What If…?, created by A.C. Bradley, is Marvel’s most recent Disney Plus show to air since the release of Loki. The fully animated show spans a total of nine episodes with each episode having a run time of around 30 minutes. What If…? explores alternate universes that focus on what would happen if major events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe happened differently. Each episode focuses on a different alternate universe, but are all connected by a cosmic being known as The Watcher, voiced by Jeffrey Wright, who watches over the universes, but will not and cannot intervene. The show also includes a number of fan favorite characters including Black Panther, Iron Man, Thor, and Peggy Carter. 

Currently, What If…? has a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and has numerous promising aspects. For example, the animation style of the show is very vibrant and colorful with a good range of depth and good sense of movement between the characters and their environment. Also, the stories chosen in each episode are captivating ideas that are at the very least intriguing. The storytelling is well done with every piece of the story being cohesive and well explained. Furthermore, the casting of the voice actors are very well done and impressive. Many of the onscreen actors return to play their animated counterpart in What If…? While other voice actors do an outstanding job impersonating the characters and their original on screen counterparts. Chadwick Boseman is one of the actors who had the opportunity to return to his role as Black Panther. Boseman’s outstanding final performance before his passing and the tribute paid towards him at the end of the show left many audience members emotional. 

Although What If…? has many positive aspects, it also comes with it’s negatives. For example, although the casting for each character in the show is great, at times it is clear that the actors who play these characters on screen have a hard time conveying emotion offscreen. Jokes and conversation between characters at times can fall flat with the lack of emotion that some of the characters and their voice actors convey. Another issue the show faces is problems in its pacing. With only 30 minutes per episode, give or take, the show can at times feel abruptly too slow or too fast. Certain characters and parts of the story arent fleshed out enough and can lead the audience to have no emotional attachment to them. Lastly, the animation can at times fall flat with certain characters, especially background characters or secondary characters. This can definitely pull the audience out of the immersive stories the show explores. 

What If…? Is a show that definitely has its hits and misses. With intriguing story telling and a very vibrant animation style, there is a lot to enjoy. But there’s no doubt the show lacks in certain areas, including the pacing of the show. With all of this in mind, is Marvel’s What If…? Worth watching? The choice is yours.