What If…? Season 3 Review
The third and final season of ‘What If…?’ is finally here, with the multiverse hoping show coming to an end. The creators at Marvel Studios continue to show how inventive they can be with the scenarios they come up with, as these eight episodes are perhaps the craziest of the whole lot. This is largely engaging too with stellar voice acting, even if some of the concepts push the boundaries a bit too far for what the audiences might be willing to accept. The action beats in this season can be a bit much, as while varied, some going on far longer than they need to with a creeping sense of exhaustion.
‘What If…?’ as a whole has sometimes struggled to come up with inventive scenarios for its characters to play around in, though the second season was allowed to be more experimental with its episodes. The third season notches this sense of experimentation up much higher, with several of the scenarios veering away from the MCU stories that audiences know, even introducing non-MCU characters like The Hood. This is a boon for the series, as it allows audiences to truly enjoy the unlimited potential within the multiverse. There are episodic stories, ones that continue a plot from previous seasons and the larger overarching multiverse story. Some stories are a bit out there and are a bit too weird, but it’s better than the safe and boring alternative.
Along with this weirder and more inventive take, the third season has a palpable sense of escalation. Many of the episodes feel like they have huge stakes for the characters and the world they take place in. This helps this third and final season go out with a bang. The tall stakes can get a little repetitive though, as there are fewer character driven moments with lower stakes, which is a loss.
Turning to the action, There are a lot of varied setpieces, things like mecha and kaiju fights, traditional fisticuffs and shoot ‘em ups, battles between Gods, martial arts, and chase sequences. There’s even an elaborate dance sequence. These help keep the variety in what the audiences are being shown, which helps keep them engaged throughout. But some of these action beats go on for far too long, most of the episodes in fact, which leads to the audiences becoming exhausted with the length of what’s going on. Another issue with this ties back to the escalation, because the fights go on for so long, the characters and animators are forced to escalate what happens, leading to messy moments.
The eight episodes have a variety of tones. Some aim for a more comedic tone (which is usually funny), like episode three and four, others like episode one go for a tone like a more typical MCU film. Other episodes have a darker tone, where the world around the characters bleak, whereas others still take the story they’re telling more seriously, with all the drama that entails. This variety is pleasant and welcome, preventing the series from feeling too goofy or too desolate. A balance is struck.
The voice acting throughout ‘What If…?’ has always been good, and season three doesn’t drop the ball in that regard. Actors return to voice their characters, which is notable as many of the characters are the ones introduced post-Endgame, though there are still some returning faces. There are some newcomers to the cast list, like Jason Isaacs who lends his booming voice to the character the Eminence, giving him serious authority.
‘What if…?’ season three lives up to the infinite potential that the multiverse can bring, with several unique scenarios that each vary from the main MCU in significant ways that audiences will appreciate, with a variety of goofy and serious situations. While the action can be exhausting to watch, it too at least has a variety in its presentation, with strong voice acting to help this series remain enjoyable and pleasant to watch, right to the very end.
