Admittedly, I haven’t been very interested in the action figures inspired by Marvel’s “What If…?” animated series. While the episodes of the series do offer interesting alternate takes on some characters, the figures are designed to resemble the artistic style of the animation rather than using the established live-action likeness as a jumping off point for a new figure. For example, Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell) has appeared in live-action form, by way of “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” but the Marvel Legends figure is not made to look like a live-action version of the character.
The first new “What If…?” figure is a key character from the first season who will likely have a pivotal role as the series goes on. It’s Warrior Gamora, decked out in the armor worn by Thanos in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” complete with the double-sided blade. While I do appreciate the less textured paint job and the stylized hair sculpt that replicates the animation style, I simply have a preference for the live-action versions of the characters. Unlike many of the female superheroes and villains in the Marvel Legends line, Gamora has slightly more sturdy legs for posing, but a figure stand will certainly help.
Ethan Anderton
As for the second figure, it’s a character we’ve yet to see in action because they won’t be appearing in the second season of “What If…?” that’s yet to be released. That’s Goliath, aka Blll Foster, played by Laurence Fishburne in “Ant-Man and The Wasp.” The figure puts Foster into his own Ant-Man-style suit that uses the blue color scheme inspired by his Marvel Comics appearance, as well as a subtle G-shape on the buckle of the belt. Debuting in “Avengers #32,” Goliath used Pym Particles to become a (literally) massive villain. But this figure is normal-sized, and he doesn’t have any accessories at all, which is a real bummer. This is one of those instances where Hasbro needed a character that fans were forced to buy into order to complete the Build-a-Figure spread across the new wave. Even though the suit looks cool, it would have been nice to at least have an unmasked head.