We’re nearing the end of season 1 of Marvel Studios’ What If…? and things are all starting to come into place here in episode 7.
Episode 7 asked the question “What if … Thor was an only child?” and boy did we get that answer. Turns out, Thor would be quite the … frat boy? Thor arrives on Earth after his mother, Frigga, goes out on a girl’s trip. And while he’s here, he makes quite the mess … in a fun way.
So many familiar faces turned up in this episode, it was virtually a Where’s Waldo? of the MCU, and it was an absolute delight. A stark contrast to most of the episodes we’ve seen so far.
Spoilers for episode 7 ahead!
First things first, this episode was hilarious. From start to finish the performances and the story were so utterly enjoyable it almost seemed like a completely different series. Thus far, with the exception of episode 2, there hasn’t been much humor in What If…?, at least not full episodes meant to be funny. In a series that has been filled with some heavy tragedy for the past four weeks, this new, lighthearted venture was much needed. And seemingly, it arrived right on time as things are looking grim for all of our universes now …
A huge bombshell was dropped in the final seconds of this episode. After the mid-season trailer dropped, questions were raised about this perhaps not being entirely an anthology series, but one that may see players from all of our previous episodes come together in the finale. With the arrival of an Infinity Stone emboldened Ultron and his army on Earth as The Watcher mentions that we finally got a happily ever after, it would seem we got our answer.
Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of Thor translated beautifully from live-action to voiceover, as did Tom Hiddleston taking on a much more different version of Loki — both in appearance and personality. These two continue to prove their impeccable chemistry with one another even from the solitude of sound booths. I’d quite literally pay any amount of money to get these two to play these versions in a live-action, though.
Also, it was great to see Loki not excluded from the episode, despite its title. Thor and Loki are clearly always meant to be a part of one another’s lives and this only cemented that universal bond.
My favorite Easter egg of the episode was Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a title Maria Hill takes in the comics, and she tends to be just as trigger-happy as she proved to be in the episode. This was a great touch and I was definitely happy to see it come to life with Colbie Smulders in the role. I also particularly loved the setting of Australia for one of Thor’s outings. Still waiting for Marvel to make that Captain Australia Hemsworth pitched a reality, but this will have to do for now.
Don’t miss next week’s episode exclusively on Disney+ and stay tuned for our weekly coverage!
Easter Egg: Making Maria acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
