We’re into the second week of Marvel’s What If…?, the multiverse-spanning animated series on Disney+, and after the triumph that was the first episode, it’ll be hard to live up to the hype. However, the second episode, titled “What If…T’Challa Became A Star-Lord” has a lot going for it, such as the return of several fan-favorite characters (most obviously the Black Panther himself, T’Challa) and set during the events of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, one of the breakaway hits of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
As usual, the following is full of spoilers, so if you haven’t watched the episode yet, I suggest doing that first.
In our latest What If…?, the Watcher discovers a universe in which Yondu, the Ravager pirate played by Michael Rooker, abducts T’Challa from Wakanda instead of Peter Quill like he was hired to. Fueled by an adventurous spirit, T’Challa goes with the Ravagers willingly, eager to see what’s out in the universe. And his upbringing and moral compass help him succeed. Unlike Peter Quill, who was laughed at when he tried to introduce himself to Korath in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, T’Challa becomes a Star-Lord that people have heard of. His reputation precedes him, and it’s a reputation for doing good. He turned the Ravagers away from crime and onto the idea of helping other people. He even convinced Thanos that wiping out half of all living creatures was a bad idea. In essence, T’Challa single-handedly avoided the entire Infinity Saga we witnessed throughout the MCU movies just by appealing to Thanos’s good side.
The episode focuses on a plan between T’Challa and Nebula (with Karen Gillan returning to the character). They are looking for a plant that will allow them to end hunger in the universe, but the only way to get this plant is to steal it from the Collector. So they devise a plan in which they can infiltrate the Collector’s collection and find what they need.
That is, until it seems like Nebula double-crosses them. It seems the Collector wanted to add T’Challa to his collection as a companion piece to a Wakanda space vehicle. It’s also at this point that T’Challa learns that Yondu lied to him about his home, that Wakanda wasn’t decimated by war.
BUT, and here’s where things go off the rails, Nebula was triple-crossing the Collector and just wanted to square a debt she had with him. So she helps the Ravagers escape their prison as T’Challa and Yondu imprison the Collector in one of his own cages.
The majority of the episode focuses on the heist itself, but a lot of the real fun comes in seeing how all of the characters are different from T’Challa’s influences. Korath, voiced by Djimon Hounsou, is eager to become friends with T’Challa, relishing his time with the man with great zeal. Nebula is free from her anger after T’Challa convinced Thanos to change his ways before turning her into more machine than a woman. (She even has hair, which looked weird throughout, but was fitting as a way to humanize her.) Even Yondu has a heart, being more concerning with changing lives than building wealth.
It’s also interesting to see how many of the original cast returned to reprise their roles. In addition to all I’ve mentioned, Josh Brolin appears as Thanos, a voice that no one else would be able to emulate. Benicio Del Toro returns as the Collector, as does Sean Gunn as Kraglin. Even Ophelia Lovibond returns as Carina, the servant of the Collector, Even Drax, one of the founding members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, makes a humorous appearance in the episode, but he’s surprisingly voiced by Fred Tatasciore. There was a brief controversy on social media when fans wondered by Bautista wasn’t voice the character, to which Dave simply responded that he wasn’t asked. It’s a little disheartening to see the showrunners disregard the actor who put so much into the character, but that’s show biz, I guess.
I also loved the design of the character. His costume seamlessly blends the Peter Quill-style jacket with accouterments that pay tribute to T’Challa’s Wakandan upbringing. It’s a wonderful fusion of the two characters and allows T’Challa’s personality to bleed into Star-Lord.
Another thing I loved about this episode is all of the blink-and-you-missed-it appearances, especially when it came to the Collector’s collection. As T’Challa searches for the plant, he stumbles across Cosmo the Spacedog, who had a brief appearance in GotG, and dark elf, the race of creatures last seen in Thor: The Dark World led by Malekith. Howard the Duck also makes a pretty lengthy appearance, and he’s voiced again by the great Seth Green. I’m certainly hoping that this means that Howard will soon become a staple in the MCU, but I won’t be holding my breath.
Later in the episode, as T’Challa squares off against the Collector, we’re given even more Easter eggs in the form of some iconic weapons. The Collector knocks T’Challa out with a fist that he says he “hacked off a very chatty Kronan.” For the uninitiated, Kronans are a race of beings dating back to the early Marvel Comics days, but one of the most famous Kronans made an appearance in Thor: Ragnarok. Looking at the hand the Collector is wearing, it seems safe to assume he’s referring to Korg.
He then unleashes a box full of weapons, and we can instantly see Captain America’s shield and Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, among them. The Collector chooses “a dagger forged in dark matter taken from the ruler of the Dark Elves,” another reference to Thor: The Dark World, before he settles on using Hela’s helmet to try and finish off T’Challa.
But if you’re wondering what happened to Peter Quill, don’t worry. The episode touches on that as well, showing him mopping the floor of a local Dairy Queen as he listens to “Space Age Love Song” by A Flock of Seagulls on his trusty Walkman. He’s interrupted by the entrance of Ego (also voiced by Kurt Russell) whose eyes glow as he introduces himself as Peter’s father.
The episode wasn’t all fun and games, however, as it served as a sore reminder of Chadwick Boseman’s passing. Boseman’s portrayal of T’Challa made MCU history as he became the first Black man to star in his own stand-alone film. He was able to lend his voice to this episode just before his passing in August of 2020, and the episode closed with a touching dedication to him. Though Marvel is able to move on without him, the character of T’Challa would not be the same with someone else in the role.
Despite the bittersweetness of the episode, “What If…T’Challa Became A Star-Lord” was a ton of fun. The writers managed to craft a believable alternate history for a beloved character and make it fit into the confines of the established MCU. It introduced a few interesting ideas, like the concept that Thanos could have been reasoned with if anyone bothered to try. And it also showed fans just how dangerous the Collector could be, a concept that was touched on but never really explored in the movies. I’ve always been a sucker for alternate reality stories, a fondness created by the What If…? comic series, so I’m ecstatic that the show is living up to its predecessor.
