When I saw What If on my Disney+ home screen, I was instantly filled with excitement at the idea of a new Marvel show. 

As a devoted Marvel fan, I had already seen the other two Marvel shows released this year; The Falcon and Winter Soldier and WandaVison.  My Marvel journey started with Spider-Man Homecoming, but now almost four years later, I have seen every Marvel show or movie out to date. 

I started What If with my family, but they soon lost interest—I was hooked. I looked forward to any free time I had knowing it would be filled with the lingering questions I had about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The chance to see my favorite characters yet again was a chance I wasn’t going to allow to slip through my fingers. 

At first, I was disappointed by the fact that the show was animated, but after finishing the show, I had grown to appreciate the comic-book-esque features. I found myself captivated by the almost fan fiction/reality show that was What If. 

What If is a show about the Multiverse, where every reality is possible and there are multiple universes. In one episode, we meet a Tony Stark that is saved by Erik Killmonger—Black Panther’s cousin. He never gets his redemption story. In another episode, we meet a Thor who wasn’t raised with his brother, Loki; he was a party animal and had no care for heroism. All these new takes on favorite characters made me enjoy the show that much more. I enjoyed seeing what could have been, and I especially enjoyed the episode on Doctor Strange. I was enthralled by each episode. 

Up until the second to last episode in the nine-episode series, I was a bit confused. I didn’t fully understand how each episode was connected. I thought the show to be a fun take on the different Marvel universes, but by the end of the show, I understood that every small change leads to a larger one that can change everything and that even far apart, and seemingly unconnected, everyone plays a part in everyone’s life. 

I am thoroughly upset by the lack of publicizing for What If. I hadn’t seen a single ad or heard anything about the show. I found the show by scrolling through Disney+, and while I was utterly in love with the show that was growing darker with every episode, it seems as though I am the only one. 

I understand the hesitance with the fact that What If is an animated show, but each episode explores questions no fan has ever seen answered. This is a unique Marvel idea on their part, and no show can compare when it comes to originality. No other fandom can say they have a show accurately answering fans’ questions. 

I relished each episode. As the show continued, the themes seemed to get darker and darker. I enjoyed the reminder that people help make up our personalities. Connections to other people are such important factors of who we are as humans, and What If did a spectacular job of showing that. I look forward to other shows from Marvel and will hold them to the same high standards What If created.