What If... Thor Were an Only Child?

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"What If... Thor Were an Only Child?"
What If...? episode
Promotional poster
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 7
Directed byBryan Andrews
Written byA. C. Bradley
Produced byA. C. Bradley
Editing byJoel Fisher
Original release dateSeptember 22, 2021 (2021-09-22)
Running time32 minutes
Cast
Episode chronology
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"What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American animated television series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It explores what would happen if the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Thor (2011) occurred differently, with Thor growing up without his adopted brother Loki and adopting a party lifestyle. The episode was written by head writer A. C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews.

Watcher, with this episode also starring the voices of Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Kat Dennings, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Frank Grillo, Taika Waititi, Karen Gillan, Jaimie Alexander, Seth Green, Alexandra Daniels, and Rachel House. The series began development by September 2018, with Andrews and Bradley joining soon after, and many actors expected to reprise their roles from the MCU films. Animation for the episode was provided by Squeeze, with Stephan Franck
serving as head of animation.

"What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" was released on Disney+ on September 22, 2021. The episode was well received and praised for its tone, comedy, the fight scene between Thor and Captain Marvel (Daniels), and the vocal performances of Hemsworth, Portman, Hiddleston and Dennings.

Plot

Towards the end of the

Laufey,[a]
forming a truce with the Frost Giants.

Centuries later, when Odin goes into the Odinsleep, his wife

Korg
.

The next day, acting S.H.I.E.L.D. director

Darcy Lewis
, suggests that Danvers attack Thor in less populated areas instead.

Seeking a more peaceful solution, Foster contacts

Heimdall, who helps her meet Frigga and explain the situation. As Danvers fights Thor in Siberia
, Hill authorizes a nuclear strike on Thor, but both it and the fight are called off when Frigga contacts Thor and tells him that she will be returning soon. Frightened, Thor ends the parties and convinces the party-goers to help him clean up. Frigga arrives, finding Thor studying with his retinue, but sees evidence of the partying.

Before returning to Asgard, Thor visits Foster to forgive her, thank her for contacting Frigga, and ask her out for a date, but is suddenly confronted by an alternate reality variant of

Ultron in Vision's body and wielding the Infinity Stones
.

Production

Development

External videos
video icon What If... Thor Were an Only Child? | Marvel Studios' What If...? | Disney+, a promotional video introducing the episode's "what if" concept with narration by
the Watcher, video from the What If...? Twitter
account

By September 2018,

Louis D'Esposito, and Victoria Alonso.[7]: 2  Bradley wrote the seventh episode, titled "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?", which features an alternate storyline of the film Thor (2011). "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" was released on Disney+ on September 22, 2021.[8]

Writing

In the episode's alternate storyline,

her own episode that would be part of the second season.[13]

Casting

Brock Rumlow, Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Seth Green as Howard the Duck.[14] When Green recorded his lines, Bradley approached him to record his role like a "throwback" to Can't Hardly Wait (1998), unaware that Green had previously starred in that film.[9]

Alexandra Daniels and

Fandral, replacing Zachary Levi.[14]

The episode was recorded later in the development of the show's

Skrull and Sovereign species.[15]

Animation

Animation for the episode was provided by Squeeze,[7]: 4  with Stephan Franck serving as head of animation.[16] Andrews developed the series' cel-shaded animation style with Ryan Meinerding, the head of visual development at Marvel Studios.[17][18] Though the series has a consistent art style, elements such as the camera and color palette differ between episodes.[7]: 4 

Music

A soundtrack for the episode was released digitally by

Marvel Music and Hollywood Records on September 24, 2021, featuring composer Laura Karpman's score.[19]

What If... Thor Were an Only Child? (Original Soundtrack)[19]
No.TitleLength
1."They're Here"1:08
2."Different Prince"0:59
3."Solstice"1:25
4."Company's Here"0:46
5."Your Party"1:43
6."Butt Ugly Popsicle Stick"0:37
7."Make a Wish"1:00
8."Party Pooper / Hammerang"0:55
9."Party Foul"1:08
10."Goose"1:10
11."See You Again"0:43
12."Kaboom"0:40
13."Waddling Back"0:41
14."Good to Go / Distracted"1:23
15."Mellow / OH NO!!!!"1:31
16."Get It Together"1:30
17."Pooping the Party"1:08
18."She's Coming!"0:46
19."You Called"1:11
20."Study Group"1:16
Total length:21:40

Marketing

After the episode's release, Marvel released a poster for the episode, featuring Grandmaster, Thor, and Howard the Duck together with a quote from the episode.

Funko Pop based on Party Thor.[21]

Reception

Audience viewership

What If...? was the fourth-most streamed series for viewers in the United States for the week ending September 19, 2021 according to Whip Media's TV Time.[22]

Critical response

Kirsten Howard at

cliffhanger ending with Ultron's appearance was "superb", and gave the episode 4.5 out of 5 stars.[23] IGN's Tom Jorgensen considered it the series' "most fun episode yet", which he commended as an "excellent change of pace" from the serious nature of previous episodes, and compared its tone to Thor: Ragnarok, giving it 8 out of 10. Jorgensen praised the animation and the references to the Golden age of American animation, such as the names written across the countries. He also highlighted Hemsworth's comedic performance and Portman's "lighter, feistier" version of Jane Foster. However, he considered Danvers' appearance felt "a little forced."[24]

Karen Rought at Hypable compared the episode's incarnation of Thor to Hemsworth's portrayal of James Hunt in Rush (2013). She also praised the shift in tone to comedy,[25] as did Amon Warmann, who considered it refreshing in his review for Yahoo! Movies. Warmann questioned the verisimilitude of the premise, but found it justifiable being "in service of fun". He praised the performances of Daniels and Dennings, and thought the chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman was a positive sign for their reprisal in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).[26] Conversely, Sam Barsanti at The A.V. Club was more critical of the episode's different tone, which he thought missed the chance to give "some thoughtful meta-commentary on the MCU", giving it a "C+". Barsanti considered the comedy wasn't MCU-centric or strong enough for a fully comedic episode, and felt the premise was forced and unnatural for the characters. He also criticized Larson's absence, arguing that "some of these stories only work if you have the movie actors involved." However, he highlighted Dennings' performance, and praised the Thor and Danvers' fight scene, noting it as an homage to Dragon Ball.[27]

Notes

  1. ^ This action is when the story diverges from the events of the film Thor (2011).

References

  1. ^ Kroll, Justin (September 18, 2018). "Loki, Scarlet Witch, Other Marvel Heroes to Get Own TV Series on Disney Streaming Service (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Sciretta, Peter (March 12, 2019). "Exclusive: Marvel Studios Producing 'What If' TV Series For Disney+". /Film. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  3. Marvel.com. Archived
    from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Guttmann, Graeme (August 2, 2021). "What If..? Writer Spoiled Avengers 4 and Thor 4 When Pitching Show". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Ashaari, Alleef (August 2, 2021). "Marvel's What If...? Crew Explains Why They Went 3D Over 2D & A Scrapped Episode That Was Too Close To GOTG 3". Kakuchopurei. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (August 24, 2019). "Everything we learned at D23's Disney Plus presentation". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "What If..? Production Brief" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. July 30, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "(#107) "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?"". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 21, 2021). "Meet 'Party Thor' in Marvel's What If...? episode 7 first look". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  10. ^ Bradley, A. C. [@TheAshBradley] (September 20, 2021). "I swear it's slightly less tragic than Doctor Strange. #WhatIf" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ Boone, Josh (August 4, 2021). "Marvel's 'What If?' Promises to Reveal 'the Totality of the Multiverse' (Exclusive)". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  12. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (October 9, 2021). "Why Tony Stark Kept Dying In 'Marvel's What If' Season 1, As Explained by Head Writer A. C. Bradley". Collider. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Bennett, Tara (December 31, 2023). "Marvel's What If...? Head Writer Breaks Down Every Episode of Season 2". IGN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Chitwood, Adam (September 22, 2021). "Here's the Full Voice Cast for 'Marvel's What If...?' Episode 7". TheWrap. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  15. ^ Elvy, Craig (September 22, 2021). "Every MCU Easter Egg In What If? Episode 7". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  16. ^ Arrant, Chris (April 15, 2020). "Work on Marvel Studios' What If...? Continues During Coronavirus Pandemic". Newsarama. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  17. ^ Jones, Marcus (August 23, 2019). "What If on Disney+ will feature voices from majority of Marvel Cinematic Universe cast". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  18. ^ Salazar, Andrew J. (September 6, 2019). "'What If...?' Showrunner Ashley Bradley Talks 'Trollhunters', The Beginning Of 'What If...?', Captain Carter, The Watcher & Star-Lord T'Challa (Exclusive)". Discussing Film. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  19. ^ a b "'What If... Thor Were an Only Child?' Album Details". Film Music Reporter. September 23, 2021. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  20. ^ What If...? [@whatifofficial] (September 24, 2021). "🚨 Alert the Realms 🚨 You don't want to miss the party in the seventh episode of Marvel Studios' #WhatIf, now streaming on @DisneyPlus. Art by @OrlandoArocena" (Tweet). Archived from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021 – via Twitter.
  21. Marvel.com. September 24, 2021. Archived
    from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  22. Media Play News. Archived
    from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  23. ^ Howard, Kirsten (September 22, 2021). "What If...? Episode 7 Review: Party On, Thor! Party On, Loki!". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  24. ^ Jorgensen, Tom (September 22, 2021). "What If...? Season 1, Episode 7 - Review". IGN. Archived from the original on September 22, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  25. ^ Rought, Karen (September 22, 2021). "'What If...?' episode 7 review: Don't be a party pooper". Hypable. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021.
  26. ^ Warmann, Amon (September 22, 2021). "Comedic Thor-centric 'What If' hits like a breath of fresh air". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  27. ^ Barsanti, Sam (September 22, 2021). "Chris Hemsworth lets loose in a very silly What If...?". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.

External links

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