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Marvel's A-Force, Explained
What If Reinterprets the A-Force Concept
The following contains spoilers from What If...? Season 3, Episode 8, "What If... What If...?," now streaming on Disney+.
One thing that stands out about Disney+ shows is how they introduce characters as setups for the movies. Kamala Khan had her Ms. Marvel TV series before moving into The Marvels movie with Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau as Photon.
The same occurred with Kate Bishop in Hawkeye. Now, there could also be a movie for What If's Kahorri. Interestingly, What If Season 3 also opens the door for a forgotten project from Marvel Studios to come to light: A-Force. The potential for such a project could continue to diversify the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Marvel's A-Force, Explained
A-Force Was An All-Female Avengers Team
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A-Force came to light in Secret Wars as an all-female Avengers. Led by She-Hulk, the team comprised heroes like Nico Minoru and America Chavez. They protected the Battleworld nation of Arcadia, only to run afoul of God Emperor Doom's legion. Little did they know they were being manipulated by Loki. They fought zombies as well, managing to survive a brutal war. Later, the team would have new enemies and leaders in the All-New, All-Different Marvel era.
A-Force Comic Details
First Appearance
Creators
Year of Debut
A-Force #1
G. Willow Wilson, Marguerite Bennett, Jorge Molina
2015
They fought a dragon named Countess who de-powered them and a violent Dazzler-Thor variant, among the many. The likes of Dazzler and Medusa joined to help. In time, during the Civil War II event, A-Force underwent its own fracture when a precog said Nico would become a villain. This kickstarted a chain of events that ended with She-Hulk almost dying and Nico not trusting the heroes when it was revealed her supposed target, Alice, was a villain.
There was a lot of depth to how Carol weaponized the team, nodding to Iron Man's iron-fisted ways at times. As time passed, the MCU was said to be eyeing a movie, especially after the female Avengers came together to fight Thanos' battalion in Avengers: Endgame. Since then, nothing has come of it, which is a shame as it could be a powerful project pushing gender representation and visibility.
What If Reinterprets the A-Force Concept
Captain Carter's Multiverse Avengers Have an A-Force Vibe
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The What If Season 3 finale has its own version of A-Force with some Exiles mixed in. This is the team led by Captain Carter. She has Storm wielding Mjonlir as a Thor-weather goddess variant, with Kahorri and Byrdie on the team as well. They have been hopping around the Multiverse to protect certain worlds.
In "What If... What If?, they battle the Watchers. They get cosmic powers from Uatu and fight his peers in one of the most dynamic, bombastic spectacles in the MCU. The animated series really unmoors its scope, giving the women amazing moments of collaboration. They're essentially galactic gods, but they still use their iconic weapons: Peggy's shield, Kahorri's teleportation, Storm's lightning and Byrdie's eye lasers.
What's most appreciated is that they feel like a seamless, organic unit. They're not forced together in a ham-fisted manner or for one selective scene that didn't feel genuine. They had episodes before that connected them as a family. That's what the Avengers are about. Except here, these women are the Multiverse's Greatest Heroes. They defeat the Watcher, but Peggy dies. It sets up a cartoon for them to use their powers, not to watch, but to act.
The Watchers want redemption and are set to help them, nodding to how the TVA surveyed and learned they needed to assist the Sacred Timeline and Temporal Loop. If this team officially becomes A-Force, it can pull in established characters like Carol Danvers, Valkyrie, America and Kamala. It can also make room for Dazzler once the X-Men and mutants come into play, and even offer the Inhumans' Medusa a spot to revive her story.
Last but not least, A-Force had a cosmic ally for a time who had control of a universe in her: Singularity. She teleported across the cosmos, helping A-Force and Nico with their destinies. It's coincidental that Peggy has a similar look to Singularity when she perishes fighting the Watchers. This could see Peggy return as Singularity, with the comics' Antimatter as a possible nemesis. It would give her and her 'sisters' the ideal villain, build on the source material, and deftly retool what the MCU and Disney+ did with the inspiring feminist subversion in What If.
All three seasons of What If...? are streaming on Disney+.
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7
10
What If...?
Superhero
Animation
Action
Adventure
Exploring pivotal moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turning them on their head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.
Release Date August 11, 2021
Finale Year December 22, 2024
Cast Samuel L. Jackson , Stanley Tucci , Michael Douglas , Sean Gunn , Mark Ruffalo , Karen Gillan , Tom Hiddleston , Jeffrey Wright , Michael B. Jordan , Toby Jones , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , David Dastmalchian , Natalie Portman , Josh Brolin , Dominic Cooper , Jeff Goldblum , Hayley Atwell , Djimon Hounsou , Chadwick Boseman , Taika Waititi , Chris Hemsworth , Neil McDonaugh , Jeremy Renner , Michael Rooker
Seasons 3
Writers Ashley Bradley , Matthew Chauncey
Streaming Service(s) Disney+
Franchise(s) Marvel Cinematic Universe
Directors Bryan Andrews
Showrunner Ashley Bradley
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