There are countless reasons that fans responded better to episode 2 of What If...? than the first. Still, the posthumous performance from the late Chadwick Boseman was undoubtedly one of the biggest draws that the episode had to offer.
Titled What If... T'challa Became A Star-Lord?, Episode 2 of Marvel Studios' animated anthology series puts the spotlight on Chadwick Boseman's T'challa with a twist that sees him picked up and taken to space in place of Peter Quill, leaving Wakanda with his absence.
T'challa's compassion in place of Quill's daddy issues causes many differences in the wider galaxy, and one of the first ways that are expressed is Korath's response when Star-Lord's mask comes off on Morag. "Who?"
In Guardians of the Galaxy, Quill is met with a confused reaction from Korath, who has never heard of him, but when T'challa removes his mask in What If...? Episode 2, Korath completely fanboys over his hero. On the one hand, it's a perfect plot device to establish how differently the galaxy views Star-Lord in this universe, but there is much more at play underneath the surface.
The actor who played Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel is Djimon Hounsou, and he reprised the voice for the animated version. Before his time in the MCU, Hounsou played another popular Marvel character... Black Panther.
In 2010 BET released a motion-comic miniseries under the Marvel Knights banner titled Black Panther, in which Hounsou voiced the titular king. His fanboying over T'challa and T'challa's choice to take him and turn him into a Ravager cements the compassion of this new Wakandan Star-Lord while simultaneously providing a meta nod to fans who recognize both of these thespians as different versions of T'challa in the last decade.
When you consider that this is the last performance from Chadwick Boseman alongside the excited and expressive voice performance from Hounsou in What If...?, it is more than poetic that the relationship between these two MCU characters who couldn't be farther from one another are brought together for T'challa's goodbye.
Did you notice the Black Panther Easter egg in this episode? What do you think about the meta-levels to the relationship between Korath and T'challa in What If...? No matter your take, make sure you sound off with your thoughts in the usual spot!
Enter the multiverse of unlimited possibilities. Marvel Studios' first animated series, What If...?, starts streaming August 11 with new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+. “What If… ?” features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist.
Marvel Studios' What If...? premieres new episodes each Wednesday, only on Disney+.