Marvel’s: What If…? T’Challa Became a Star Lord Review

Ever go shopping and grab the wrong item by mistake? That’s why my wife never leaves me in charge of the shopping. I always mess it up. Now imagine, you were contracted to retrieve the son of a living planet but outsourced it, then they screwed it up. What if… T’challa Became a Star Lord? The second episode of Marvel’s: What If presents a much more interesting question as are the answers it offers.

As stated above, Yondu messed up in this timeline. Instead of going himself, he sends Kraglin and Taserface off to Earth, who went the wrong way due to strong cosmic readings. Thanks to the vibranium meteor below Wakanda however, T’challa simply finds himself in the wrong place at the right time. T’challa is abducted by the two and taken to Yondu instead. Showing no fear, Yondu is impressed by T’challa’s bravery and willingness to explore, Yondu decides to adopt the young boy.

T’challa makes an impression on people all throughout the galaxy unlike Peter Quill, Star-Lord becomes a positive force. Unlike Quill’s version, Star-Lord is actually known throughout the galaxy, and it has far-reaching effects. There are some major changes he brings to the galaxy, one of which is displayed immediately in the episode. The show starts out as the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, with Star-Lord in search of the power stone on Morag. Mirroring Quill’s actions upon finding the stone, he retrieves it with relative ease. However, when Korath shows up, he instantly recognizes T’challa the moment he steps out of the shadows. It’s a really great moment, especially for Korath who got very little character development in the MCU.

Unlike the first episode, which stuck very close to the story of its roots, that’s where episode 2’s ends. What If T’Challa Became a Star Lord does its best to avoid telling the same story with new twists. All the little differences have a huge impact on how the story plays out. For instance, after their confrontation, Star Lord brings Korath with him and he joins Yondu’s Ravagers. We never see Rocket, Groot, or Gamorra but we do get alternate versions of Nebula and even Thanos. T’Challa is such an influential figure in space, he was able to talk to the Mad Titan down from genocide.

With the Mad Titan out of play and fighting with the heroes, it created a power vacuum. One the Collector was all too eager to fill, becoming the most cutthroat gangster in the galaxy. Also, where Quill was just a kid from a broken home, T’Challa was a prince. You don’t just abduct the prince of the most technologically advanced country on Earth without repercussions. I certainly won’t spoil the moment but it definitely comes into play. It’s a moment that defines Star Lord’s character and his relationship with Yondu.

I noticed a nice contrast from the artwork in this episode compared to the last as well. The animators have done a really good job at utilizing the art style for the show. Whereas the first episode featured drabber, darker tones to fit its WWII setting, now we’re in space. It’s a wholly different kind of color palette this time around and quite beautiful to look at. There’s also a great fight scene with the Collector and the way they utilize his cells is really cool. The Collector has managed to procure some cool stuff for his uh… collection. I also really liked the way they tucked the Watcher into the scenery in some of the scenes.

This next bit is the part I didn’t really want to talk about because it constantly makes me emotional. However, as this is a review, we have to talk about the cast. Much like the first episode, 98% of the cast returns to voice their characters with the exception of Dave Batista. Chadwick Boseman returns as T’Challa as well and he makes for a fantastic Star Lord. You can really tell he had a fun time voicing this role. It’s a What If Marvel will never be able to give to the fans. T’Challa will always belong to Chadwick Boseman and I am in love with the tribute Marvel added at the end.

All in all, What If T’Challa Became a Star Lord is another wonderful episode. Unlike Captain Carter, it doesn’t try to fit a whole film into a thirty-minute episode. Instead, it uses the basic outline of its source material to build something new. As much as I hate to bring this up, but given the circumstances, it’s also a very special episode. No one can fill the void left in Chadwick Boseman’s wake. I’m saddened that we’ll never get an option to see him as Black Panther again, let alone as Star Lord on the big screen. However, this episode of What If was a fun way for Boseman to close the book on T’Challa and I hope we can all cherish the gift we’ve been given.