The Avengers don’t assmble.
What They Say:
What If Loki presented himself to the governments of Earth as king of Asgard using all his diplomacy.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the show working a familiar and easy opening episode with Peggy Carter and then getting to be really challenging and interesting with T’Challa being abducted and becoming Star-Lord, the third installment here goes for something big and fun while tying into Loki, the root cause of all of this through his own series to begin with. Putting him at the center is fun but the show does a really good job of utilizing the wide cast first to have some real fun with things, and to delight a number of us by bringing back Clark Gregg as Coulson again even for a little bit. With its initial focus on the Iron Man 2 period, it’s definitely fun to get some expanded elements to this period.
With the attempt at recruiting Tony going so badly that he dies from it, Fury’s now in a much bigger round of issues to deal with, especially as Black Widow is the one being accused of doing it. That has Fury making sure she’s able to get out and investigate what’s really going on as they have to have someone on the inside to pull off this kill. Lake Bell does a solid enough Black Widow performance here where it’s not copying what Johannson does but playing in the same field. It’s fun to watch her get some good standalone time here and just to piss off Rumlow a bit more. This segues nicely into Thor coming for his hammer in the desert but with Fury there on the ground more but we see another setup where Barton’s accused of shooting Thor and killing him. It’s clear that the manipulations are running high and we all know what it means, but it’s just a matter of enjoying watching the body count grow.
Natasha’s investigation takes her to the campus where Bruce Banner is operating, which is fun since we get Marvel rewriting it with Ruffalo as the voice actor for this incarnation of the Hulk that was played by Edward Norton. Natasha and Betty Ross working together for a bit help to flesh out a few things about how Tony was killed. All of this culminates with the understanding that someone is hunting down Avengers Initiative candidates and that has Natasha now working to protect Bruce as they’re the two main known ones so far. But for Natasha, she’s on edge in general here and discovering that Clint has been killed only has her more than ready to head off into the field to find a target to kill.
With Bruce’s death happening surprisingly quickly, and in an Akira-like fashion, Fury is facing off against Loki who has descended with an army from Asgard to find who killed his brother. Fury’s about to push him back for a day or so but Loki’s intent on having not just a pound of flesh but all of those that are responsible for the death of his brother. This all leads us to the reveal of the true mastermind behind all of it and it’s definitely a fun little bit of insanity and revenge that unfolds with Hank Pym making it clear he’s got grudges to dole out here. It’s a solid little battle that plays out, though the episode description doesn’t really get into things in the way that it feels like, though the nod we get toward it at the end is an absolute delight as he gets a big chunk of what he’s always wanted.
In Summary:
The focus on the phase one stories here and retelling them in a new way is definitely done well, though again in the style of What If. That may frustrate some with the shortcuts it takes and the like and the lack of fleshing out certain moments more, but for me, it delivers a harrowing glimpse into what could have been and shows just how much better it was because of it. This one covers a lot of different story bits and brings in plenty of the original cast even just for a few lines and it works well to deliver something of a really fun shorthand take on what could have been.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Disney+
