What if…? Episode 5 Review: Marvel Meets the Walking Dead for Some Grisly Zombie Thrills in Disney+ Series’ Latest Outing (LatestLY Exclusive)

What If...? Episode 5 Review: Marvel's animated series What If...? is just getting better with each and every subsequent episode. The latest one is Marvel at its boldest, snarliest and grisliest, and could take years for the studios to attempt it in a live-action form. Taking inspiration from Marvel's zombie storyline run, the new episode sees a universe where Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is sent to an Earth by Heimdall, that is already facing a huge crisis before Thanos is set to arrive - zombie apocalypse. What if…? Episode 4 Recap: From Doctor Strange Going Dark to the Depressing Ending, 7 Things That Happened in Marvel’s Animated Disney+ Series.

The scary part is that most of the Avengers on Earth have already been turned zombies, including Captain America, Iron Man, Doctor Strange among others. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is missing. Banner is rescued in time from getting eaten and turned into a zombie himself, and he joins the small band of survivors that is trying its best to survive and find a cure to this zombiecalypse.

Watch the Trailer:

Who doesn't like zombies? Those skeletal things that are obsessed with eating your brains and more, and can run or drag, depending on the writer's mood, the walking dead always make for some entertaining times. Episode 5 of What If...? goes a couple of steps ahead, and gives them superpowers! Despite them being undead, the zombified Avengers and the supervillains retain their superpowers for some really terrifying consequences, as proven excellently in the first scene where they mark their presence in front of Banner.

Of course, since this is still a show that is aimed for the younger audience, it is the context of the killings that feels grislier rather than the act itself. But still, you don't really see MCU having a zombie Avenger cut into half by Cap's shield, or the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) doing to her recently zombiefied comrade what fans wanted Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to do to Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. Albeit, she goes through inside more respectable, and but still disgusting, errr... hole! What if…? Episode 4 Might Explain Doctor Strange’s Seemingly Reckless Behaviour in Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer.

The episode also allows an unlikely motley ragtag group of heroes fit together, even better than the Thanos-T'Challa-Yondu-Nebula team-up from Episode 2. The likes of Spider-Man, Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) Bucky (Sebastian Stan), Wasp, Okoye (Danai Gurira), Kurt (David Dastmalchian) along with Banner - not to mention, Strange's cape - bring a unique dynamics to the group that's highly entertaining and fun as it lasts. Which, to say, isn't that long a duration.

Spider-Man, not voiced by Tom Holland, brings a Zombieland vibe to the saga with his vlog to survive the apocalypse. Hudson Thames, who actually voiced the character, has done a fine job here, making you not miss the real star much. You can really feel the exasperation of the character when he realises that others around him haven't seen much horror films. Seriously, not even Night of the Living Dead?

Of course, the episode doesn't let go of the trademark Marvel humour, which feels wrongly placed at times. Like, as the episode progresses, the band sees their numbers losing to the undead, but doesn't stop and mourn for their fallen friends, but instead make for a needless joke.

The third act is the best, and the darkest part, of the episode, that brings two other Avengers into the horror mix, and completely embraces its terrifying stirrings. Yes, there are still jokes around, thanks to a disembodied head of an Avenger known for his cracks. But still, the thrills are far better in these portions all leading a dimly hopeful conclusion that is further rendered moot by a surprise cameo.

PS: Not sure, but this episode could be the last time we hear the late Chadwick Boseman voicing Black Panther. If that's the case, his final line is definitely going to touch your hearts!

Final Thoughts

The live-action MCU saga could attempt embracing its horror side with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, or it may take even more years for that too happen. However, the episode 5 of What If...? gives us a taste of the grisly fun the concept can offer, if the daring is there. What If...? is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in India, with new episode dropping every Wednesday at 12.30 pm.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 08, 2021 03:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).