Lots of comic book violence in thrilling, inclusive series.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a lot
Violence is an integral part of most episodes, as "drama" usually means "battle," whether it's with sci-fi weaponry or old-fashioned Earth guns. Characters are suddenly killed in explosions, shot, stunned. There are also monsters and, in one episode, terrifying zombies with a definite taste for flesh. Others are quite bleak, with sad deaths and universe-ending decisions. Violence is often stylized -- e.g., a character is punched while colorful lines radiate out from the body; characters jump away from explosions as fire blooms behind them.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Some flirtatious talk: "I always said Peggy was a real knockout," one character says about Captain Carter, as we see her literally knocking out other soldiers with punches.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Marvel's movies and TV shows have lots of tie-in merchandise.
Positive Messages
some
Heroes frequently use might instead of other methods to achieve their aims; a notable exception is an episode that emphasizes a character creating change through diplomacy instead of war. Characters also frequently work together. Nonetheless, most episodes involve battles of some type and are boiled down to simple, often violent, clashes.
Positive Role Models
some
Focuses on side characters from the Marvel universe. It's more diverse than typical superhero outings, with heroes who are female or Black (though not both at once). Anthology format works against getting to know any one character in depth, and storylines are generally easy-to-grasp us-vs.-them scenarios that don't illuminate characters' real lives or backgrounds.
Diverse Representations
some
Features diverse heroes such as Captain Peggy Carter, a WWII-era super soldier, and T'Challa, a Black child who becomes charming rogue Star-Lord instead of Black Panther. While the representation is welcome -- and Carter's visual look is non-stereotypical, a tall and well-muscled female hero -- storylines are simple good-vs.-bad scenarios that don't really explore characters' inner lives or how they cope in milieus in which they're the exception rather than the norm.
Parents need to know that What If ... ? is an animated anthology series that tells alternate stories based on Marvel universe storylines. The series often focuses on side characters from Marvel movies, and subjects are notably more diverse than their cinematic counterparts -- e.g., a female soldier gets the Super Soldier Serum and becomes a different Captain America, and T'Challa is tapped to become Guardians of the Galaxy's Star-Lord instead of Black Panther. The diverse representation extends to the show's visual style: Female Captain Carter is visualized as tall, well-muscled, and strong and depicted heroically in shots that emphasize her grace and power. That said, storylines are typically rather simple good-vs.-evil scenarios that don't let viewers learn much about characters' inner lives. There's lots of violence, with plentiful sci-fi weaponry: laser guns, spacecraft, supernatural powers, etc. Characters (including major ones) are killed suddenly, and there are explosions, gunshots, and military battles, as well as some episodes with bleak endings and frankly terrifying monsters. Violence is frequently stylized, retro comic-book style, with colorful lines radiating from punches and cosmic backgrounds.
It says there is no language present but there is. In Episode 5 (which is the only one I have watched) it says “what the hell” in the first few minutes. That’s “language” in my opinion. I use this site to vet movies for my own kids as well as for movies at school for students. It’s usually reliable but this one is not accurate.
Me and my family have been captivated by this show since the first episode. It is a great show... but... the newer episodes are very dark and suprisingly gory. My kids are very mature and they can handle alot, I show them films and tv shows that definitely aren’t meant for them, but I want to warn other parents, I see alot of other reviewers saying this show is for 10/11 year olds, it is not, mainly because those reviews only cover the first two/three episodes, which are very pre teen freindly, but episodes 4 and 5 are very dark and suprisingly gory. I wont spoil episodes 4 and 5 for you, but episode 4 is very dark (especially its ending), it also contains some minor scary imagery. Episode 5 contains a suprising amount of gore for an MCU property, personally I don’t mind gory stuff nor do I mind my kids seeing stuff like that, but I know other parents wouldn’t be ok with it. Please keep in mind that commen sense media only reviews the first 1 or 2 episodes of a tv show, and they never go back and add to their reviews, they aren’t very trustworthy in that regard. So take other reviews with a grain of salt.
What's the Story?
WHAT IF ... ? asks that very question in animated episodes that show a reality splintered off from the Marvel superhero tales you already know. What if Agent Carter (Hayley Atwell) got the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers (Josh Keaton), and she was the hero who vanquished Red Skull (Ross Marquand)? What if Yondu (Michael Rooker) picked up T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and not Peter Quill as a child and he became Star-Lord instead? What if Loki (Tom Hiddleston) mustered his considerable charm and appealed to Earth with diplomacy instead of might? Jeffrey Wright narrates each tale as The Watcher.
With dazzling visuals and thrilling storytelling, Marvel's new animated series follows beloved storylines to new ends and scores on every level. Jeffrey Wright is a narrator with gravitas (shades of Rod Serling!), and What If ... ? hooks you in right from the beginning with his intro: "Time. Space. Reality. It's more than a linear path: It's a prism of endless possibility." Oooh, yeah! Wright's Watcher, who we see as a dark humanoid outline with glowing eyes against a cosmic backdrop, is an old-fashioned device, the storyteller who invites you to sit and watch as something unfolds. It worked once; it works still: You're in from the start, and happily, What If ... ? doesn't disappoint after it grabs your attention so extravagantly.
To some viewers, the greatest thrill of all will be seeing a Marvel universe that's more inclusive than you'd expect from the White male-dominated casts of most Marvel movies. In the show's first episode, Captain America character Peggy Carter advances from the sidelines to the center of all the action as she subs in for a wounded Steve Rogers during his hero-ification process. Machines whizz ... smoke gathers and clears ... and out steps a super-sized Captain Carter, ready for combat on America's behalf. "You won't be needing those heels anymore," says a clearly impressed Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper). Cue scenes of Carter acting with derring-do and bravery against a WWII-era soundtrack. Other episodes focus on Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and, in performances recorded before his tragic and untimely death in 2020, Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther hero T'Challa. Wakanda forever.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the diversity exhibited in What If ... ? Why is it important for superheroes to be diverse? How is What If ... ? an example of both racial and gender diversity when compared to other superhero films and shows?
What is the appeal of stories about superheroes, and why is it so enduring? What is it that interests people in stories about those with special powers? What could a superhero accomplish in the real world, and why can't ordinary people do the same?
What's the impact of the violence in this show? Does the fact that you don't see blood or gore change the way the violence comes across? Do deaths look scary? Are they supposed to? Characters who die are mostly faceless characters, often in uniform. How does that change your perception of the violence?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
