What If…? season 1, episode 7 review: What If… Thor Was an Only Child?

Thor reimagined as an adult adolescent who loves to throwing planet-wide parties makes for What If…?’s most delightful–and funniest–episode.

If there’s been a consistent theme during this inaugural season of Disney Plus‘ What If…?, it’s “what is it that defines a hero?”. And we’ve various answers to that question. We’ve had different characters take a different hero’s place, as with Captain Carter and T’Challa Star-Lord. We’ve seen heroes fall into corruption like Doctor Strange Supreme. And last week, we saw what would happen if what made Tony Stark become Iron Man never happened at all.

For What If…?’s seventh episode, it’s Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) turn, with the self-explanatory title of “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?”. Here, the Watcher (Jeffery Wright) makes his case that “it’s relationships who truly define a hero” by showing us a universe in what the Heir to the Throne of Asgard would’ve been like if Odin never adopted Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Well… it seems they’d still be bros, or “brothers from another mother,” as it were. Also, Thor would’ve been just like Tom Cruise from Risky Business, only much stronger, less bright, and carrying around a magic hammer. That’s because this Thor is also the self-proclaimed “Party Prince of Asgard.”

Oh, so that’s what you meant by “First Contact”?

Having spent the better part of a decade playing Thor, [Chris] Hemsworth has his character down to a science (or magic, if you prefer). “What If…Thor Was an Only Child?” however might be his best portrayal of the God of Thunder yet, showing that no matter how much the Marvel Universe may change, he’s still a noble, albeit hopelessly naïve, warrior with kind heart.

Unlike what happened to the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Thor, “Party Thor,” along with Sif and the Warriors Three, willingly goes to Earth once Odin goes into his Odinsleep. And Thor decides to hold the biggest party in all the Nine Realms on what he calls our “backwater little planet” with the entire universe in attendance. Never mind that he’s supposed to be studying up on the Nine Realms as preparation for his becoming king. Or that the last party he held destroyed an entire planet (“It was more of a meteor anyway.”). He genuinely doesn’t want to harm anyone, and just wants to have fun and give everybody a good time.

And boy, does Thor know how to “PAR-TAY!” as “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?” becomes a who’s who of the MCU’s current cosmic line-up. The Gamemaster (Jeff Goldbulm) DJs a rave. Drax (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) samples Asgardian mead. Nebula (Karen Gillan) plays craps. Skrulls shapeshift themselves into Thor’s likeness. Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and Howard the Duck (Seth Green) are married by an Elvis impersonator. Before long, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), having fully embraced his Frost Giant heritage (and size), also arrives with his Jotunheim entourage to join in on the festivities.

Not even a serious-minded astrophysicist like Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) can resist Thor’s charms and luxurious blond locks. One minute, she’s tracking Thor down to Las Vegas thinking he’s the vanguard of an extraterrestrial invasion, and the next minute she’s swooning like a high school teenager and getting matching tattoos with the big, sweet, dumb lug.

And it’s in this interplay between Thor and Jane where “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?” shines the most. Chris Hemsworth is a stand-out, of course, but it’s Natalie Portman’s return as Jane which comes as a pleasant surprise, as she finally seems to be having fun in the role. As a result, the two actors share more on-screen chemistry in animated form than they ever did in live-action. If this is sneak-peak of their performances in Thor: Love and Thunder, then their interaction on-screen will be outstanding.

“There’s a Midgardian word for women like you: Party Pooper!”

Not everyone in this episode likes Thor, believe or not. With Jane having previously alerted S.H.I.E.L.D. of Thor’s arrival, the super secret spy agency are not altogether happy that aliens are making merry on Earth and overstaying their welcome. When Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is accidentally rendered unconscious by Korg (Taika Waititi) performing a cannonball, and Thor’s party spreads across the globe, acting director Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) decides to call in their big gun: Carol Danvers, a.k.a. Captain Marvel (voiced by Alexandra Daniels).

And thus we have the other most delightful aspect of “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?”, as two of the MCU’s most powerful superheroes have a near Dragonball-Z style smackdown all over the world. Sure, the most destructive thing that happens is Thor knocking down Stonehenge as if they’re dominos. Even so, it’s still an impressive battle for the ages, and gets very cinematic (and overly dramatic) once they start trading blows inside darkened storm clouds.

It should also be no surprise that these sequences also allow the animators to pull out all the stops, not just in terms of action, but also how expression conveys character. Thor growing surprised that his lightning doesn’t work on Carol, and Carol’s growing frustration that her punches can’t knock Thor down are used to full comedic effect, while also showing just how evenly matched these two really are.

With Carol having failed to kick Thor off the planet, and the intergalactic house party getting more out of control, S.H.I.E.L.D. starts to consider more desperate options… like luring Thor to Siberia so they can nuke him! But Jane, with Darcy’s help, decides to take an even more extreme course of action: Tattletale on Thor to his mom, Frigga (voiced by Josette Eales). And she doesn’t look happy having her own vacation being interrupted.

“Together, they lived happily ever after. Wait, what?!”

As you may have gathered, “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?” is very, very silly, and that’s a good thing. Considering how the stories of What If…? tends to result in “the end of the world as we know it,” it’s nice to see a alternate reality in which (gasp!) everything works out for the best. Even the Watcher is taken aback that his tale ended with a happy ending. That is, until we get treated to  a genuinely, out-of-nowhere shocking cliffhanger. That this is done to set up the upcoming season finale is of little doubt.

Granted, not all the jokes land, but there’s also no question that this episode had your humble writer laughing at the sheer, delightful absurdity on screen. The bulk of the humor, of course, comes from Chris Hemsworth’s wonderful, charismatic performance. Having spent the better part of a decade playing Thor, Hemsworth has the character down to a science (or magic, if you prefer). “What If… Thor Was an Only Child?” however might be his best portrayal of the God of Thunder yet, showing that no matter how much the Marvel Universe may change, he’s still a noble, albeit hopelessly naïve, warrior with a kind heart.

So if you thought What If…? only told depressing and somber stories, why not give this episode a look see? Even if you think it’s a tad ridiculous, it still makes for a nice alternative for those who think superhero movies and television series can only be taken seriously if the stories they tell are also serious. Because superheroes should never be party poopers.

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 the seventh episode of What If…? ” Don’t forget to give us your own opinions and mini-review below in the comments section.