Thursday, September 2, 2021

New Streaming: What If...T'Challa Became a Star-Lord (Episode 2)

 After a debut Episode that maybe didn't do enough to deliver on the premise, we get the one that...probably should have been the Premiere.

It's a fun, but bittersweet one, folks.

The Premise
Instead of Chris Pratt's Character getting grabbed (correctly) by The Ravagers and becoming Star-Lord, we get a very different pick.

T'Challa.
The charismatic and pragmatic future Hero keeps to his principles as he deals with bad guys in Space, making many things right.

For instance, Djimon Hounsou getting a fully-fleshed-out Character and not just a Bodyguard/Thug/Bad Guy Leader.
The Execution

The Story features T'Challa as the de facto Leader of said Ravagers (under Yondu) who go about doing right for the Universe.  It's one of those things where if life were different, we could get lots of fun Episodes highlighting it.

I'll settle for Comics, I guess.

This Star-Lord runs afoul of The Collector, touching base with a number of Guardians of the Galaxy Characters along the way.

Yes, even Howard the Duck.
Can him and his Crew do the big heist to help out the Universe?

It's an Episode worth watching, so just do it already!
Is it a big change?
In a word, yes!

Without getting too deep into it, let me sum up some big changes...

* No T'Challa as Black Panther.  What would happen going forward?  Who'd take his place?
* No original Star-Lord.  What would happen with him on Earth?  This is addressed BTW.
* The Ravagers go about their missions quite differently, gaining a unique reputation.
* Big changes for other Characters like Thanos.
* Would we get a new version of The Guardians of the Galaxy in this timeline without Ronan's actions (directed by Thanos)? 
* What would be the fate of other intergalactic Characters in this new timeline?


Without SPOILERS, I'd say that, yeah, this one delivers!

This is a really fun Episode that definitely gives you what you expect from a What If...? Story.  It's not just 'one person is different, so how do people react?'  The switcharoo leads to lots of MCU changes thanks to a key difference in personality.  Star-Lord was a kid that grew into being a Hero, making many stumbles along the way.  Seriously- just don't punch Thanos, you moron!!!  Still not over that, am I?  The early Disney-style Art makes for a fun, cartoony adventure that really fits a story like this.  Everyone looks good and the fluid animation is nice.  Obviously, the MVP is the late Mr. Bosman, who really shines playing a more fun and loose version of the Character.  It was good that he got to show this range before his tragic passing.  Rooker as Yondu really delivers as well, giving a performance that feels like a group one.  Sadly, that was not the case, according to him.  Regardless, this is a fun, fantastical adventure that gives you a simple swap that changes so many things in a fun way.  Naturally, Disney has many way to profit from it, as you might guess...

Next time, we're back on Earth seeing a timeline where a few changes make everything go poorly.  What a week!  See you then...

No comments:

Post a Comment