This write-up consists of spoilers for What If…? – An Immersive Story

Three years considering that the Multiverse Saga started, what might be the MCU’s greatest What If…? story so far might not have been noticed by several. Ever considering that Loki season 1 sparked its rebirth, the multiverse has been affecting all corners of the MCU. This has resulted in the arrival of Spider-Man variants in Spider-Man: No Way Home, a jaunt across many universes in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the arrival of the MCU’s most significant threat however – the Council of Kangs – in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

The animated MCU show, What If…?, meanwhile, has been exploring in higher depth other universes in which branching timelines arise from the smallest of diversions from the principal MCU timeline. Although What If…? season 2 concluded in December 2023, a bonus episode of sorts has lately emerged in an uncommon guise. What If…? – An Immersive Story is a collaborative work amongst Marvel Studios and the Apple Vision Pro to provide yet another branching timeline story, and it might be a single of the greatest multiverse stories however.

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What If’s VR Story Explained

What If…? – An Immersive Story is an interactive episode of What If…? that turns the viewer/player into the so-named “Hero of the Multiverse,” a protagonist with an innate talent for sorcery that Wong assists to hone in a matter of minutes. It opens with the Watcher beseeching the Hero for their assist in halting 3 villains from obtaining hold of choose Infinity Stones in their timelines and altering the organic course of the multiverse. The hero does this with the assist of the Soul and Space Stones and the Watcher’s capacity to transport them to new universes.

The Hero collects Infinity Stones in the approach of stopping the villains in query, only for “The Watcher” to reveal himself as Scarlet Witch in disguise. Scarlet Witch seizes the Infinity Stones for herself, intending to use them to make a brand-new multiverse in her image. She then sends the Hero to the Soul Realm alongside the villains. Here, the player meets Vision, whose death is an Absolute Point in time and anything that Wanda intends to stop.

After becoming freed by Wong and aiding in the Scarlet Witch’s defeat, the Hero transports Wanda and Vision to the Soul Realm to be collectively forever. The Hero of the Multiverse then faces a tricky selection: destroy the Infinity Stones and let the multiverse to run its organic course, or let the villains to use them as they intended. This then provides way to two pretty distinct endings.

What If’s VR Story Beats Marvel’s Current Multiverse Stories Because It Takes Things To The Next Level

What If…? – An Immersive Story treads completely new ground in MCU storytelling. The nature of the multiverse and What If…? stories lend themselves completely to a decide on-your-personal-adventure structure and this project encapsulates that possible. By putting the viewer front-and-center, it requires the thoughts-bending premise of What If…? to all-new levels as the audience themselves have an effect on the multiverse.

The notion of branching timelines designed by single choices feels far additional true when putting that selection at the viewers’ feet. This heightens the notion even additional, as it feels far significantly less restrictive than the stories becoming told inside the closed structure of a common episode. The two endings also seem to herald even additional interactive What If…? stories, suggesting that Marvel intends to inform additional stories in this especially distinctive setting.

What If’s VR Story Further Proves It’s The Multiverse Saga’s Most Underrated Release

Unfortunately, What If…? – An Immersive Story is restricted to the handful of people today who personal Apple Vision Pros. This precludes a big swathe of MCU fans from even becoming conscious of this certain Multiverse Saga story, generating it a criminally overlooked addition to the MCU that lastly treads new ground as fans clamor for new genres. While playthroughs can be watched on line by way of platforms like YouTube, the reality that it is not watchable by way of common suggests like Disney+ or cinemas suggests that it will largely fly below the radar.

This is a status that is shared by no other MCU installment. The canonicity of What If…? – An Immersive Story is up for debate, but the pretty nature of the multiverse suggests that it is as canon as any other universe, which includes Sony’s Spider-Man franchises and Fox’s X-Men franchise. Thankfully, this also suggests that the consequences of missing out on this underrated MCU installment extend only to the reality that it is worth a watch, even if it does not effect the principal MCU storyline.

What If…?

What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which functions fan-preferred characters, which includes Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and additional. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, functions signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent becoming that observes the events of numerous universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, factors shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse. 

Cast

Samuel L. Jackson , Stanley Tucci , Michael Douglas , Sean Gunn , Mark Ruffalo , Karen Gillan , Tom Hiddleston , Jeffrey Wright , Michael B. Jordan , Toby Jones , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , David Dastmalchian , Natalie Portman , Josh Brolin , Dominic Cooper , Jeff Goldblum , Hayley Atwell , Djimon Hounsou , Chadwick Boseman , Taika Waititi , Chris Hemsworth , Neil McDonaugh , Jeremy Renner , Michael Rooker

Release Date

August 11, 2021

Seasons

2

Writers

Ashley Bradley , Matthew Chauncey

Directors

Bryan Andrews

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