Marvel’s What If…? season 1, episode 1 review: The First Avenger

Does the first episode of What If…?, Marvel Studios’  first trip into the world of animation, live up to expectations? 

“What If…?” That’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves at one point or another. It’s also one that Marvel’s latest Disney Plus excursion poses us with.

The studio’s first foray into the world of animated television can be summed up by the definition of its title. Flipping the script on the events that transpired in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it dares to ask us: What if things were different?

And what better way to start than to take us right back to the beginning of the story and give us a chance to see what would have happened if it all panned out differently and Steve Rogers wasn’t the one who became Captain America.

What If…? Peggy Carter became the first Avenger

What If…? is all about cause and effect, and the series premiere wastes little time highlighting that as it conveys how one different decision can open up an entire multiverse of possibilities, because Peggy Carter’s decision not to stand behind the glass during Steve Rogers’ transformation into a super soldier creates a timeline in which she must step up and become one instead.

What follows is essentially a retelling of 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger in that it literally retells the story of the movie but with a different hero at the forefront. Peggy has become Captain Carter, once again proving her own value to her misogynistic superiors, and helping save the world from Hydra. And, like Captain America, she receives help from Bucky Barnes, Howard Stark, Dum Dum Dugan – and even Steve Rogers himself (who finds a way to save the world without the formula by becoming the first ever Iron Man).

In a series that will undoubtedly get crazier as it goes on, “What If… Captain Carter Became The First Avenger” shines because of its simplicity. Yes, it retells a story that we’re familiar with but that in and of itself highlights the beauty of the multiverse.

It doesn’t just exist to be expansive, it also exists to personify the notion of What if things were different? and the premiere takes its time to explore that notion. Let the live-action properties deal with the endless dangers that the larger-than-life concept deals with, and let What If…? continue to show us the fun, simpler side of things. And sometimes, it’s as simple as one different decision changing the protagonist of the story.

And fun is exactly what the series premiere is, with Hayley Atwell shining in her return as Agent Carter, capturing both the grit and tenderness in voice alone that made her character such a beloved part of the MCU fabric. Though some of the voice mixing in general is off (the “What in Heavens?” line still sounds peculiar), it isn’t enough to take away from a highly enjoyable series premiere with a truly amazing animation style as it takes us back to a familiar beginning to tell a very different story.

We could do with more Peggy Carter in the MCU (seriously Marvel, bring back Agent Carter) and this just highlighted that.

What If…? releases new episodes on Disney+ each Wednesday at 12:01 a.m. PT and 3:01 a.m. ET.

What did you think of Marvel’s What If…? season 1, episode 1? Did you enjoy the series premiere? Let us know in the comments below!