In just two episodes, What if…? on Disney+ has proved its worth as a beautiful reexamination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Episode 1 emphasized the heroic capabilities of Peggy Carter and Steve Rogers in a world where Peggy has the super soldier serum and Steve becomes a proto–Iron Man, but it was Episode 2 that showed what the heart of a hero truly looks like and how strong it beat in the chest of T’Challa as embodied by the late Chadwick Boseman.
Episode 2 asks the question “What If…T’Challa became a Star-Lord?” and quickly sets up a premise in which Yondu and the Ravagers accidentally kidnap the prince of Wakanda instead of Peter Quill. Just like in Peter’s story, Yondu raises T’Challa to become an outlaw called Star-Lord, but that’s where the similarities end. Peter Quill’s Star-Lord is obscure and kind of a jerk at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy, but T’Challa’s Star-Lord is famous and beloved for his dedication to improving the lives of the galaxy’s inhabitants. He’s surrounded by a familiar cast of characters — Yondu, Nebula, even Thanos — and T’Challa’s stunning impact on them is where his innate heroism becomes undeniable.
None of the main players in Episode 2 are fundamentally different than they are in the MCU canon. Yondu is still an adoptive father who lies to his son for fear of losing him. Thanos is still a mad titan who single-mindedly pursues balance. Nebula is tricky, sarcastic, and has a contentious relationship with her father. Their circumstances may have changed, but even without their trademark baggage (Yondu’s entanglement with Ego, Thanos’ lust for the Infinity Stones, Nebula’s torture and disfigurement) they are recognizably themselves. The fact that they act differently, and arguably more morally, is due to the influence of T’Challa in their lives.
T’Challa, like the rest of the characters, is fundamentally himself in space. He is a leader, a hero who longs to help people beyond the borders of his home, and his goodness is so profoundly affecting that it changes the course of history. Seeing what T’Challa is capable of, up to and including reasoning with Thanos, which indirectly saves Drax’s family, prevents countless genocides, preserves Nebula’s bodily autonomy, and negates the entire Infinity Saga with a single conversation, is confirmation that he is the best of what any planet in the galaxy has to offer. That is the caliber of hero the MCU has lost, and who no one could possibly replace.
Many great actors’ final performances are imbued with retroactive meaning, reading differently as the audience projects a changed significance on their last appearance. The late Chadwick Boseman’s performance in What If…? is not one of those. His last time voicing T’Challa doesn’t need retroactive meaning because everything noble and significant about his character is present from the moment you hear Boseman’s voice. Both Boseman and T’Challa were heroes without equal in their realities, and What If…? gives those heroes a sendoff that more than demonstrates their impact.
