What If…? is pure MCU, the fourth show in the Disney+ MCU Phase Four with clean, dynamic animation by several studios including Squeeze. The episode begins with narration by Jeffrey Wright speaking about time while we see characters in crystal bars of color. Wright is known for playing Bernard Lowe in Westworld. This breaks into a diamond of different realities which shatters and then we move through space to end with the eyes of the Watcher. A group of Watchers was seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017). The character, Uatu, was introduced in Fantastic Four #13 (1963). He finds humanity fascinating especially the Fantastic Four. The Watcher introduces us to the first reality, troops march in the Europe of June, 1943, it is the time of the Red Skull. Also, this is the setting for Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). We have the skinny Steve Rogers ready to be transformed in Project Rebirth.
There is a choice that changes the course of reality, Steve Rogers (Josh Keaton) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) are standing on a platform above Project Rebirth. Keaton is a voice actor who worked on the Disney XD Spider-Man series. It’s great to have the return of Atwell as Peggy Carter, she was last in Avengers: Endgame (2019) and of course starred in the series, Agent Carter (2015-2016). They walk up to Dr. Abraham Erskine voiced by the incredible Stanley Tucci, I’m glad that there is more moments with his character. He asks Agent Carter is she wants to watch from the booth and Peggy replies that she wants to stay branching reality. Rogers is placed in bed platform while Peggy walks away with some other personnel. While Erskine explains the process, Peggy notices the saboteur, too late! He sets off the explosion that rips up the Project Rebirth lab and kills Erskine though there is no real mention of his death.
Skinny Steve gets out of the pod, but is shot by the Hydra agent, Heinz Kruger (Richard Armitage in Captain America: The First Avenger). He takes one of the Super Soldier tubes and is shot by Agent Carter. Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) notes that they don’t have time, the project must be done now, Colonel John Flynn (Bradley Whitford) wants a subject in the pod. Whitford is Joseph Lawrence in The Handmaid's Tale series. Rogers is too weak from the gunshot and Stark says he has to operate the controls. Agent Carter replaces the Super Soldier tube and gets into the pod! She is injected with serum. Flynn orders the project to stop, Stark pulls the switch, and finally the Vita Rays shut down. The unit opens and we get Super Peggy! I wonder if she or other characters show up in the live action movies or shows? Stark checks on Peggy and Steve is surprised at her transformation. Later, Flynn, now in charge of SSR (Strategic Science Reserve), is disappointed that there is only one Super Soldier since all of the serum was used on Carter. We did see Peggy Carter deal with sexism with the candidate, Hodge, in the Cap movie.
Afterwards, Peggy works out on punching bag very much like Steve in the Avengers (2012). She takes her frustration about Flynn out by throwing barbell weights, a collection line the wall! Steve says that she could be sent on USO tours (his fate in the movie) and they see soldiers marching out of the window. He sees his friend, Bucky, marching with them. Night, a tank and a vehicle with the HYDRA symbol enter the town of Tonsberg, Norway. The leader, Johann Schmidt (Ross Marquand) is searching for an object that a later debriefing with Peggy, Steve, and Flynn note is powerful. Marquand played Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War (2018). In a book, Peggy, has found that it is the Tesseract. Stark wants a mission with Super Soldier Peggy to recover the Tesseract, but Flynn dismisses it as a “battery.” Later, Peggy is drinking and Stark joins her showing her the costume meant for her USO appearances. Next, he puts the shield with the Union Jack symbol onto the bar counter!
A group of HYDRA vehicles carry scientist, Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), carrying a case with the Tesseract. Zola is just a cameo in this story. A motorcycle is taken down with the shield of Super Soldier Peggy. She uses the shield to slam and throw a truck, Captain America wasn’t that strong, and another truck is tossed. Super Peggy takes down soldiers, her combat ability works perfectly with the Super Soldier serum. She brings back the Tesseract, asks to be promoted by Flynn to Captain Carter, and Stark has plans for the Tesseract. The capture of Bucky Barnes has Captain Carter take up the mission for Steve, there seems to be some closeness between them, and she says he owes her a dance. Captain Carter runs alongside a HYDRA motorcyclist, knocks him off, and then rides the motorcycle through the gate of the HYDRA fortress. She frees the soldiers of the 107th including Dum Dum Dugan (Neal McDonough) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). A return of both actors with Stan of course in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, two MCU shows!
The Howling Commandos breaking free of the fortress looks right out of The First Avenger, Captain Carter slams away an artillery shell, and calls in for air support. Steve Rogers answers that it will be there! He is a massive Mark I Iron Man suit, C-15, father has improved on his son’s design! Steve Rogers is strong as the HYDRA Stomper! The team-up of these two heroes, Iron Man and Captain Carter, is formidable! It’s kinda like Baymax if he teamed up with Captain Carter instead of Hiro! Still, Schmidt, reveals himself as the Red Skull, has a "champion of the stars" that will take on Captain Carter! It is confusing he has a Tesseract which is not the one that was with Stark. There are two Tesseracts? Red Skull is not a counterpart to Captain Carter and really not a threat. The train scene is there with similar, but different consequences! The villains are almost a side note and the extra dimensional ally is right out of Hellboy. The action is intense, and the reprise scenes of The First Avenger are excellent. What If…? begins with an original plot more MCU than the comic books, features some great action, and twists on the Cap story!
Four Super Soldier Serums out of Five!
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