Marvel’s “What If…?” series on Disney+ started off very strong with last week’s episode on Captain Carter. This week’s episode is “What If… T’Challa was Star-Lord?” and I have to say it was an entertaining episode. This article will contain some slight spoilers below but don’t worry, I’ll let you know when it’s coming up. The starting point is similar to the first Guardians of The Galaxy movie, with “Star-Lord” getting caught stealing the silver orb and shortly after revealing his identity only for the audience to find out it’s really T’Challa.
What happens afterward…is a bit cringy. Don’t get me wrong – I love me some small comedic banter during a serious moment just as much as the next guy but I felt they missed the mark with this one. The back and forth segment with T’Challa and Korath (voiced by the original actor Djimon Hounsou) kinda rubbed me the wrong way. I’m used to Korath being the super serious guy that’s dedicated to his work and isn’t the biggest fan of Star-Lord – but in true “What If…?” fashion we see the exact opposite. He’s the biggest fan of Star-Lord we’ve ever seen and it’s weird.
SPOILER ALERT!!
The reason why he’s such a big fan is because T’Challa and the Ravagers gang, in this universe, are quite literally guardians of the galaxy. They don’t do petty crimes and steal stuff for their own personal gain, but they do it to help the various worlds and people that need saving. This episode, in particular, has some crazy twists that I wasn’t really ready for but welcomed it nonetheless. Nebula still has her one natural eye and get this…she has blonde hair!! They also portray her as T’Challa’s love interest so hearing her talk in a flirtatious voice. Seeing her in that way made me happy, mainly because the Debbie Downer Nebula is a drag.
This episode followed the same path as the first one, in the sense that it was action-packed and continued with a good story that keeps you engaged and wanting to finish it. The “What If…?” series is supposed to be weird and uncomfortable – it makes you really wonder about the possibilities of how different the Marvel universe can be from what we’ve all come to love, and that’s OK. It’s not supposed to be the same or even similar in any regard. The voice acting is great but again, it feels different because the characters themselves are different. Even T’Challa has a humorous side to him in this episode.
When the series was first announced and we knew they were doing an episode with T’Challa, I couldn’t imagine who they’d get to voice him since the late Chadwick Boseman had made Black Panther a literal icon. Come to find out shortly after the announcement (I was slow on the uptake…don’t judge me) that Chadwick Boseman reprised his role. Much to my surprise after watching this episode, almost the entire voice acting of the characters was done by their original actors! The only people that had to be replaced were Peter Quill and Drax, probably due to something with their contracts or maybe even scheduling.
The actors that replaced Chris Pratt and Dave Bautista are Fred Tatasciore as Drax and Corvus Glaive, and Brian T. Delaney as Peter Quill. Fred did a wonderful job as Drax, almost to the point where I thought Dave Bautista came back just for a few lines. “What If…?” series seems to be shaping up as a pretty solid series and I’m excited to see what else is in store. Make sure you come back next week to Geek Vibes Nation for another review!
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Hey! I’m Lais a.k.a. Chipz-N-Stix and I love video games and nerd culture overall. I typically do reviews and impressions on video games as well as offer some helpful tips and tricks to enhance your gaming experience. From time to time I tend to touch on certain topics that get you thinking – things that would matter to the individual. I’m also a self-proclaimed Pokemon Master but that doesn’t mean you can outright challenge me. I have to “motivate” my team for that!
