The brilliance in this creative strategy means What If can feel unimportant. In a franchise that has now created infinite universes, focusing on one singular universe that is not taking place on Earth-19999 can feel insignificant. While it is a spectacle to see Captain Carter punch Nazis, witness Hank Pym kill the Avengers, or see all the heroes as zombified versions of themselves, ultimately, they are one-offs.

The story doesn’t revolve around potential Armageddon (refreshing since most comic book movies have world-ending stakes these days), and we don’t get cameos from other Avengers. We also don’t get the immense creativity seen in the recent MCU TV series WandaVision, which – by the way – was also a better nod to female empowerment than Captain Marvel. But we do get an enjoyable picture that moves like lightning.