Nebula Is the Most Underrated Part of Marvel's What If...?

The second season of Marvel's What If...? is now underway, putting more unconventional concepts than ever onto Disney+. The animated series, which imagines alternate realities from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe's multiverse, has been riddled with a mix of the franchise's newer and returning characters. Amid What If...? various remixes and new story points, one of the best achievements of the series might be hiding in plain sight — the way that its storylines approach Guardians of the Galaxy fan-favorite Nebula (Karen Gillan). Spoilers for Season 2, Episode 1 of Marvel's What If...?, "What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?" below! Only look if you want to know!  

At the time of this writing, Nebula has factored into two separate What If...? storylines: Season 1's introduction of T'Challa Star-Lord (Chadwick Boseman), and Season 2's opening episode exploring her induction into the Nova Corps. Both stories have been inherently cosmic in nature, but both could not be more different — for starters, Season 1's Nebula leaned into her femininity much more than her main MCU counterpart would ever imagine to. In the Marvel cosmos that T'Challa traverses through, Nebula is cast as something of an old-school femme fatale, clad in slinky ball gowns and a Veronica Lake-like swoop of peek-a-boo hair. She was still the Nebula we know and love, complete with a complicated moral compass and a cybernetic eye still hinting at her past trauma. 

Season 2's Nebula episode still threw her into a cosmic neo-noir, but in a completely different context — a Blade Runner homage, in which she investigates a murder on Xandar that leads to the uncovering of a larger conspiracy. While this Nebula doesn't have a radical costume change, she does have a different backstory from the counterpart we know and love, as we learn that Ronan the Accuser murdered Thanos and Gamora, leaving her without a home. She thought she found it within the Nova Corps, only for them to abuse her cyborg nature for their master plan, and she ultimately makes things right with the help of Howard the Duck (Seth Green) and a few other misfits.

Both of these Nebula storylines help support the "anything can happen" ethos of What If...?, showcasing the narrative potential beyond just throwing a certain character into another character's role. And beyond that, they add a fascinating depth to Nebula herself, strengthening her potential in the MCU's "Sacred Timeline" and beyond. While Nebula has had a satisfying and increasingly-endearing character arc in the MCU — channeling her grief and trauma into working with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers — there are still facets of her comic history that haven't been explored onscreen. In particular, her infamous Infinity Gauntlet storyline, which saw her be the lynchpin for getting the titular weapon away from her abusive father figure, did not make it into Avengers: Endgame at all. Although neither of her What If...? storylines have been comic accurate either, they've been a bit of catharsis for those who love her and want her to get her due. Both storylines have also, in wildly different ways, directly dealt with the inciting incident that made Nebula who she is — being abused, manipulated, and stripped of agency by the people who had power over her. Seeing her deal with that power — whether through flipping her blonde hair in one universe, saving an entire planet in the next, or euphorically dancing to "Dog Days Are Over" with her found family in the main timeline — is satisfying in any context.

What Is What If...? Season 2 About?

Season 2 of Marvel's What If…?, which premieres episodes daily on Disney+ beginning on December 22nd, continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles.

The series is led by Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher, with returning appearances that include Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk, and Cate Blanchett as Hela. Devery Jacobs joins the cast as Kahhouri, a new Native American character created specifically for the show. What If...? Season 2 is directed by Bryan Andrews, and executive produced by Andrews and AC Bradley.

New episodes of Season 2 of Marvel's What If...? will debut daily on Disney+. If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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