The “What If…?” comic made its debut in 1977, kicking off with the question “What If Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?” As it turned out, altering one key moment in history — the Fantastic Four had indeed offered Spidey membership, and he passed — caused ripples large and small. As unintended consequences go, the anthological format offered examples of the butterfly effect via new stories each month, sometimes clever and others far-fetched.
That episode, which weaves T’Challa into the Guardians of the Galaxy mythology, might be the most out-there of the three previewed, but it nicely encapsulates the ability to take wild swings that play off fans’ passion for the movies.
Each story is introduced by the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), an omniscient narrator sworn not to intervene in these twists of fate, who describes the multi-verse as “a prism of endless possibilities.”
In the first, Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) receives the super-soldier serum, becoming a smashing version of Captain America, only draped in the Union Jack instead of the stars and stripes. In another, someone seeks to interfere with the Avengers Initiative, touching upon the most fundamental building blocks of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Running roughly a half-hour, the episodes unfold with a great sense of economy. They’re also distinguished by the animation, placing the series in a fascinating in-between zone that approximates the live-action characters’ look while reveling in the latitude the medium provides in creating comic-book-like images popping off the page.
“What If…?” premieres Aug. 11 on Disney+.