What If...?: What If... Thor Were an Only Child?
September 22, 2021 7:36 AM - Season 1, Episode 7 - Subscribe
Loki isn't adopted by Odin and Frigga in this one. Guess how that works out.
Two words: PARTY HARD
The last shot implies that the teased multiverse crossover may be imminent.
Also, this ep has almost all the live-action actors reprising their roles.
Two words: PARTY HARD
The last shot implies that the teased multiverse crossover may be imminent.
Also, this ep has almost all the live-action actors reprising their roles.
Really loved it. So glad they got all the Thor actors, even if they couldn't get Brie Larson. So much fun.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:08 AM on September 22, 2021
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:08 AM on September 22, 2021
Just a few lines in this but it contains Maximum Goldblum.
Lot of fun, this one. What if… We decided to do a Chuck Jones segment in the middle just because it’s fun?
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:09 AM on September 22, 2021 [4 favorites]
Lot of fun, this one. What if… We decided to do a Chuck Jones segment in the middle just because it’s fun?
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 8:09 AM on September 22, 2021 [4 favorites]
This was fun!
posted by Pendragon at 9:15 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Pendragon at 9:15 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
What if… We decided to do a Chuck Jones segment in the middle just because it’s fun?
Indeed. Straightening out... a thing that didn’t need to be straightened is pure Looney Tunes. I suppose it was this or epoxying the arms back on the Venus de Milo.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:17 AM on September 22, 2021 [5 favorites]
Indeed. Straightening out... a thing that didn’t need to be straightened is pure Looney Tunes. I suppose it was this or epoxying the arms back on the Venus de Milo.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:17 AM on September 22, 2021 [5 favorites]
Incidentally, for those who were not totally clear (raises hand meekly) on the figures in the last few seconds, the MCU wiki ends its summary thus:
Back in New Mexico, Thor and Foster arrange for a date. As Thor leaves, The Watcher forwards a saying of the two "living happily ever after". However, he retracts those comments once a portal appears in front of Thor, in which an army of Ultron Sentries along with an Ultron/Vision fusion brandishing the six Infinity Stones emerges.posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:22 AM on September 22, 2021
OK, so we assume that the point of divergence was that Odin decided not to pick up the random baby some careless person left lying around.
Digression: this answers the question of whether Loki is a Jotunn runt or whether his growth was stunted by the infant makeover spell Odin gave him so people would not be like "how do your genetics plus Frigga's produce a giant blue kid?". In the prime MCU Loki reverts his skin turns blue but he does not get taller, so it is a common fannon theory that he'd been abandoned to die of exposure as a runt and Odin saved him. Nope, it was a straight up kidnapping. Chalk up another entry in the list of Odin's A+ parenting skills.
Jane does namedrop that if there's a Thor there's a Loki and a Frigga and a Heimdall, but presumably, this time branch's stories depict them in somewhat different roles. Clearly, the Captain Marvel proceeded more or less the same as the main MCU. Captain America? Hulk? No evidence either way. Some of Iron Man has to have happened, because MCU Tony Stark made Vision/Ultron. (For those who have only seen the films, in the comics, Ultron was Hank Pym's terrible idea not Stark's.) What about the change in Asgardian (and Jotunn) politics removed Thanos from the Infinity Gem game? The Chitauri invasion in Avengers must have still happened and failed, lead by someone wielding the mind gem, because Tony would have needed to get his hands on the mind stone to blend Jarvis into it and make Vision/Ultron. I suppose removing both Thor and Loki from that fight balances them out and maybe even leaves Earth with one more on the Avenger side if Hawkeye doesn't get the whammy, allowing Earth still to win. So... instead of taking over Earth right away, Ultron goes gem collecting and then things proceed as before until he returns at the end of this episode?
posted by Karmakaze at 9:41 AM on September 22, 2021
Digression: this answers the question of whether Loki is a Jotunn runt or whether his growth was stunted by the infant makeover spell Odin gave him so people would not be like "how do your genetics plus Frigga's produce a giant blue kid?". In the prime MCU Loki reverts his skin turns blue but he does not get taller, so it is a common fannon theory that he'd been abandoned to die of exposure as a runt and Odin saved him. Nope, it was a straight up kidnapping. Chalk up another entry in the list of Odin's A+ parenting skills.
Jane does namedrop that if there's a Thor there's a Loki and a Frigga and a Heimdall, but presumably, this time branch's stories depict them in somewhat different roles. Clearly, the Captain Marvel proceeded more or less the same as the main MCU. Captain America? Hulk? No evidence either way. Some of Iron Man has to have happened, because MCU Tony Stark made Vision/Ultron. (For those who have only seen the films, in the comics, Ultron was Hank Pym's terrible idea not Stark's.) What about the change in Asgardian (and Jotunn) politics removed Thanos from the Infinity Gem game? The Chitauri invasion in Avengers must have still happened and failed, lead by someone wielding the mind gem, because Tony would have needed to get his hands on the mind stone to blend Jarvis into it and make Vision/Ultron. I suppose removing both Thor and Loki from that fight balances them out and maybe even leaves Earth with one more on the Avenger side if Hawkeye doesn't get the whammy, allowing Earth still to win. So... instead of taking over Earth right away, Ultron goes gem collecting and then things proceed as before until he returns at the end of this episode?
posted by Karmakaze at 9:41 AM on September 22, 2021
Given that Uatu himself was surprised at Ultron's arrival, I think that he just popped in from a different reality.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:20 AM on September 22, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:20 AM on September 22, 2021 [9 favorites]
Right--the implication of Jane and Darcy chasing weird astronomical phenomena, and Odin going into the Odinsleep, is that this happens at about the time of the first Thor movie. WRT Iron Man, as well as Cap and the Hulk, is that the changes in this universe may go back a lot further; AFAIK, there's no date for Loki's birth and adoption, but since (thanks to the TV series) we know that he was around in the 1970s, that means that the changes to the Norse pantheon could go back a millenium or more, which in turn could mean big changes to the MCU. What if the Tesseract/Space Stone didn't end up in that Norwegian church?
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:34 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 10:34 AM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Look we better get a Mrs. the Duck series on Disney+ because that would obviously be the crown jewel of the MCU.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:15 AM on September 22, 2021 [15 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:15 AM on September 22, 2021 [15 favorites]
This is the second time this week I noticed animators dropping the ball at a craps table. Nebula's throw must bounce off the far wall of the table for the roll to be valid. The boxman should have had her roll again.
posted by mikelieman at 11:21 AM on September 22, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 11:21 AM on September 22, 2021 [5 favorites]
Right--the implication of Jane and Darcy chasing weird astronomical phenomena, and Odin going into the Odinsleep, is that this happens at about the time of the first Thor movie. WRT Iron Man, as well as Cap and the Hulk, is that the changes in this universe may go back a lot further; AFAIK, there's no date for Loki's birth and adoption, but since (thanks to the TV series) we know that he was around in the 1970s, that means that the changes to the Norse pantheon could go back a millenium or more, which in turn could mean big changes to the MCU. What if the Tesseract/Space Stone didn't end up in that Norwegian church?
I believe we have Loki and Thor placed as somewhere pushing two thousand year old, so anything this timeline's Norse mythology will have Loki as a frost giant prince who never joined the Vanir/Aesir court. We know he was around well before 1971. (In the real world, our written docs for the source material are circa like 1300-ish AD).
It might be possible to push this episode a year or so past the first Thor because Odin's convenient nap was stress induced in the film, and also Jane and Mrs theDuck had been out in the desert long enough to pick up a party the year before and this is their second time getting the reading. (Thor, IM2 and Hulk are all the same week in MCU canon - yeah, I know, but it's canon anyway.) That's still awfully tight for getting the Avengers and Ultron in there, though.
As far as the disposition of the stones, we need the Space Stone in the hands of SHIELD or the US Military to have Captain Marvel around, and we need the Mind Stone to be in Tony Stark's hands at some point to have Ultron. If Asgardian politics is taking that sharp a change (no war with Jotunheim - they clearly still had their cask), it's possible the Aether's previous condensation into the Reality Stone (mentioned in hor II) took the first time. The Time Stone was probably still in the Eye of Agomatto, and the Soul Stone was still probably at the bottom of the Cliffs of Fridging before Vision/Ultron (VUltron?) picked them up but only Space and Mind really need to be placed more or less as in the MCU for this episode to work.
posted by Karmakaze at 11:57 AM on September 22, 2021
I believe we have Loki and Thor placed as somewhere pushing two thousand year old, so anything this timeline's Norse mythology will have Loki as a frost giant prince who never joined the Vanir/Aesir court. We know he was around well before 1971. (In the real world, our written docs for the source material are circa like 1300-ish AD).
It might be possible to push this episode a year or so past the first Thor because Odin's convenient nap was stress induced in the film, and also Jane and Mrs theDuck had been out in the desert long enough to pick up a party the year before and this is their second time getting the reading. (Thor, IM2 and Hulk are all the same week in MCU canon - yeah, I know, but it's canon anyway.) That's still awfully tight for getting the Avengers and Ultron in there, though.
As far as the disposition of the stones, we need the Space Stone in the hands of SHIELD or the US Military to have Captain Marvel around, and we need the Mind Stone to be in Tony Stark's hands at some point to have Ultron. If Asgardian politics is taking that sharp a change (no war with Jotunheim - they clearly still had their cask), it's possible the Aether's previous condensation into the Reality Stone (mentioned in hor II) took the first time. The Time Stone was probably still in the Eye of Agomatto, and the Soul Stone was still probably at the bottom of the Cliffs of Fridging before Vision/Ultron (VUltron?) picked them up but only Space and Mind really need to be placed more or less as in the MCU for this episode to work.
posted by Karmakaze at 11:57 AM on September 22, 2021
OK, so Captain Marvel confirms the Space Stone (and Cap and the Hulk). But I don't quite buy pushing the date of this encounter past the date in the first Thor film; Odin would also have been under stress from dealing with Party Thor, I think. But, more importantly for the formation of the Avengers (or not), I think that it's unlikely that the Mind Stone comes to Earth, because Big Blue Loki (Loki Manhattan?) doesn't seem particularly compelled to team up with the Chitauri to invade Earth. Thanos could have found another stooge (maybe Ronan the Accuser, since he seemed pretty miffed that Captain Marvel kept him from blowing it up back in the 90s). (Speaking of which, for a while, I was puzzled as to why Thanos backed Loki's invasion; he gave Loki the mind-control staff, which held the Mind Stone, and at the beginning of the film, Loki had the Space Stone, but at the end of the film, they had neither. My best guess is that Thanos wanted to invade Earth in order to get the Time Stone from the Ancient One/Kamar-Taj and figured that they'd be a tougher nut to crack, so gambled the two that he had.)
The thing that makes me wonder about some of the other pre-Infinity War continuity are the people who show up for the party. Nebula is there; arguably, she might be using the party as a pretext for scouting out the Earth for her dad. I wonder how the Guardians who are there might affect the hunt/possession of the Power Stone, though.
Also, per Infinity War, Thor is 1500.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:22 PM on September 22, 2021
The thing that makes me wonder about some of the other pre-Infinity War continuity are the people who show up for the party. Nebula is there; arguably, she might be using the party as a pretext for scouting out the Earth for her dad. I wonder how the Guardians who are there might affect the hunt/possession of the Power Stone, though.
Also, per Infinity War, Thor is 1500.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:22 PM on September 22, 2021
Also, too, I was wondering what or who Ultron would toss over the Cliffs of Fridging, and just had a mental picture of him dangling a Macintosh SE/30 over the precipice and murmuring, "Sorry, little one."
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:09 PM on September 22, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 2:09 PM on September 22, 2021 [11 favorites]
Loved this!! It was so silly and just leaned into the silliness. And thank Uatu for such a lighthearted episode after the last few! The goofiness was so infectious that in my opinion, not only was it impervious to nitpicking, it relied on the audience’s nitpicking tendencies for humorous effect. (Specifically I’m talking about the continual cuts between Frigga in the Bifrost, which is what, a five minute trip max? and Thor cleaning up the entire Earth.)
Also loved the countries’ names being visible from space; as mentioned above, it was pure Looney Tunes.
There are only two episodes left?? That’s a lot of multiversal mishegas to address in an hour of runtime.
posted by ejs at 4:50 PM on September 22, 2021 [5 favorites]
Also loved the countries’ names being visible from space; as mentioned above, it was pure Looney Tunes.
There are only two episodes left?? That’s a lot of multiversal mishegas to address in an hour of runtime.
posted by ejs at 4:50 PM on September 22, 2021 [5 favorites]
Is it just me or did Thor look extremely off-model? Maybe they're just doubling down on how he's a big soft party boy in this timeline, but he was giving off serious "We couldn't get Chris Hemsworth's likeness rights" vibes. Jane Foster also didn't look very much like Natalie Portman, but that difference wasn't so pronounced. Usually the show is pretty good about modeling folks pretty accurately so it's noticeable when they're this far off. I did like Coulson's rosy pinchable cheeks.
As for Ultron, I see two possibilities:
1) In Age of Ultron, he starts out as an (artificial?) intelligence they find inside the Mind Stone, inside Loki's scepter. Tony stupidly decides to use this intelligence to skip a bunch of steps in his Ultron project, and shit goes to hell from there. Presumably, this intelligence came from somewhere and was put inside the Mind Stone for a reason. If it got loose at an earlier point in history, presumably thanks to Thor not doing something he did in the Sacred Timeline, I imagine Ultron would have followed the same basic arc he did in Age of Ultron, which is take shit over and build a body for himself out of the best materials available. Since Vision('s body) was Ultron's idea it stands to reason that if Ultron built himself a body somewhere else it would have ended up looking the same way, with Mind Stone front and center.
2) This is Ultron from an alternate timeline where he won in Age of Ultron and decided to start conquering other earths for some reason. 1970's Antihero pointed out that Uatu was surprised by Ultron showing up, and right at the end of a fun light-hearted episode would be a great time to introduce the premise for the season's climax. All the universes we've previously seen are going to crash together into one big battle against Ultron and Zombie Thanos and Evil Doctor Strange and etc etc etc. This would of course be the perfect time for Uatu to decide to stop watching and do something to keep these timelines from impinging on each other because let's be honest a lot of them are having a hard enough time on their own.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:20 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
As for Ultron, I see two possibilities:
1) In Age of Ultron, he starts out as an (artificial?) intelligence they find inside the Mind Stone, inside Loki's scepter. Tony stupidly decides to use this intelligence to skip a bunch of steps in his Ultron project, and shit goes to hell from there. Presumably, this intelligence came from somewhere and was put inside the Mind Stone for a reason. If it got loose at an earlier point in history, presumably thanks to Thor not doing something he did in the Sacred Timeline, I imagine Ultron would have followed the same basic arc he did in Age of Ultron, which is take shit over and build a body for himself out of the best materials available. Since Vision('s body) was Ultron's idea it stands to reason that if Ultron built himself a body somewhere else it would have ended up looking the same way, with Mind Stone front and center.
2) This is Ultron from an alternate timeline where he won in Age of Ultron and decided to start conquering other earths for some reason. 1970's Antihero pointed out that Uatu was surprised by Ultron showing up, and right at the end of a fun light-hearted episode would be a great time to introduce the premise for the season's climax. All the universes we've previously seen are going to crash together into one big battle against Ultron and Zombie Thanos and Evil Doctor Strange and etc etc etc. This would of course be the perfect time for Uatu to decide to stop watching and do something to keep these timelines from impinging on each other because let's be honest a lot of them are having a hard enough time on their own.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:20 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Uatu was really pulling for those crazy kids!
Would Loki, tortured Asgardian prince, really just be a Big Blue Jotunheim Bro if raised by his own people?
Also were Ice Giants known for partying anyway? They never seemed to do much but skulk around in the dark in the movies.
I remember a discussion on the Loki threads about how it wouldn't work to steal from Pillboi's Drawer of Infinity Stones because each stone would only work in its own (now pruned) universe. But maybe that wasn't true.
I always enjoy more Captain Marvel, but honestly, none of these have been that good, plot wise. This one included. They kind of show their origins as wafer-thin comic book plot one-offs, though there are sometimes a few good/fun bits in them.
posted by emjaybee at 7:01 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Would Loki, tortured Asgardian prince, really just be a Big Blue Jotunheim Bro if raised by his own people?
Also were Ice Giants known for partying anyway? They never seemed to do much but skulk around in the dark in the movies.
I remember a discussion on the Loki threads about how it wouldn't work to steal from Pillboi's Drawer of Infinity Stones because each stone would only work in its own (now pruned) universe. But maybe that wasn't true.
I always enjoy more Captain Marvel, but honestly, none of these have been that good, plot wise. This one included. They kind of show their origins as wafer-thin comic book plot one-offs, though there are sometimes a few good/fun bits in them.
posted by emjaybee at 7:01 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
To me, the Ms Marvel voice was a lot better than the Jane voice.
I haven't really enjoyed any of these -- and if the Thor episode couldn't get me then none of them will -- but I would sell a fraction of my soul to get one of these series applied to Star Wars. (Apparently, there is hope.)
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:13 PM on September 22, 2021
I haven't really enjoyed any of these -- and if the Thor episode couldn't get me then none of them will -- but I would sell a fraction of my soul to get one of these series applied to Star Wars. (Apparently, there is hope.)
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:13 PM on September 22, 2021
I remember a discussion on the Loki threads about how it wouldn't work to steal from Pillboi's Drawer of Infinity Stones because each stone would only work in its own (now pruned) universe. But maybe that wasn't true.
IIRC the stones are only useless within the TVA's realm, and at the time Loki came across them he had no expectation that he'd ever be leaving their realm again. Still, as a God of Mischief he ought to have palmed one or two just on the off-chance they'd come in handy.
I'd also say that the stones would definitely work outside of their own universe because Endgame is built around that concept being true, because despite the implication that the gang never left the Sacred Timeline in Endgame. They still absolutely had to have been causing nexus events left and right. The very first thing we see in Loki is the results of their meddling: Loki escapes with the Tesseract, causes a Nexus Event, and that reality gets pruned. Steve returning the pilfered stones probably helped mitigate the work the TVA had to do, but he still decided to stay in the past and get old, which was definitely not part of the plan. Also, for sure Thanos leaving his time to come to the future and get dusted is a big ol' nexus event, presumably the TVA quietly cleaned up that reality too. The only justification I can think of at all for why the Avengers were allowed to get away with those shenanigans is because it was the true and canonical past of the Kang/He Who Remains that we meet at the end of Loki, and so to ensure the creation of him and only him that exact timeline must be preserved over all others.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:15 PM on September 22, 2021
IIRC the stones are only useless within the TVA's realm, and at the time Loki came across them he had no expectation that he'd ever be leaving their realm again. Still, as a God of Mischief he ought to have palmed one or two just on the off-chance they'd come in handy.
I'd also say that the stones would definitely work outside of their own universe because Endgame is built around that concept being true, because despite the implication that the gang never left the Sacred Timeline in Endgame. They still absolutely had to have been causing nexus events left and right. The very first thing we see in Loki is the results of their meddling: Loki escapes with the Tesseract, causes a Nexus Event, and that reality gets pruned. Steve returning the pilfered stones probably helped mitigate the work the TVA had to do, but he still decided to stay in the past and get old, which was definitely not part of the plan. Also, for sure Thanos leaving his time to come to the future and get dusted is a big ol' nexus event, presumably the TVA quietly cleaned up that reality too. The only justification I can think of at all for why the Avengers were allowed to get away with those shenanigans is because it was the true and canonical past of the Kang/He Who Remains that we meet at the end of Loki, and so to ensure the creation of him and only him that exact timeline must be preserved over all others.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 7:15 PM on September 22, 2021
To me, the Ms Marvel voice was a lot better than the Jane voice.
That’s interesting, because the Jane voice was Natalie Portman.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:46 PM on September 22, 2021 [13 favorites]
That’s interesting, because the Jane voice was Natalie Portman.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 7:46 PM on September 22, 2021 [13 favorites]
At the 5:00 mark, doesn’t Thor walk by an Infinity Gauntlet full of stones while still on Asgard? If those aren’t fakes it would imply that Vision/Ultron (Vultron?) has sourced the stones from different universes/timelines.
posted by mikepop at 7:51 PM on September 22, 2021
posted by mikepop at 7:51 PM on September 22, 2021
That’s interesting, because the Jane voice was Natalie Portman.
That's astonishing...I didn't recognize her at all. (I still don't love the voice work there!)
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:58 PM on September 22, 2021
That's astonishing...I didn't recognize her at all. (I still don't love the voice work there!)
posted by grandiloquiet at 7:58 PM on September 22, 2021
At the 5:00 mark, doesn’t Thor walk by an Infinity Gauntlet full of stones while still on Asgard? If those aren’t fakes […]
In the first Thor movie, the Infinity Gauntlet including stones is in Odin’s vault. In Ragnarok, Hela sneeringly dismisses the same gauntlet as a fake. You gotta retcon those Easter eggs when they become the driving force of your cinematic juggernaut.
posted by ejs at 8:46 PM on September 22, 2021 [6 favorites]
In the first Thor movie, the Infinity Gauntlet including stones is in Odin’s vault. In Ragnarok, Hela sneeringly dismisses the same gauntlet as a fake. You gotta retcon those Easter eggs when they become the driving force of your cinematic juggernaut.
posted by ejs at 8:46 PM on September 22, 2021 [6 favorites]
I've been pretty low on most previous episodes of this show (and just skipped a couple), but this was fun. I think some of the things that grated on me in the more serious episodes, like the random stuff thrown in for fan service, and people doing things that don't really make sense, and things happening that don't make really make sense but happen so quickly that none of it gets room to breathe, just work a lot better in a goofy ass comedy.
posted by jameaterblues at 8:51 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by jameaterblues at 8:51 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
I don't have Disney+ so I haven't seen any of these. Could someone explain the "Mrs TheDuck" references above, please?
As a Marvel reader in the 1970s, I'm assuming it's something to do with Howard (and Bev?) but maybe not....
posted by Paul Slade at 12:39 AM on September 23, 2021
As a Marvel reader in the 1970s, I'm assuming it's something to do with Howard (and Bev?) but maybe not....
posted by Paul Slade at 12:39 AM on September 23, 2021
Darcy and Howard the Duck got married on what looked like a whim, and he referred to her as Mrs. the Duck.
posted by Pronoiac at 1:03 AM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Pronoiac at 1:03 AM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
He also took points off Darcy for being a brunette, so one presumes he knew Beverly in this timeline and became predisposed to redheads.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:10 AM on September 23, 2021
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:10 AM on September 23, 2021
I don't have Disney+ so I haven't seen any of these. Could someone explain the "Mrs TheDuck" references above, please?
Much of the episode takes place in Las Vegas. A couple of scenes after Darcy and Howard have a meet cute, an Elvis impersonator in a wedding chapel says, “I now pronounce you Darcy and Duck.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:43 AM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
Much of the episode takes place in Las Vegas. A couple of scenes after Darcy and Howard have a meet cute, an Elvis impersonator in a wedding chapel says, “I now pronounce you Darcy and Duck.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 4:43 AM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
For what it's worth, Infinity Stones not working outside their home universe isn't just a Loki series thing, there's well established comics precedents for it too. But the nature of Marvel's What If? means that rules like that are made to be broken.
Only semi related to that, I feel like the scriptwriters missed an opportunity when The Watcher's "happily ever after" summation got interrupted. The line he says comes this close to namedropping one of Marvel's other non-canonical stories imprints, "What The--?!" which is essentially What If? but with a heavy dose of self-parody.
It would have been a nice nod, but frustratingly, he doesn't actually say it.
posted by radwolf76 at 5:36 AM on September 23, 2021 [4 favorites]
Only semi related to that, I feel like the scriptwriters missed an opportunity when The Watcher's "happily ever after" summation got interrupted. The line he says comes this close to namedropping one of Marvel's other non-canonical stories imprints, "What The--?!" which is essentially What If? but with a heavy dose of self-parody.
It would have been a nice nod, but frustratingly, he doesn't actually say it.
posted by radwolf76 at 5:36 AM on September 23, 2021 [4 favorites]
Easily the best episode of the series so far because it didn't just lean into the premise, but jumped in with hella enthusiasm.
The episode wasn't very deep, but Thor tends not to be so it works. Instead, there's just constant train of jokes and gags, which I'm gonna list out, because it's my day off and I don't wanna get outta bed.
First off: Anything that opens with Darcy is gonna, even if it's only Darcy. It's such a good character that takes part and pokes fun at MCU
Thor arrives in Las Vegas and there's an Elvis impersonator that says "Holy Moly".
The note about about Thor and Loki's relationship and that in order to be a better person, the former needs the latter in an antagonist way. Basically, Thor has a crazy amount of privilege and someone needs to regularly remind him that he really isn't a god. I'm not totally sold on that as Thor of the main timeline is still a bit of braggy asshole when we first meet him. Arguably it's the lost of his parents and home that forces growth, but not having Loki around to take him down a peg or two does breed a bit of monster.
Heh, even Frigga wants Odin to go to sleep so she can party, at least in her own fashion.
Not a word from Heimdall. Probably because idris Eldra, the actor who plays him, wasn't available? No matter, I respect the choice not to try to review Idris, 'case his voice is pretty distinct.
Thor yelling "Huzzah" 'cause a brief bit of hope that characters from The Great would put in a cameo. Alas note, but if you haven't watched Season 1, do so, it's great fun
Thor knows EVERYONE, aka all the cosmic guest stars appearing for the parties. 'Cause of course, who doesn't love a good party and naturally frat bro Thor would introduce himself to everyone.
Howard the Duck! and of course he's still into redheads.
Skrulls! Which Thor uses a mirror. But still Skrulls doing Skrull things!
Baked goods? Marvel recognizes legal pot, right?
I want to see Gary the goat.
Thor thinks an tablet is magic, but Asgard views magic and science as the same thing, so yeah, can we lean more into that.
Half-priced nachos, of course that's a bonding point for Howard and Darcy.
The Party Atmosphere spread even to the Amish. They needed a scene of Thor there, corrupting the locals.
Oh now, we call in Captain Marvel over an alien invasion. Guess we know who the real party pooper is now, huh Maria Hill?!
Odd note: The animation style purposefully off in terms of the character's faces. I suspect it's so that the audience doesn't view this scenario as too real, but it's still a bit off putting at times. You recognize the characters, but it's more by voice, the physical looks. Interesting choice.
Loki as a fellow party bro is a great touch! It's great to see Loki with his own sphere of power and place, so he's more relaxed and fun, but still has a certain something that hints at mischief and danger. one of the best parts of What If is that it ca show other minor changes, such as Loki being a leader or who would win in a fight between Thor and Captain Marvel.
Hammer Rang!
The country names on the global view was oddly hilarious and felt very Looney Tunes like. But America didn't get a name check, which was even funnier.
Was really wondering if Captain Marvel would even try to pick up the hammer, but am guess that Marvel wants to keep that secret and potential plot point in it's back pocket.
Pooper! Pooper! Pooper!
Yeah, where is Goose the cat?
Nah, keep the Dakotas, let's ditch Texas and Florida. Or maybe just half of those states?
And yeah, this was tv sitcom type plot, with teenagers throwing a party while parents are away. But so much better when applies to a different genre to poke fun.
Notes and questions:
Where's Hela? Talk about a party pooper.
The Warriors Three continue to be amazingly dull
When does Darcy get her own ensemble show? TAKE MY MONEY MARVEL.
I wonder if Hydra infected Shield in this timeline. Crossbones almost seemed friendly.
With Surtur, the bringer of Ragnorak, also just partying up a storm does that mean Asgard is never destroyed?
Where was Tony Stark? Hard to believe he'd miss out giant party that someone else was the star of.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:30 AM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
The episode wasn't very deep, but Thor tends not to be so it works. Instead, there's just constant train of jokes and gags, which I'm gonna list out, because it's my day off and I don't wanna get outta bed.
First off: Anything that opens with Darcy is gonna, even if it's only Darcy. It's such a good character that takes part and pokes fun at MCU
Thor arrives in Las Vegas and there's an Elvis impersonator that says "Holy Moly".
The note about about Thor and Loki's relationship and that in order to be a better person, the former needs the latter in an antagonist way. Basically, Thor has a crazy amount of privilege and someone needs to regularly remind him that he really isn't a god. I'm not totally sold on that as Thor of the main timeline is still a bit of braggy asshole when we first meet him. Arguably it's the lost of his parents and home that forces growth, but not having Loki around to take him down a peg or two does breed a bit of monster.
Heh, even Frigga wants Odin to go to sleep so she can party, at least in her own fashion.
Not a word from Heimdall. Probably because idris Eldra, the actor who plays him, wasn't available? No matter, I respect the choice not to try to review Idris, 'case his voice is pretty distinct.
Thor yelling "Huzzah" 'cause a brief bit of hope that characters from The Great would put in a cameo. Alas note, but if you haven't watched Season 1, do so, it's great fun
Thor knows EVERYONE, aka all the cosmic guest stars appearing for the parties. 'Cause of course, who doesn't love a good party and naturally frat bro Thor would introduce himself to everyone.
Howard the Duck! and of course he's still into redheads.
Skrulls! Which Thor uses a mirror. But still Skrulls doing Skrull things!
Baked goods? Marvel recognizes legal pot, right?
I want to see Gary the goat.
Thor thinks an tablet is magic, but Asgard views magic and science as the same thing, so yeah, can we lean more into that.
Half-priced nachos, of course that's a bonding point for Howard and Darcy.
The Party Atmosphere spread even to the Amish. They needed a scene of Thor there, corrupting the locals.
Oh now, we call in Captain Marvel over an alien invasion. Guess we know who the real party pooper is now, huh Maria Hill?!
Odd note: The animation style purposefully off in terms of the character's faces. I suspect it's so that the audience doesn't view this scenario as too real, but it's still a bit off putting at times. You recognize the characters, but it's more by voice, the physical looks. Interesting choice.
Loki as a fellow party bro is a great touch! It's great to see Loki with his own sphere of power and place, so he's more relaxed and fun, but still has a certain something that hints at mischief and danger. one of the best parts of What If is that it ca show other minor changes, such as Loki being a leader or who would win in a fight between Thor and Captain Marvel.
Hammer Rang!
The country names on the global view was oddly hilarious and felt very Looney Tunes like. But America didn't get a name check, which was even funnier.
Was really wondering if Captain Marvel would even try to pick up the hammer, but am guess that Marvel wants to keep that secret and potential plot point in it's back pocket.
Pooper! Pooper! Pooper!
Yeah, where is Goose the cat?
Nah, keep the Dakotas, let's ditch Texas and Florida. Or maybe just half of those states?
And yeah, this was tv sitcom type plot, with teenagers throwing a party while parents are away. But so much better when applies to a different genre to poke fun.
Notes and questions:
Where's Hela? Talk about a party pooper.
The Warriors Three continue to be amazingly dull
When does Darcy get her own ensemble show? TAKE MY MONEY MARVEL.
I wonder if Hydra infected Shield in this timeline. Crossbones almost seemed friendly.
With Surtur, the bringer of Ragnorak, also just partying up a storm does that mean Asgard is never destroyed?
Where was Tony Stark? Hard to believe he'd miss out giant party that someone else was the star of.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:30 AM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
Crossbones almost seemed friendly.
Key word: almost. Pouting over never getting to use the nukes seems to be a very HYDRA thing to do.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:54 AM on September 23, 2021 [8 favorites]
Key word: almost. Pouting over never getting to use the nukes seems to be a very HYDRA thing to do.
posted by radwolf76 at 7:54 AM on September 23, 2021 [8 favorites]
Other key point: There doesn't seem to be lot of the usual wars. Party bro Thor seems to have brought a galactic peace.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:01 AM on September 23, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:01 AM on September 23, 2021 [4 favorites]
Except for that party pooper ending.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:18 AM on September 23, 2021
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:18 AM on September 23, 2021
Pooper! Pooper! Pooper!
That shot of Carol looking like Grumpy Cat with all the fingers pointing and the “Pooper!” chant made me laugh harder than anything else in the episode.
posted by ejs at 12:27 PM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
That shot of Carol looking like Grumpy Cat with all the fingers pointing and the “Pooper!” chant made me laugh harder than anything else in the episode.
posted by ejs at 12:27 PM on September 23, 2021 [1 favorite]
This was fun! My main complaint is that now I really want a light and funny fic where Darcy becomes Captain Marvel's assistant/cat wrangler. Alas, I'll probably have to write it myself.
posted by creepygirl at 9:34 PM on September 23, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by creepygirl at 9:34 PM on September 23, 2021 [5 favorites]
Odd note: The animation style purposefully off in terms of the character's faces. I suspect it's so that the audience doesn't view this scenario as too real, but it's still a bit off putting at times. You recognize the characters, but it's more by voice, the physical looks. Interesting choice.
It's so they don't have to pay the actors for use of their likeness. Disney owns the characters, but they don't own Chris Hemsworth's and Natalie Portman's faces.
posted by Fleebnork at 4:50 AM on September 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
It's so they don't have to pay the actors for use of their likeness. Disney owns the characters, but they don't own Chris Hemsworth's and Natalie Portman's faces.
posted by Fleebnork at 4:50 AM on September 24, 2021 [2 favorites]
I would sell a fraction of my soul to get one of these series applied to Star Wars. (Apparently, there is hope.)
I think you’ll find the proper phrasing is, “There is another.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:59 AM on September 24, 2021
I think you’ll find the proper phrasing is, “There is another.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:59 AM on September 24, 2021
Also were Ice Giants known for partying anyway? They never seemed to do much but skulk around in the dark in the movies.The ice giants in the movies were half a generation out from having lost a war really badly. They'd had their cultural artifacts stolen (not to mention a member of their royal family) and were being isolated under some kind of economic sanctions. That's going to lead to a lot of skulking around in the dark. Think about how well that sort of thing went in Germany after WWI.
On a lighter note, look for "Visions" which is not exactly the AU you are looking for but does have a bunch of varied animated shorts set in the Star Wars universe.
posted by Karmakaze at 6:05 AM on September 24, 2021
The Warriors Three continue to be amazingly dull
What If.... the Warriors Three did something, like, anything.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:33 PM on September 24, 2021
What If.... the Warriors Three did something, like, anything.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 6:33 PM on September 24, 2021
Starting with the line You must be using a lot of dark magic to check in on me, Thor started sounding like Stewie Griffin, especially with Ohhhh, you mean Earth; I may not be able to unhear it.
posted by detachd at 2:05 PM on September 25, 2021
posted by detachd at 2:05 PM on September 25, 2021
Loved this (until the end, anyway)! Such great lines! Actual fun episode!
"The most interesting thing Thor ever does is fall asleep!"
"Shouldn't there be more lasers? Probing? A giant cow?"
JANE IS SO CONFLICTED LOL. And then gets a magic tattoo.
Darcy eloped with a duck?! How does that... work... anatomically?
I don't comprehend how this Loki is now a...blue giant when he never was before? Even though he's supposed to be a frost giant in the first place?
Darcy's joy over Goose and Top Gun!
"Kappa Kappa Frat Freak."
"Look, no one would notice if you blew up a Dakota."
"Did you know that Midgard is the origin of the Snuggie?"
Awww, Carol helping Thor out.
I enjoyed it until the end and then was all whaaaaaaat?
The ice makeover on Mount Rushmore!
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:33 AM on September 26, 2021
"The most interesting thing Thor ever does is fall asleep!"
"Shouldn't there be more lasers? Probing? A giant cow?"
JANE IS SO CONFLICTED LOL. And then gets a magic tattoo.
Darcy eloped with a duck?! How does that... work... anatomically?
I don't comprehend how this Loki is now a...blue giant when he never was before? Even though he's supposed to be a frost giant in the first place?
Darcy's joy over Goose and Top Gun!
"Kappa Kappa Frat Freak."
"Look, no one would notice if you blew up a Dakota."
"Did you know that Midgard is the origin of the Snuggie?"
Awww, Carol helping Thor out.
I enjoyed it until the end and then was all whaaaaaaat?
The ice makeover on Mount Rushmore!
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:33 AM on September 26, 2021
Darcy eloped with a duck?! How does that... work... anatomically?
Beats me. There's is a scene in the original Howard comics where he admits that he's "developed a working aesthetic for hairless ape anatomy", though.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:15 PM on September 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Beats me. There's is a scene in the original Howard comics where he admits that he's "developed a working aesthetic for hairless ape anatomy", though.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:15 PM on September 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I think the sort of throwaway mentions/hints at the galaxy being more peaceful because Thor is a party boy is a huge deal to this universe and a nod to the theme of Ragnarok. Odin does the right thing with Loki, returning him to his family, and now they are not enemies. Odin being more benevolent in this timeline seems to indicate Asgard actually oversees peace in the universe. Thor doesn't need to be a ls much of a warrior as he is when his father is militant.
Odin might actually have kept Thanos in check which is why it is now the human creation Ultron that gathered the stones.
posted by M Edward at 1:23 PM on September 26, 2021
Odin might actually have kept Thanos in check which is why it is now the human creation Ultron that gathered the stones.
posted by M Edward at 1:23 PM on September 26, 2021
I don't comprehend how this Loki is now a...blue giant when he never was before? Even though he's supposed to be a frost giant in the first place?
The giant blue Loki we see here is what he grows up to without meddling with his development. He's the same size as any of the other frost giants we've seen. When Odin adopted Loki, he put a shape-shifting spell on Loki so he'd pass for Thor's brother by birth. It looks like he used something more thorough than just an illusion to cover the skin color and it stunted Loki's growth.
posted by Karmakaze at 9:53 PM on September 27, 2021
The giant blue Loki we see here is what he grows up to without meddling with his development. He's the same size as any of the other frost giants we've seen. When Odin adopted Loki, he put a shape-shifting spell on Loki so he'd pass for Thor's brother by birth. It looks like he used something more thorough than just an illusion to cover the skin color and it stunted Loki's growth.
posted by Karmakaze at 9:53 PM on September 27, 2021
I thought Loki was considered a runt for an ice giant, aka human sized?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:44 AM on September 28, 2021
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:44 AM on September 28, 2021
Darcy eloped with a duck?! How does that... work... anatomically?
Presumably, the same way it did with Lea Thompson's character in the 1986 movie.
posted by radwolf76 at 3:10 AM on September 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
Presumably, the same way it did with Lea Thompson's character in the 1986 movie.
posted by radwolf76 at 3:10 AM on September 28, 2021 [3 favorites]
I thought Loki was considered a runt for an ice giant, aka human sized?
That was the prevailing theory until this aired, though nobody who would actually know ever weighted in on it. Apparently, though, he wasn't a runt after all, he just had his growth stunted for Odin's convenience because, let's face it, Odin is not getting a Dad of the Year mug any time soon.
posted by Karmakaze at 1:58 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
That was the prevailing theory until this aired, though nobody who would actually know ever weighted in on it. Apparently, though, he wasn't a runt after all, he just had his growth stunted for Odin's convenience because, let's face it, Odin is not getting a Dad of the Year mug any time soon.
posted by Karmakaze at 1:58 PM on September 28, 2021 [1 favorite]
It’s astonishing that this show has managed to get so many A-list celebrities. Contractual obligations from the MCU movies?
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:51 PM on September 29, 2021
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 6:51 PM on September 29, 2021
This was fun! My main complaint is that now I really want a light and funny fic where Darcy becomes Captain Marvel's assistant/cat wrangler. Alas, I'll probably have to write it myself.
This is relevant to my interests and I would like to subscribe to your AO3/Patreon.
posted by ApathyGirl at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
This is relevant to my interests and I would like to subscribe to your AO3/Patreon.
posted by ApathyGirl at 11:43 AM on October 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Another explanation occurs to me as an explanation for Loki's giant height. What if prime timeline Loki is, in fact, a runt as everyone presumed and the divergence point is that Loki was born full-size in this timeline and thus was not left unguarded in the temple for Odin to pick up?
posted by Karmakaze at 12:18 PM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Karmakaze at 12:18 PM on October 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
There was a shot in the prologue that appeared to be Odin handing Loki back, though.
posted by tavella at 4:01 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by tavella at 4:01 PM on October 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:44 AM on September 22, 2021 [3 favorites]