Out ofWhat If…?Season 2’s nine episodes, there’s one indisputable standout. Episode 6 introduces Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), a hero Marvel kept shrouded in mystery and whose debut generated buzz. That’s only fitting. Not only is Kahhori a phenomenal character and a needed adrenaline shot to the MCU canon, she isn’t an obscure figure plucked from Marvel Comics' depths.She’s an entirely new creationforWhat If…?, and therefore intentional: intentionally an Indigenous woman, intentionally from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and intentionally powerful enough to defeat violent colonizers sent by Queen Isabella (Carolina Ravassa).In Kahhori’s universe, she gains powers from the Tesseract and defines her destiny by protecting what matters most, which is her homeland and her people.
Narratively and behind the scenes,Kahhori models the future Marvel should pursue to stay relevant, one that’s original, free, and breaks ground by introducing truly “new” possibilities within a world of limitless potential. Why retreadThe Avengerscharacters when there are figures like Kahhori? As such, she also represents what originally made the MCU shine: a lack of interconnectedness. What was once Marvel’s strength as the first comic book franchise to share a communicative canon, is now its Achilles heel.
What If…?
Based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, this animated anthology looks at alternate timelines in the multiverse that would happen if specific moments in the MCU occurred differently.
Setting Up the Multiverse Is Hurting Marvel
Critiquing the film franchise that created the Cinematic Universe? The one that fulfilled fans' dreams by uniting its heroes? Yes. Hear me out:setting up the Multiverse saga has cut stories off at the knees. Little love exists forAnt-Man and the Wasp:Quantumania, a trilogy-ender thatlost sight of its core characters.The Marvelsis a joyful blast of fun with an ending hampered by having totease the X-Men’s place in the MCU. (And the factaudiences needed familiarity with two Disney+ seriesplus the originalCaptain Marvellikely, and undeservedly,hurt its box office.) Meanwhile, James Gunn’sGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, an individual story with an established batch of beloved characters, soared at the box office. (With this context, the character-focused triumph that isLokiSeason 2 is a mini-miracle.)
Making everything a puzzle piece instead of ensuring that each project tells a strong story hinders both the filmmakers and the characters.Avengers: Endgamewas a monumental event because Marvel spent a decade slowly and deliberately assembling its story threads. The building blocks existed, but for the most part, individual tales existed on their own merits.
Just based on its premise,What If…?has more flexibility than other MCU products. Nevertheless, even with a rare second season under its belt,it keeps returning to the same roster. I’m a tried and true Marvel fangirl, so seeing beloved characters return isn’tnotdelightful. There have been enjoyable scenarios: Captain Carter’s (Hayley Atwell) initial exploits last season, Nebula (Karen Gillian)assuming the role of the jaded and grizzled private detective, andCate Blanchettdeigning to grace us mere mortals withher return. But constantly returning to the same Avengers group shows an almost fearful reliance on what worked before. There’s a fine line between nostalgia and overuse, and despiteWhat If…?’s best efforts, too often it falls into the latter category. Taken as a whole,Season 2 couldn’t shake the Avengers' shadows.
Episode 6, “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?”, is whereWhat If…? Season 2 feels energized and purposeful instead of just a fun experiment. Kahhori isn’t the first character invented for the MCU. Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the like are supporting acts,but they are not heroes with hero’s journeys and centered narratives. Where Kahhori’s powers came from is, ultimately, irrelevant. Even when evil Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) arrives tofacilitate the finale, it’s just a coda to her already spun arc. Anything else is additional — welcome, yes, because how about we let Kahhorirulethe world, too, but not as individually focused.
Kahhori Is the Best Part of ‘What If…?’ Season 2
What If…?Season 2 makes its most definitive statement without needing any tie to the Avengers at all. There’s no Captain Carter, no Natasha Romanoff (Lake Bell), no Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in Episode 6. Written byRyan Littleandperformed almost entirely in the Mohawk language, there’s just Kahhori, her worldview, and her values.The Tesseract transforms her conviction and rage into a supernatural force capable of defeating both the conquistadors and Queen Isabella. “People think of this as ancient history,“Devery Jacobs said when she spoke with Collider, “but it’s a testament to how we’ve survived and endured and have really fought to preserve our way of life.” Jacobs went on to share:
“The whole character of Kahhori in this episode ofWhat If…?is literally why I got into this industry, and why I wanted to become a storyteller. […] I have been wanting to see an indigenous superhero for so long, and to have one that speaks the language of my community of my Tóta, my grandmother, I never thought I would be able to see anything like it. So for me, it was really important seeing this character be brought to life, and instilled such a sense of pride for me. I was able to bring my niblings, my niece and nephews [to the community screening], and my niece is being raised as a first-language Mohawk speaker, and there’s no cartoons out there. […] If there are, they’re from the community, and they’re not as epic as the Marvel Universe. She didn’t need the subtitles at all, and she knew exactly what was going on. […] It does something to you, when you see somebody from your community being able to rewrite history and can save the world, and save their community, and their culture. That was hugely empowering.”
In every way that counts, Kahhori’s story is entirely hers.To matter, it doesn’t need cameos, the foundation of what came before to matter, or what might come after.It exists independently, a strength that helped early MCU films likeIron Man,Thor, andGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1succeed. The importance of keeping things separate and giving new characters a voice — not chasing the nextEndgameblockbuster — can’t be overstated. Kahhori is the way forward. “What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?” indeed.
