What If…? Season 3 Episode 6 Review
‘What If…?’ episode six sees Marvel travel to the wild wild west, following Shang Chi, Kate Bishop and a young Iron Fist as they roam the land in search of The Hood, who is exploiting the land and labour to fuel rapid development of the area. It’s a compelling episode, and by far one of the strongest of the season.
Like many other episodes of ‘What If…?’, this one pulls from a variety of characters, most notably a cowboy John Walker (with Wyatt Russell returning to give the character an appropriate accent), Shang Chi as the good guy cowboy, with Kate Bishop as his accomplice, Walton Goggins as a charming Sonny Birch (who’s much more effective here as a villain than in ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’), and The Hood, which marks the character’s first appearance in an MCU project, showing another way in which Marvel Studios is willing to go beyond its sacred universe in a bid to give audiences more inventive stories.
This inventiveness is quickly introduced in the opening credits, as the Watcher introduces audiences to the question of ‘What the hell?’ rather than the traditional ‘What If…?’. This is accompanied by a view of truly out there multiverse scenarios, some funny and some not. Episode six sticks to a more serious affair, with Shang-Chi desperately searching for his sister, Xu Xialing. His search leads him to finding out the Hood is someone closer to him than he realises, something he nor the audience are prepared for.
The episode also shows why Marvel Studios has been wrong to sideline Shang-Chi since his film all the way back in 2021, with no update on a sequel or any other appearance planned. Simu Liu returns to voice Shang-Chi, who’s more rugged and weathered than the version that audiences saw in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’. The Ten Rings have wonderfully been incorporated into the plot of the episode, not as the usual rings audiences have seen, but as rings on a bell, heralding in a dangerous gunslinger.
The Wild West is clearly fertile ground for Marvel Studios to pull from and set their stories. A major example of this is the incorporation of historical events, like the fact that during the 1800s Chinese immigrants would come over to the USA during the Gold Rush, and face discrimination at every level. It shows that the inventiveness of this episode doesn’t mean it has to get silly and outlandish.
Another way this episode combines these two cultures is through its action. There is plenty of gunslinging throughout the episode, coupled with some martial arts. The choreography and framing of this action allows audiences to clearly see what’s happening, and revel in it.
Narrative points for the wider story in ‘What If…?’ continue to play out, as the Watcher intervenes yet again, saving the young Iron Fist from being killed. While it seems like only a small intervention, it proves to be the final straw for the Eminence. He throws the Watcher against the multiverse viewing pane shattering it, and demands the Watcher pay for breaking his oath. It’s an intriguing set up for the final arc.
Overall, this episode of ‘What If…?’ is a blast, proving why Marvel Studios should invest more in characters like Shang Chi. There’s a blend of history and fantasy, with a strong emotional core throughout. Action isn’t overwhelming and mixes wild west gunslinging with martial arts. It’s a wonderful final standalone story.
