The Disney+ MCU animated
anthology “What If…?” is now at its sixth episode out of nine for its first streaming
season. From its premiere back in August the show’s premise of building
episodic stories from divergent events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
timeline have become increasingly off-the-wall, and at the same time more
willing to take the consequences of the alternate storylines to outright grim
and dark conclusions. Just how much more unsalvageable a situation be beyond
the destruction of the universe in episode 4? The latest what-if the Watcher
(Jeffrey Wright) showcases returns the stakes to more “manageable” levels. But
the deviations remain sweeping and the conclusion, still dire.
Let us consider “What If…Killmonger
Rescued Tony Stark?” Scenes from this episode actually have prominent exposure
in Marvel Studios’ initial trailers for “What If…?” Its divergence point after
all is in the dawn of the MCU. How different does the setting become when, just
as he was about to be abducted by terrorists from the Ten Rings in Afghanistan,
Tony Stark is saved by a lone US special forces operator, one Erik Stevens,
alias Killmonger, secretly Prince N’Jadaka of Wakanda?
The scene where Killmonger tosses
away the missile that would have canonically left shrapnel in Stark’s heart
gave MCU fans of the character, of which there are many from 2018’s “Black
Panther,” hope that his what-if episode will showcase him as a hero. Further
scenes from the trailer saw Killmonger leading the people of Wakanda in defense
against a highly-advanced invasion force. At the risk of spoilers, it must be
said that those hopes will be dashed. Not only does all of Killmonger’s heroic actions
factor into his master-plan of ambitious, his alleged noble if extremist ideal
of arming abused minorities such as African-Americans to incite revolution are made
lies by some of the deaths he engineers throughout the episode.
In fact, the beginning of this
episode is highlighted by the Watcher as taking away something vital from the
MCU setting. While episode 3 posited the failure of the Avengers initiative to
assemble, this one stops the emergence of MCU heroes to begin with. Without his
canon abduction, witnessing of his company’s armaments being misused, and worry
for his mortality, Tony Stark never becomes Iron Man and remains an weapons
developer, whose genius and resources are exploited. Killmonger demonstrates to
Stark his designs for a vibranium-powered humanoid combat drone, sheepishly
admits he styled it after his favorite anime, and Stark becomes his unwitting,
disposable accomplice.
A contributing factor in Erik
Killmonger’s appeal as one of the MCU’s best-received big baddies is his being
portrayed by actor Michael B. Jordan (“Creed”). Jordan reprises his character’s
voice and masterfully sells both his affable heroic public face and the
violently callous true nature that drives him towards his goal of returning to
Wakanda and putting himself in power. He even shares a momentary argument with
T’Challa over their conflicting viewpoints, in another poignant performance by
the late Chadwick Boseman, which is just appropriate.
Marvel Studios has also released
a new teaser for “What If…?” to mark its series midpoint, and more story-divergent
treats are in store for viewers. Most interesting of all is the Avengers-like
assembly of some of the alternate-universe characters featured in past episodes
from Captain Carter to T’Challa Star-Lord. What does it mean? When does this
happen? We will just have to wait for the next episode of Marvel’s “What If…?”
streaming Wednesdays on Disney+.
Image from Comic Book Resources
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