Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Review, streaming, TV | Tagged: howard the duck, karen gillan, Korg, Marvel's What If, Nebula, seth green, taika waititi

What If…? S02E01 Review: Nebula Goes "Blade Runner" in Series Return

What If...? Season 2 starts off with a bang, with Karen Gillan proving why she deserves her own animated Nebula spinoff series.

Marvel's What If…? is about the closest thing for Disney to embrace the hypothetical scenarios without blowing a blockbuster-level budget on a concept akin to atypical anthology standalone stories comic fans are accustomed to. As the title suggests, it serves quite the diverse creative muscle showing the potential to highlight auxiliary characters that get lost in the vastness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While most What If…? stories tweak one element of the universe to see what could happen, which developed pretty compelling stories, we stumble upon gems that could serve as unofficial backdoor pilots should Disney should decide to expand upon them. Take the What If…? season two premiere episode "What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?"

Karen Gillan, Seth Green & Taika Waititi Shine in Rare MCU Opportunity in "What If…"

There is certainly no shortage of redemption stories within the MCU. If you followed all three Guardians of the Galaxy films, you see Karen Gillan's Nebula, once a faithful follower of Thanos (Josh Brolin) he raised as a "daughter" before running into Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and company provided that fresh start, which was shown most prominently in the third and final film in 2023's Vol 3. The What If… episode dramatically shifts the narrative to find the cyborg's path much sooner, fighting for truth and justice in the Nova Corps. Serving with a renewed purpose, she tries to protect Xandar from the forces of Ronin the Accuser as the planetary shield keeps him at bay.

While Nebula's a known loner, she does have the most peculiar entourage in the form of Taika Waititi's Korg, Fred Tatasciore's Groot (guess Vin Diesel was too busy to say his one line), and Seth Green's Howard the Duck. Guess I can't complain too much, given the current star power for the episode, which also includes Jude Law and Michael Rooker reprising their roles as Yon-Rogg and Yondu Udonta, respectively. The latter is more a glorified voiceover cameo in What If…, but it's a check, right? The story follows as Nebula unravels a predictable conspiracy from within an equally predictable outcome. No offense to Julianne Grossman and her portrayal of Nova Prime, but it's nothing we haven't seen before from the Marvel wheelhouse.

What If… We Got a Spinoff from "What If…?"

If it weren't for the fact the Gillan character is tied more to the Guardians, it's a shame we won't see another standalone adventure or continuation. There are plenty who want to chomp at the bit of what James Gunn helped lay the foundation for, and Gillan is more than capable of leading her own series from What If… in a spinoff or at least a season of HBO's True Detective. There are comparisons stylistically to Blade Runner, but given the format of the MCU series, it has a much faster pace. The episode also demonstrates how criminally underused Green's Howard the Duck has been used since his post-credits introduction scene in the first Guardians film. Perhaps this is the beginning of something better for the three, but I wouldn't hold my breath given what little is planned for their live-action appearances given what's ahead in Phase V and VI. New episodes of Marvel's What If…? stream every day on Disney+ through December 30th.

Marvel's "What If...?" Season 2 Episode 1 "What if...Nebula Joined Nova Corps?"

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Review by Tom Chang

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9/10

Marvel’s What If…? is about the closest thing for Disney to embrace the hypothetical scenarios without blowing a blockbuster-level budget on a concept akin to atypical anthology standalone stories comic fans are accustomed to. As the title suggests, it serves quite the diverse creative muscle showing the potential to highlight auxiliary characters that get lost in the vastness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While most What If…? stories tweak one element of the universe to see what could happen, which developed pretty compelling stories, we stumble upon gems that could serve as unofficial backdoor pilots should Disney should decide to expand upon them. Take the What If...? season two premiere episode “What If…Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?”

Credits

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Director

Stephan Franck

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