The review embargo for What If...? lifted earlier today, and you probably don't need us to tell you that the response to the first three episodes has thus far been overwhelmingly positive. It feels like the marketing campaign for the series has been a little more muted than previous Marvel Studios shows on Disney+, but fans are excited, and these reviews will only serve to increase the hype.
Not everyone loved it, though, which is evident from The Hollywood Reporter's review. "What If...? promises to be a space for the kinds of weird or challenging or just-plain-silly ideas the live-action properties will never touch," it reads, "but then, presented with these playful hypotheticals, it can hardly muster enough curiosity to wonder what happens next."
IndieWire, however, awards the animated series a B+ and notes that "the show is also easily enjoyable in its own right and a reprieve from the tired focus on world-building that has defined some of Marvel’s recent Disney+ series." CNET was similarly impressed, concluding, "What If...? is the MCU at its most unashamedly comic book-y, with beautiful animation, sharp writing and a sense of infinite possibility. 'Nuff said."
Empire goes with 3*, while Total Film gives the series 4* and makes it clear that "Despite its ponderous title, What If is definitive – and another surefire hit for the house that Kevin Feige built."
"If anyone had any doubts over whether an animated Marvel series could achieve the same levels of action and excitement as live-action, hopefully watching What If…? will quash their concerns right away," says Metro's 4* review. "The show masterfully showcases animation as a powerful storytelling tool, as it transitions from being fun and light-hearted in one moment to chilling and dark the next." The Direct, meanwhile, was similarly impressed, and promises that What If...? is "a must-see for any casual or die-hard MCU fan."
In our review of the first three episodes, we concluded by saying, "An instant animated classic, What If...? delivers world after world of endless possibilities you need to explore, and if what we see from these first three chapters is any indication, Marvel Studios has delivered a mind-bending MCU masterpiece."
As of right now, we don't have a Rotten Tomatoes score, but will share that with you soon!