‘What If…?’ episode 7 review: A palate cleanser that lightens the mood

Thor throws a party for the ages.

September 22, 2021

What If…? has incorporated various genres within its storytelling from heists to murder mystery thrillers to zombies. On the latest episode, we see a teen party story done Asgard style. With his father deep in an Odinsleep and his mom visiting with friends, Thor decides to put his studies aside and hold a huge rager on Earth. Things soon get out of hand and SHIELD is not too happy with all the destruction.

“What If…Thor Were an Only Child” is a nice palette cleanser compared to the previous episodes. Rather than darker tones it’s more upbeat and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s not too long of a stretch to see Thor as a bro, even though in this universe, he technically never really had one. His guest list is a who’s who of the cosmic MCU and they all partake in many funny exploits. Surtur and Howard the Duck’s romantic interests come to mind when recalling the silliness. The comedy writing is pretty well done with several Marvel related zingers and one-liners.

With all the unchecked fun, someone has to play the wet blanket. Cue Captain Marvel who is summoned by her pager. There is an epic clash between the two Avengers spanning the entire globe. Their blows can knock their opponent across oceans into other continents. The animation creates some stunning environmental and powered attack effects to accentuate the battle.

The scenes also fit along with the campiness and corniness. Jane Foster struggles with protecting her planet while also falling head over heels for the dreamy God of Thunder. Then the last-minute scramble to clean up the place before mom arrives is right out of any teen party film. Thor almost gets away with it but before he’s grounded, he manages the courage to properly ask out his love interest. The episode hits all the right beats including the one-time foe turned ally, Captain Marvel, in on the final charade.

There are a few curious aspects from this week’s What If…?. First, if this version of Thor is kind of a meathead douche, how did he ever become worthy to wield Mjolnir. Also, I know these are separate worlds but there’s a grandiose fight between Thor and Captain Marvel and in the end, they are more or less fine but a simple bow and arrow is enough to kill Odin’s son in episode 3? At least it’s good to see even though they grew up on different worlds, Thor and Loki still consider themselves brothers albeit from different mothers.

“What If…Thor Were an Only Child” throws one entertaining, wild, and crazy Thor party and features a throwdown between the most powerful Avengers.