like “we have to stick the landing with Avengers.” It was another part of the company developing the Netflix stuff; we were aware of what they were doing, they were aware of what we were doing, but it was a lot.. it was a lot to balance anyway. But now that some time has passed, now that we actually see how well-integrated the stories are, I personally, Brad Winderbaum, will confidently say that they are part of the Sacred Timeline.

    Brad Winderbaum giving Brad Winderbaum’s view on if Netflix series are part of the Sacred Timeline

    Winderbaum’s admission to the studio’s caginess around the inclusion of specific projects on the Sacred Timeline touches on a topic much discussed and debated online. Many fans believe in its Marvel Studios’ best interests to avoid answering the question of canonicity in order to continue generating online discussion. However, given his very important new position at the studio, Winderbaum seems uniquely positioned to have THE answer to the question. It’s likely that something in the upcoming series, Echo, will connect so directly to the Netflix series that there will be no room left for questions.

    All 5 episodes of Echo will synchronously debut on Hulu and D+ at 9 PM EST on January 9th.

  • ‘Echo’ Star Alaqua Cox Explains How Her Childhood Trauma Prepared Her for the Role

    ‘Echo’ Star Alaqua Cox Explains How Her Childhood Trauma Prepared Her for the Role

    Alaqua Cox was brand new to the Hollywood scene when she co-starred in Marvel Studios 2021 D+ streaming series, Hawkeye. After having only one high school play under her belt, the actress serendipitously came across a casting call for a deaf, Native American actress and decided, in her own words, “to go for it.” After landing the role of Maya Lopez, Cox‘s hard work and determination in the role impressed the Marvel brass so much that, according to executive producer Trinh Tran, they determined she’s earned the opportunity to “be a superhero in her own right.” That decision led to the development of the Marvel Spotlight series, Echo, which debuts simultaneously on both Disney Plus and Hulu on January 9th.

    Echo represents the first Marvel Studios project led by a deaf and Native American and, due to some intense violence, is also their first TV-MA offering. As seen in Hawkeye, Maya Lopez grew up in the world of organized crime in New York; however, Echo is set to explore an earlier period in time in the character’s life and detail the trauma that led her and her father, William Lopez, to end up working for Wilson Fisk. During a global press event, Cox explained how her own set of difficult circumstances prepared her for the role of Echo.

    Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in Marvel Studios’ Echo, exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2023. All Rights Reserved.

    Well, we’re similar. I was raised with some trauma. We both have childhood trauma, of course, that we’re raised with. And it was different, of course. For example, I grew up, as you know, I am an amputee. So, I went through many different kinds of surgeries as a child. And so, that made me a warrior, in a sense. And her, Maya, she had the death of her mother, and all these tragic events that happened in her life. So, we both have different traumatic experiences. So, it kind of makes us very similar in a way because we’re both warriors, and we’re tough, and we’re badass, and I believe that’s how we’re the same.

    -Alaqua Cox

    While Cox certainly faced–and overcame–significant trauma to end up starring in her own Marvel Studios series, her childhood wasn’t defined by it. The actress, who grew up on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin, credits a life full of athletics, along with growing up with an older brother, for toughening her up and preparing for the physical role.

    “Luckily, I grew up playing different kinds of sports as well,” said Cox. “Plus, I do have an older brother who helped me become more of an athlete, because he’s very much an athletic person. We’re about a year and a half apart, so we wrestled growing up. So that toughened me up. And then, when I did get the role,” she continued, “I had a stunt training team. About five days a week I would go to the training, and it was a lot. I learned so much as well. ‘Cause growing up in sports, there wasn’t a lot of stunt-specific things in sports, so stunt training was a whole new world to me. And I was able to learn choreography, jabs, fights, and those specific moves, and that was so fun, and very challenging as well. But that was the greatest part of the project. So, it was a fun journey for me.“

    As seen in the trailers and promotional footage for the series, Cox did quite a bit of her own stuntwork for the series, including a one-take fight scene similar to those featured in Netflix’s Daredevil series. See how Cox’s determination and hard work has paid off when Echo debuts on January 9th.

    About Echo

    Marvel Studios presents Echo, spotlighting Maya Lopez as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy. Echo stars Alaqua Cox (Hawkeye) as Maya Lopez, as well as Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs) and Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind), with Graham Greene (1883, Goliath) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Daredevil, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), who returns to the villainous role of Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin.

    Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai). Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre and Sydney Freeland. Co-executive producers are Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin. Marvel Studios’ Echo launches on Disney+ and Hulu Jan. 9, 2024.

  • ‘Echo’: Marvel Studios New Marvel Spotlight Explained

    ‘Echo’: Marvel Studios New Marvel Spotlight Explained

    Marvel’s next streaming series, Echo, will check off a lot of “firsts” for the studio. With a story centered around Alqua Cox’s Maya Lopez–who was first introduced in 2021’s D+ streaming series, Hawkeye— Echo will be the first MCU project led by both a deaf and Native American actress. As the studio’s first TV-MA project, it will stream synchronously on Hulu and D+, where all 5 episodes will drop on January 9th. And, after some post-production retooling, the series will also be the first project to debut under a brand new production banner for the studio known as Marvel Spotlight. The banner is more than just semantical doublespeak, however, as it represents a new direction for the studio that’s deeply connected to the long history of Marvel Comics.

    One of three “tryout books” devised by Stan Lee when he became president of the House of Ideas, Marvel Spotlight was an anthology series that introduced new characters such as Red Wolf, Jessica Drew, Werewolf By Night, Ghost Rider and Son of Satan and then assess the reaction of the readership before greenlighting new series. Additionally, Marvel Spotlight books included stories about previously established characters which, in some cases, retconned major pieces of their stories or provided additional background essential to them. One such instance was 1976’s Marvel Spotlight #31 which in a story about Nick Fury, introduced the Infinity Formula as the reason behind the character’s unnatural hold on youth. Though Echo is not the first appearance of Maya Lopez, the series does stick to the Marvel Spotlight in this way by revealing the true origin of the character.

    Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez in Marvel Studios’ Echo, releasing on Hulu and Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2023. All Rights Reserved.

    According to an official project announcement from Marvel Studios, Marvel Spotlight projects will bring “more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen.” Additionally, “under the new banner“, series such as Echo “can focus on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity” and, perhaps most importantly, “viewers don’t have to watch any other Marvel series to understand the plot.” While the “street-level stakes” are certainly eye-catching, especially for fans of Netflix’s Defenders-verse series, the last bit of the announcement deserves some attention as well.

    In theory–and hopefully in practice–a Marvel Spotlight series will not require any prior exposure to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the case of Echo, that means anyone who tunes in on Disney Plus or Hulu will not have to have seen, nor have any understanding of, Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law or even, as heretical as it may seem, a single one of Daredevil’s 39 episodes. Not only does that render features such as the ridiculous “The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Echo” totally meaningless, it also implies–if not promises–that any and all background information necessary to fully digest the plot of Echo will be included within its 5 episodes.

    In this way, the new banner represents an interesting pivot for the studio at a time when casual fans have begun to decry the interconnectivity of the projects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (please, let that last sentence strike you however it may). Yes, Marvel Spotlight projects like Echo will include characters, such as Daredevil and Kingpin, from the ever-expanding MCU but whatever is NECESSARY to the plot of the series will be contained within. That provides a classic win-win scenario for Marvel Studios in which if a viewer wants to watch every episode of Daredevil or Hawkeye ahead of Echo, they could–potentially–find their viewing experience enhanced. However, a newbie could also tune in on January 9th and find out everything they need to know throughout a much shorter period of time. Choose your own adventure and you win either way.

    About Echo

    Marvel Studios presents Echo, spotlighting Maya Lopez as she is pursued by Wilson Fisk’s criminal empire. When the journey brings her home, she must confront her own family and legacy. Echo stars Alaqua Cox (Hawkeye) as Maya Lopez, as well as Chaske Spencer (Wild Indian, The English), Tantoo Cardinal (Killers of the Flower Moon, Stumptown), Devery Jacobs (FX’s Reservation Dogs, American Gods), Zahn McClarnon (Dark Winds, FX’s Reservation Dogs) and Cody Lightning (Hey, Viktor!, Four Sheets to the Wind), with Graham Greene (1883, Goliath) and Vincent D’Onofrio (Hawkeye, Daredevil, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), who returns to the villainous role of Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin.

    Episodes of the series are directed by Sydney Freeland (Navajo) and Catriona McKenzie (Gunaikurnai). Executive producers are Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Brad Winderbaum, Victoria Alonso, Richie Palmer, Jason Gavin (Blackfeet), Marion Dayre and Sydney Freeland. Co-executive producers are Jennifer L. Booth and Amy Rardin. Marvel Studios’ Echo launches on Disney+ and Hulu Jan. 9, 2024.

  • Ranking Season 2 of Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’ Episodes

    Ranking Season 2 of Marvel Studios ‘What If…?’ Episodes

    The second season of Marvel Studios canonical animated adventure, What If…?, took viewers on another trip around the Multiverse, exploring alternate realities where things play out a little–or a lot–differently than on the Scared Timeline. Marvel’s second go-round with the idea produced a stronger season overall, though occasionally the creators weren’t quite as far “out of the box” as they could have been. With all 9 episodes now streaming on Disney Plus, we took a stab at ranking them all…

    9. What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?

    Unfortunately, like its predecessor from Season 1, “What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” fails to diverge enough from the film that inspired it. While there were a few changes, including having the Red Room play a role in the episode, it’s still just Captain America: The Winter Soldier but with Peggy in Steve’s boots. Peggy’s given much more to do in the two-part season finale and the character would be better served with more original ideas. Let’s hope we don’t have to see “What If…Captain Carter Started a Civil War?” in Season 3.

    8. What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?

    Strange-Supreme in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    “What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?” featured some really cool concepts. The multiversal Sanctum Infinitum. Universe Killers. The Forge. However, the concepts fell victim to lackluster execution and the Universe Killers turned out to be a bunch of characters we’ve all seen before. While this episode certainly feels like a little preview into how Avengers: Secret Wars might adapt the Battleworld concept into the MCU, here’s to hoping Michael Waldron’s script includes at least a couple of characters we haven’t already spent a bunch of time with. Please, stop including the Black Order in things.

    7. What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?

    Nebula in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    Marvel’s film noir episode, the heavy-handed Blade Runner vibes in “What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?” hide some of the blemishes present in the story itself. With the opportunity to diverge entirely from James Gunn‘s Nova Corps mall cops and create something more aligned with the comics, the episode sails along in mediocrity with half-baked ideas. No episode of the season has a more “could, woulda, shoulda” feel than this.

    6. What If…Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?

    The “Lost Gamora” episode of Season 1 made its long-awaited debut and did not disappoint. Part The Running Man and part Death Race, the episode reminds the audience that no matter where he is in the Multiverse, Tony Stark is a force to be reckoned with and one of the MCU’s true heroes. It could have benefited from straying a little further from the events of Thor: Ragnarok but it still landed well.

    5. What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?

    1602 Wanda Merlin in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    As the creators of the episode pointed out, sometimes a story just needs to be fun. And there’s no doubt that “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?” is a lot of fun. It’s fun because the voice cast is having fun–Jon Favreau really leaned into Sir Harold “The Happy” Hogan and Paul Rudd is always a treat–and because it features some great moments. It lacks the bigger bang of the 2003 Neil Gaiman limited series that inspired it but that may boil down to the inability to include some of the characters and ideas explored there. Still, it’s entertaining and gave a little more insight into the idea of Incursions, reminding us of the possibility that any of these realities–and the characters that inhabit them–could return down the road.

    4. What If…Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?

    (L-R): Dr. Wendy Lawson/Mar-vell, Bill Foster/Goliath, Black Panther/King T’Chaka, and Hank Pym/Ant-Man in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    Alternatively titled “What If…Yondu Did the Job Ego Hired Him For?”, this episode takes a pretty sweet left turn and explores an alternate reality where there came a day unlike any other when Earth’s mightiest heroes found themselves united against a common threat. The all-new, all-different Avengers that assemble in the episode are a fun gang (it’s great to see Bill Foster and hear Lawrence Fishburn!) and there’s a wonderful theme present about the true nature of a hero, in this cast Peter Quill. While you could call into question why some of the characters were included at all–will Marvel Studios ever tell a cool Mar-Vell story?–this is a great example of the type of stories What If…? can deliever.

    3. What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?

    Tony Stark/Iron Man in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    If “What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?” is an example of an episode with a great concept that didn’t work well in execution, “What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” is an example of an episode with a ridiculous concept that was executed to perfection. There’s no reason this episode should have worked as well as it did…but it did and it was a blast. Favreau’s willingness to go all in on the crazy as The Freak deserves praise as does the work done by Sam Rockwell in his return as Justin Hammer.

    2. What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?

    (L-R): Xu Wenwu and Hela in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    It’s hard to imagine how an episode like “What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” can exist in the same season as something as creative as “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?”. It’s especially hard when the beginning of the episode seems to be stepping in the same wrong direction of the Carter story by putting Hela in Thor’s unworthy shoes; however, it takes a hard left turn and tells one of the best stories in the anthology to date. It also has produced an alternate reality as different as any the series has created short of the one in which Kahhori lives. This type of story is why the studio should continue to produce more seasons of What If…? but only if they take care to curate them in the way they did here.

    1. What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?

    Kahhori in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

    The best episode of the season and of the series to date, “What If…Kahhori Shaped the World?” proves what’s possible when creativity is unleashed. Unrestrained by trying to rhyme with any beats from any particular MCU story before it, the episode introduced the beautiful Mohawk Skyworld, explored the nature of the power of the Space Stone and gave the MCU its first original hero in Wolf Clan member Kahhori. With another season of What If…? on the docket, here’s to hoping the wonderful reception this episode received from fans inspires more stories of its kind.

          Two 9-episode seasons of What If…? are now streaming on Disney Plus. Check out our rankings of the first season’s episodes right here!

        1. Series Creators Explain Why They Took ‘What If…?’ to 1602

          Series Creators Explain Why They Took ‘What If…?’ to 1602

          The penultimate episode of Marvel Studios animated streaming series What If…? saw Peggy Carter transported to 1602 where she joined a small collection of familiar faces in solving the mystery behind an Incursion that threatened their universe. Inspired by Neil Gaiman’s 2003 limited series, the episode had its fair share of cool moments that didn’t quite coalesce into the banger it could have been. Still, “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602” is a fun episode that pays homage to one of Marvel Comics’ more entertaining alternate universes and one of fiction’s most imaginative authors. And according to the creators of the series, finding a way to work Gaiman’s 1602 into the series has been a priority for some time.

          Director and Executive Producer Bryan Andrews revealed that the episode is one that had been in development for quite some time though the team wasn’t quite sure where it would fit. “[We] needed to find the right time to do it,” said Andrews. “It’s so fun to see such different versions of these characters—Loki and Happy are true highlights in this episode.” It turns out that one of the reasons Loki was such a highlight is that writer AC Bradley had her own agenda for star Tom Hiddleston, who voiced the character in the episode. “Ha! Honestly, this whole thing was just my sneaky ploy to see Tom Hiddleston do Hamlet,” said Bradley. “He’s one of the best Shakespearean actors alive, and it was so cool to see him perform Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy off-book.” All jokes aside, Bradley explained that the episode truly came together because of one simple truth: there was a good story to tell.

          All storytelling, from the first cave drawings to the modern cinematic universes, is about connection, asking your audience: ‘Is this your story, too?’ The same holds true when adapting beloved storylines and IP. I first seek out the human story—the heart. The world of 1602 is one of chaos and confusion with our MCU heroes trapped in an alternate history. The burning questions are: How did they end up here? How can they restore their world?

          AC Bradley

          Outside of being full of the potential Bradley described, writer Ryan Little also pointed out that there was another factor involved in choosing to adapt Gaiman’s comic: it was just plain fun. “I’ll always remember the first time I read Neil Gaiman’s original 1602 [Marvel comics] series in high school,” said Little. “We filled this episode with 1602 iterations of characters from across the MCU to share with everyone that same fun Neil created when first exploring Elizabethan Marvel in his original run.” And if nothing else, the creators found the fun in 1602.

          All episodes of What If…? are now streaming on Disney Plus.

        2. Marvel Studios Falls Short of Neil Gaiman’s Magic in ‘What If…?’ Episode 8

          Marvel Studios Falls Short of Neil Gaiman’s Magic in ‘What If…?’ Episode 8

          In 2003, author Neil Gaiman’s eight-issue limited series, 1602, reimagined the existence of a couple dozen Marvel Comics heroes and villains in Elizabethan England. Make no mistake, while it was fun and won an award or two, the series was no critical darling. While it hit the mark with readers and ultimately spawned three sequels, critics were split on Gaiman’s first work for Marvel since he wrote Marvelman in the early 1990s. In fact, Comics Bulletin’s Cody Dolan described the series as a “glorified What If…? series” that was neither “revolutionary” nor “groundbreaking.” Unfortunately for Marvel Studios, their attempt to adapt that very same series into their own animated What If…? series is even less revolutionary.

          This is certainly not to say that there’s no fun to be had in Episode 8, “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?”; in fact, it’s rather loaded with solid performances, fun one-liners and even the return of The Freak. However, despite all the magic at the disposal of Wanda Merlin, who is revealed to be responsible for bringing Haley Atwell’s Captain Carter to the 1602 universe, the episode fails to capture even the limited magic of Gaiman’s original and oft-derided series.

          1602 Wanda Merlin in Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF…?, Season 2 exclusively on Disney+. © 2023 MARVEL.

          Unfortunately, a collection of moments does not a good episode make. And so not Jon Favreau’s Sir Harold “The Happy” Hogan, nor Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, nor even Tom Hiddelston’s Loki doing Hamlet can find the right additive recipe to make the episode nearly as engaging as Gaiman’s comics. In the end, it feels as though the 1602 episode was one that the creators of What If…? were determined to shoehorn into the series from its inception.

          Despite the lack of creative chutzpah apparent in it (to be fair, it’s likely that many of the characters that made the comic book series so entertaining were not available to the creators), the episode does come tantalizingly close to entangling the animated series in the larger ongoing issues that predominate the Multiverse Saga. Though it’s not explicitly stated, the presence of Steve Rogers “Hood”–once again the Man Out of Time–in 1602 is causing an Incursion. And, of course, there’s the much more axiomatic premise that no matter where or when these stories take place, Marvel’s core heroes remain Marvel’s core heroes. And as the Multiverse Saga approaches its swan song, “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?” reminds us that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes can assemble anywhere and anywhen.

        3. ‘What If…?’ Creators on Cate Blanchett’s Return, Hela’s Arc in Episode 7

          ‘What If…?’ Creators on Cate Blanchett’s Return, Hela’s Arc in Episode 7

          In the most intriguing episode of What If…? Season 2 to date, Episode 7, “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?” explores an alternate path for the Goddess of Death. Rather than imprisoning his daughter in Hel, Odin banishes here to Earth where she meets Xu Wenwu, discovers who she truly is and becomes a champion of peace and freedom across the galaxy. It’s a wonderful episode that fully embraces the true nature of What If…? and as the cherry on top, it’s elevated by Cate Blanchett’s return to the role.

          Blanchett drew wide-ranging praise for slaying the role of the deranged and bloodthirsty firstborn of Odin in Thor: Ragnarok and does nothing here other than add to an already great character. As you might imagine, in an animated series where the stars who brought characters such as Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow to life aren’t part of the voice cast, the creators of What If…? were thrilled to have an actress of Blanchett’s caliber on board. “I mean, we got Cate Blanchett! And she’s amazing.” exclaimed director and executive producer Bryan Andrews when sharing his excitement for the episode.

          Andrews’ excitement was shared by Matthew Chauncey, who took over writing duties for the episode. “We’re all such huge fans of her work, obviously, who isn’t?“, asked Chauncey. Chauncey went on to explain that the genesis of the episode came not only from loving what Blanchett’s Hela accomplished in 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok but also from wondering why Odin treated his daughter so much more harshly than his sons.

          AC Bradley and I both love Ragnarok and Hela specifically, but something that always
          struck us was how her dad did her kind of dirty in that movie compared to how he treated his sons. Think about it: When Thor starts acting a fool in his first movie, Odin sends him on a sort of cosmic time-out to Earth. But his daughter? Nope, he just locks her in Hel for all
          eternity and throws away the key. It got us thinking: How much of Hela’s villainy is a product
          of her own nature and how much of it was created by the way her father treated her? What
          would happen if instead of locking her in Hel, he banished her to Earth to teach her a
          lesson?

          Matthew Chanuncy

          The result is an episode that creates one arguably the most interesting alternate universes introduced in the animated streaming series. By setting the divergence point one thousand years before Thor’s Sacred Timeline banishment, the episode’s butterfly effect becomes nearly as exciting to ponder as the Asgardian-Ten Rings alliance formed during it.

          The first 8 episodes of Season 2 of What If…? are now streaming on Disney Plus with the season finale set to debut at 12 AM PST/3 AM EST.

        4. ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Find Success Through Alchemy in Episode 7

          ‘What If…?’ Season 2 Find Success Through Alchemy in Episode 7

          Derivation is the fundamental underlying concept of What If…?. In both the comic book series and the streaming series it inspired, stories are spawned by imagining an alternate history of a familiar character whose path diverged at some point. That point of divergence–or Nexus Point–begets an entirely new universe on an entirely new timeline. And it also begets an entirely new set of consequences. To that end, Season 2 of What If…? may not have a more intriguing installment than Episode 7, “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?”.

          Set within the once-hidden history of Asgard that was revealed in Thor: Ragnarok, “What If…Hela Found the Ten Rings?” creates a new scenario in which rather than banishing his sanguinary daughter to Hel, Odin casts her out down to Midgard. The scene unfolds parallel to the more familiar banishment of Thor (as seen in director Kenneth Branagh’s 2011 film) right down to the spell the Allfather places on Hela’s signature helm. Make no mistake, this decision sets the episode on the precipice of becoming a boringly derivative adventure where Hela simply follows in the footsteps of the Sacred Timeline’s Thor (watch Episode 5, “What If…Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?” if that’s your thing); however, writer Matt Chauncey‘s creative choices allow for a wonderfully bold new adventure to unfold on Earth…and beyond.

          By setting the episode roughly one thousand years before the events of Thor, Chauncey opened the door for Hela, one of Marvel’s most audacious villains, to cross paths with someone nearly as ruthless as her: Xu Wenwu. Awestruck by the now powerless Asgardian’s will, Wenwu proposes an alliance that would see Hela join him in protecting the people of Earth. Clearly uncomfortable with the idea, Hela flees Wenwu’s compound and-with the help of the dijiang Morris–finds her way to Ta Lo where one of its Protectors, Jiayi, helps her break free from Odin’s conditioning and break free to walk her own path and regain her crown. Once reunited with Wenwu the result is hardly what one would expect of the two characters from the Sacred Timeline. Rather than amplify each other’s destructive qualities, Hela and Wenwu choose to become champions of peace and, after defeating Odin, join with Asgard to help rid the universe of callous warlords and conquerors.

          What’s put forth on-screen during the episode is worthy enough; however, what’s possible within this new alternate universe created by the divergence is equally fascinating. As the original change to the familiar story ripples throughout time, a fascinating cascade of changes emerges. With Odin storming across the galaxy liberating those who are held down, is Thor ever born? And if he is, it’s highly unlikely his journey would have much in common with his Sacred Timeline counterpart. Given that the Asgardian-Ten Rings alliance is seen charging at Thanos and a young Gamora, it would seem unlikely that the Mad Titan’s quest for the Infinity Stones would ever happen. And since in the Sacred Timeline Gamora and Shang-Chi are the same age and given Wenwu’s partnership with Hela and his lack of interest in seizing the power of Ta Lo for himself, there’s probably no Shang-Chi waiting for his own adventure. Much as the episode allowed Hela to explore her true nature, it also fully embraces the true nature of the premise of What If…?. One change leads to a new one and each new action leads to another until familiar characters exist in an entirely unfamiliar universe. And now, as happened on occasion in the comics, the streaming series has created an alternate universe worthy of further exploration.

          What If….? Season 2 will stream new episodes daily through December 30th.

        5. ‘What If…?’ Creatives Go Behind the Scenes on Episode 6

          ‘What If…?’ Creatives Go Behind the Scenes on Episode 6

          In what was inarguably their most innovative and inspired creative choice, the team behind What If…? produced an entire episode set in Kanien’kehá:ka and featuring members of the Mohawk Wolf Clan including the MCU’s first original hero, Kahhori. An episode that features the kind of unbridled creativity that helped make Marvel’s publishing house known as the House of Ideas, “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?” was an achievement four years in the making that required a vast collaborative effort. The end result is an episode with not only original characters but also an original, in-universe mythology rooted in the culture of the First Nations’ people. In an official production brief, executive producer and episode director Bryan Andrews and writer Ryan Little provided some insight into the creation “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?”.

          The episode imagines a universe in which the Tesseract fell to Earth from Asgard and shattered upon impact allowing the Space Stone inside to imbue a lake in New York in North America’s Haudenosaunee Confederacy with its powers. That Forbidden Lake became a portal to another dimension known as the Skyworld where members of the Mohawk nation existed utopically away from the growing dangers of European colonization. According to Andrews, though the episode didn’t appear until the second season of What If…?, the episode was devised when he first boarded the project.

          The Kahhori Skyworld episode is a special one. One of my first ideas when I came on to What If…? was doing a First Nations episode—what if colonization failed because there were super beings already there? It finally came to life in season two and Ryan Little did an amazing job on it and working with our Mohawk consultants.

          Bryan Andrews

          Writer Ryan Little backed Andrews‘ claim and gave some insight into the work that went into putting the episode together over the last four years. “We spent four years working with historical and language experts from Kanien’kehá:ka, the Mohawk Nation, to craft this episode.” In the episode, members of the Mohawk Nation speak to one another only in Kanien’kéha, their native language, allowing for a much more authentic representation of the people and their culture. It didn’t end with language, however, as the studio’s collaboration with historian Doug George and Mohawk language expert Cecelia King factored into every creative decision in the episode according to Little. “They collaborated with us on every layer of the story from the characters’ names, personalities and costumes to the look of the civilization and the surrounding wilderness to make every facet of this episode the most accurate depiction possible.”

          The end result was a strikingly beautiful episode that has been well-received by the Mohawk community according to Jeremy White, who voiced another one of the episode’s original heroes, Atahraks.

          The first seven episodes of Season 2 of What If…? are now streaming on Disney Plus and a new episode will be released every day through December 30th.

        6. ‘What If…?’ Unleashes Its Full Potential in Episode 6

          ‘What If…?’ Unleashes Its Full Potential in Episode 6

          The House of Ideas. That moniker has been with Marvel Comics for much of its nearly 85 years in the publishing business. Beginning with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, The House of Ideas created a multiverse full of some of the most beloved fictional characters in the industry. For 15 years now, those characters have been at the center of pop culture as the narrative of the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to unfold across screens big and small. However, in that time, for all the liberties Marvel Studios took with characters and stories from the pages of Marvel Comics, they had never created an original superhero…until now.

          On display in Episode 6 of the second season of What If…?, “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?” was, for the first time, the type of unbridled creativity that gave Marvel Comics the House of Ideas nickname in the first place. Set in North America’s Haudenosaunee Confederacy at an undefined time in pre-colonial America, the episode introduced the MCU’s first original superhero, a Mohawk Wolf Clan woman named Kahhori, and then quickly followed that up by introducing a dozen or so more powered-up Kanien:ke people. Throughout the episode, the Mohawk people–whose way of life is being threatened by Spanish conquistadors–speak authentically in their native Kanien’kéha thanks to the studio’s collaboration with historian Doug George and Mohawk language expert Cecelia King. Never in the history of comic book projects has a Native American people been treated so reverently. But the creativity hardly stops with a wonderful new hero and some closed captions.

          From start to finish (well, almost–they did drop dickhead Strange in there), the episode blazes its own trail. Beginning with Surtur’s successful Ragnarok set at some undisclosed point in time before Odin placed the Tesseract in the care of the people of Tønsberg, “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?” features nary a single familiar beat from the MCU. Beginning with the fate of the Tesseract, creators Bryan Andrews and Ryan Little played very liberally with the premise of What If…? in this episode and the payoff was monumental. With the butterfly effect in full effect, the creatives were able to get schwifty with the possibilities of the Space Stone and its spacetime powers. The inventiveness led not only to a beautiful, new in-universe mythology that introduced the Mohawk Skyworld but also a wonderful powerset resulting from exposure to the Tesseract-powered waters of the Forbidden Lake.

          As teased in the closing moments of the episode, Kahhori’s story hasn’t come to a close. While she has a larger role to play in Season 2 of What If…?, it would feel like a missed opportunity if the studio didn’t include the character in one or both parts of the two-part finale to the Multiverse Saga. With some interpretation of one or another of Marvel Comics’ Battleworld stories sure to take place, the inclusion of Kahhori–now one of the most powerful heroes in the Multiverse–doesn’t seem like a bridge too far. Though she was voiced by Devery Jacobs in What If…?, Jacobs is already holding down a live-action role in the MCU. That opens the door for Amber Midthunder, who in 2022 made it clear she was ready to join the MCU and told us her hopes to continue to push for indigenous representation in Hollywood blockbusters, to possibly fill the role.

          While the MCU cannot and certainly should not look to create brand new heroes, mythologies and universes in every project, “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?” serves as a wonderful reminder of what creators can do when they find true inspiration. Here they have delivered undoubtedly the best episode of What If…? and opened the door for a fascinating new hero to join the best of the rest in the Multiverse should those calling the shots have the courage.