What If...?

Recap
A team of heroes try to save The Watcher as he is put to trial for interfering and not just observing.
Spoiler Level: Mild
Review
“Time. Space. Reality. It’s more than a linear path. It’s a prism of endless possibility, where a single choice can branch off into infinite realities, creating new phenomena beyond what you could possibly imagine. I am Uatu. I see all of these vast new realities. Open your eyes, dare to face the unknown and ponder the question… “What if?”
What if…? Is an American Animated series based on the Marvel Comic book of the same name that looks at alternative timelines and how one small change could have affected the outcome of stories that have already been told. The third and final season premiered on Disney + on December 22, 2024 with one new episode being released each consecutive day for eight days with the two part series finale streaming on December 28 and 29. Jeffrey Wright returns as the voice of The Watcher, the narrator and audience guide with many of the actors from the live action movies reprising their roles within the episodes.
What If… The Watcher Disappeared?
A team consisting of super-soldier Captain Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), a Mjolnir wielding Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) the Goddess of Thunder, and a grown up version of Byrdie (Natasha Lyonne) the daughter of Howard the Duck and Darcy rescue Nebula (Karen Gillan) from an interdimensional universe-eater attacking Earth-625 when three shards from the 5th dimension land at their feet, shattered when the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) was imprisoned by The Eminence (Jason Isaacs),The Incarnate (D.C. Douglas) and The Executioner (Darin De Paul) a triumvirate of Watcher’s who are the ones who “watch The Watcher”. He is charged with interceding when he had taken an oath to only observe and to never judge or interfere. Peggy, who had formed a friendship with The Watcher and now acts on his behalf stopping multiversal incursions, realizes that he is in trouble and the team try to find a way to get to the 5th dimension. This proves more difficult than at first thought and the team must form an unlikely alliance with an old villain who nearly destroyed them in the past.
This episode had a good mixture of action, adventure, drama and comedy with Byrdie providing comic relief and Captain Carter being the heart of the team worried about losing more than she already has. It is appropriate that the final episodes of the series have to do with Captain Carter, considering her stories kicked off the series in the pilot episode and was a major player in season two’s storyline ending with the Watcher showing her the multiverse. It was also nice seeing an all-female team bringing back Kahhori from season two and seeing an adult version of Byrdie from the previous season three episode. Also, the introduction of a Storm Thor was great.
What If… What If?
The Watcher’s past is revealed and through flashback we see him take his Oath with The Eminence. As we then move back to the present where he and Carter are about to be put to death, but they are saved at the last moment by the team. A massive battle ensues with the team getting a superpowered boost by The Watcher and eventually being able to stop The Eminence, but they had one last trick up their sleeves and begin to wipe the team out of existence from all of the multiverse. Peggy, by sheer will is able to withstand the attack and save her friends.
The final episode was oddly enough, probably the most action packed with the majority of the episode being the epic battle between The Eminence and the team of heroes. The Watcher, trying to convince his mentor, that there are other options besides just observing and what he was doing was the correct thing to do. The ending of the episode has the student becoming the master as he convinces the triumvirate to learn by watching over life and not just watching but seeing.
The final two episodes were good, and it was nice to see Captain Carter back, but the introduction of Byrdie and Storm were also fun, and I was a big fan of the Kahhori story, so I was pleased she returned as well. I would love to see a live action film with that team. As I have mentioned in the previous two reviews of Season 3, a major theme I found was unlikely friendships and the final two episodes continued that underlying element. First, in episode 7 with the alliance and unlikely friendship with an old villain, and in episode 8 with Peggy and the Watcher, well technically with Peggy and everyone. Her devotion to her friends is what saved them all, the desire to not lose another friend gave her the final push to be victorious. If anything can be said about the final season is that the friends we make, as odd a pairing as it may seem, makes all the difference in our lives.
Final Thoughts
Overall a good finale for the series, although I feel like the season got off to a rocky start and had a bit of trouble in the first couple of episodes finding its legs, but ended strong.
The full final season of What If? is on Disney+.
What If…?: Season 3 Series Finale
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Acting - 9/109/10
- Music - 9/109/10
- Production - 9/109/10