What If, Season 2, Episode 6: What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World?
Let me just start by saying that I really appreciate the technical competence that went into making this episode. What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World was a great showcase of Indigenous/Mohawk culture, and I always find it amazing when the MCU adapts less-prominent cultures into their projects. I like that the episode is almost entirely done with Indigenous language, and it's clear that so much is put into the research of portraying the pre-colonization Mohawk people. And I did enjoy the episode from that regard.
That said... I did find the criticisms that an "OC" (original character) basically took up a slot that could've been given to actual MCU characters -- actual characters that a 'What If' episode should do. And with so many other under-utilized characters (poor Eternals) that would be jockeying for spotlight, the fact that the only loose connection that this episode has to the larger MCU is that the Tesseract is involved... is a bit unfortunate, and I wouldn't lie if it didn't make me lose interest in the episode several times over the course of watching it. I know every character starts off as an 'original', but even characters newly introduced to the MCU like Shang-Chi or the Eternals do so in a way that has some semblance of connection to the world around them.
I will say that Kahhori works a bit better in her two subsequent episodes where she's part of an ensemble, but the episode felt like it took too long to go through a story concept that's frankly rather shallow.
In this timeline, Ragnarok happened early and the Tesseract slams into pre-colonization America, and ends up creating a seemingly 'cursed' lake near Mohawk territory. And that's more or less the only connection we have to any Marvel-related events. We then jump straight to Kahhori and her little brother Wáhta (who's a flat character that takes up the role of 'the loved one that the superhero needs to protect'), who give us some exposition about the legends behind the man-eating lake.
Then the colonizers come, with guns and whatnot, and they chase the two kids on horseback towards the lake. Turns out that there's an underground lake beneath the one that Kahhori and Wáhta were playing around. The conquistadors let slip that they are here specifically because of rumours about this Fountain of Youth. In an attempt to protect her little brother, Kahhori gets shot by the conquistadors, falls through the lake, and gets teleported to another planet where all of her tribespeople that got 'eaten' by the lake has been transported to the Sky World -- an adaptation of a real-world Mohawk legend.
We then have a bit of a slow burn as Kahhori learns to manipulate the Tesseract powers, trying to create a telekinetically-sustained staircase to the portal in the sky. She also joins in the hunt against large buffalo aliens, and Kahhori, being far more determined than her lackadaisical Sky World tribespeople, ends up being able to manipulate the Tesseract powers so intuitively that she performs the best despite this being the first hunt.
On Earth, the leader of the conquistadors, Don Rodrigo, spouts some evil colonial rhetoric about how everything there is free for the taking by the god-given right of the Queen. A bunch of gun-toting conquistadors try to walk into the lake, get sucked in and gets spat out in the Sky World. They immediately decide to point their guns at the tribespeople, and Kahhori uses her powers to take their weapons. She gets super pissed because one of the soldiers is wearing Wáhta's necklace. Kahhori then turns to the people of the Sky World, giving an impassioned speech about how they've been stuck in the paradise with great power, but have done nothing to help their own people. In other words, they have great power but no responsibility at all. Kahhori's determination pulls down the portal and essentially tells off these people living in their little paradise.
Emerging back on Earth, Kahhori uses her super-speed to see her village burnt down, and her people in cages being taken to the ships. Credit where credit is due, the episode does give a really great showcase as Kahhori emerges from the forest into the beach. And sa the bewildered conquistadors are confused why their warships and cannons and bullets can't touch this super-speed teleporting woman, more and more glowing eyes appear from the forest as the Sky World people arrive to help, tearing down the conquistadors with ease.
The episode ends with Kahhori opening a portal straight to the Queen of Spain, humiliating the pompous ruler 'ordained' to rule the 'lesser' people and crushing her throne. And... that's the quick solution to this whole situation. And right at the end of the episode. another returning character from What If season 1, Strange Supreme, shows up ostensibly to recruit Kahhori.
End scene. And... this is a review. So I will have to be honest in saying that I really do feel like the episode could've been told in half the screentime. Or, hell, do what the first-season Captain Carter episode do, and have multiple storylines going on. Kahhori finding the Sky World and taking down the conquistadors could've been done within the space of half of the episode, and maybe we could've seen more about how Kahhori allegedly "reshaped the world" beyond just intimidating Queen Isabella a bit. A good chunk of the episode is also hampered a bit by the fact that Kahhori is just a generic 'determined hero' with not much of a personality beyond that, and the other supporting cast members, whether heroic or villain, never really budge from their one-note characterizations.
That said... again, while I'm not super-impressed with the story and characterization, I do still feel like the whole point of the episode was more in trying to craft an authentic, representative story. It definitely could've been done a bit better, but in terms of being a story that boldly represents the Mohawk people, I would say that they did succeed in that regard.
Marvel Easter Eggs Corner:
- In this universe, the events of Ragnarok happened a bit earlier. Unlike the sacred timeline, however, Odin managed to do battle against Surtur in this timeline. Also, instead of hiding the Tesseract on Earth with trusted allies, Odin desperately launches the Tesseract through the Bifrost, not too dissimilar to what happens when Heimdall launches Hulk to Earth in Avengers: Infinity War.
- The Sky World mythology has actually been adapted into mainstream Marvel comics, albeit in a lot less flattering way than they did in this episode. The 90's Doctor Strange comics had Dr. Strange visit the pocket dimension of Giizhigong, which is heavily inspired by the Sky World myths.
- Returning Live-Action Voice Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange)
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