S3E7: What If Episode 4 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

What If Episode 4 Breakdown Podcast

Welcome back Marvel fans! Last week we shared our breakdown and thoughts on episode 3 of What If, and if you thought that one was dark, Episode 4 said hold my TEA. Marvel went there and we discover “What If… Doctor Strange lost his heart instead of his hands?” Apparently, the answer to that is UTTER DEVASTATION.

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So this is your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen episode 4 of What If…?

What If Episode 4 Breakdown

What If Episode 4 Breakdown Podcast

Although this week’s episode of What If started off somewhat familiar, things took a turn for the worse pretty quickly. Instead of Strange losing the ability to use his hands in the car accident, Christine dies. This sets him on the path to become a sorcerer. “Dormammu, I’ve come to bargain.” And he wins. Everything is great until it isn’t. Not being able to let go of the past proves to be his and this timeline’s undoing.

Wong warns him not to mess with the fabric of time but Strange doesn’t listen. We get to watch Christine die 7 more times to drive home the point: if you mess with the timeline BAD things happen. The Ancient One appears and attempts to stop Strange but he escapes to the Library of Cagliostro. It’s the same Cagliostro whose book was stolen in Doctor Strange. There were some comic book tie-ins here and The Watcher gets a little closer to the action than he probably should.

Related: What If Episode 4 Easter Eggs & Breakdown

Strange on his quest to fix that point in time begins to absorb the energy of SEVERAL mystical beings, including one familiar beast from Episode 1. The others resemble the other Great Old Ones or the baddie from DuckTales, you decide. Strange Supreme must be stopped and can only be stopped by one person. Doctor Strange.

Related: Best Quotes from Marvel’s What If

One small lighthearted moment later, Doctor Strange is thrown into a meeting with his crazy other self. The showdown isn’t pretty and does not end well, for anyone. The Watcher even talks to Strange, refusing to intervene despite Strange’s pleads. And then the credits roll on the darkest episode of Marvel’s What If..? yet.

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What did you think about this episode? Leave a comment or tweet us!

Marvel’s What If is now streaming on Disney+.

S3E6: Shang-Chi Easter Eggs, Breakdown, Shirtless Simu & More With Special Guest

Shang-Chi Easter Eggs

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is on fire at the box office, pulling in serious numbers despite the pandemic. We’ve seen it a bunch of times and couldn’t wait to share all the Shang-Chi Easter eggs with you. But we also knew we wanted to have our friend Mike from the What You Talking podcast join us. Mike has hung out with on here before for the Friend, Marry, Kill Marvel edition. Here is a quick recap: he loathes Iron Fist, Jane Foster, and Shirtless Shang-Chi. The last one we naturally don’t agree with.

Check out Mike’s podcasts: Kim’s Convenience: What You Talking Podcast and Room Escape Divas- Escape Room PodcastYou can also find Mike on Twitter and Instagram @MikeYuan82.

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This is your spoiler warning if you have not watched Shang-Chi.

Shang-Chi Easter Eggs

Shang-Chi Easter Eggs

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings featured a lot of Easter eggs not only from Marvel Comics and the MCU but also from Chinese mythology. The way the filmmakers wove in these various nods made for an awesome film.

Some of our favorites were how the Mandarin issue was addressed from Iron Man 3 and of course the mythical creatures. Morris is a star and we all agree that he needs a Marvel One Shot with Trevor to show us what their life is like now in Ta-Lo.

Related: All the Shang-Chi Easter eggs and Cameos You May Have Missed

We naturally supported the Shirtless Simu scenes but Mike is waiting for a What If… Shang-Chi Keeps His Shirt On? Probably won’t happen but Mike is willing to stay on that hill… alone.

Aside from the shirtless debate, we also discussed what would’ve made Shang-Chi better, spoiler: more Michelle Yeoh, what we think about those post credit scenes, and where the Ten Rings might show up next.

It was another fun one! Thanks Mike for joining us! We will see you again when the Thor Love and Thunder trailer debuts if not before.

Shang-Chi Cast Interviews

Interview with the Cast of Shang-Chi: Casting Simu, Stunt Work, & More

Interview with the Cast of Shang-Chi: Big Risks, Getting Physical, Casting by Tweets, and More

Spoiler Free Reviews of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

For our complete reviews of the film, including guidance for parents, check these out.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Movie Review: MCU Does it Again

Marvel’s Shang-Chi Review: An epic new origin story, East-meets-West martial arts mashup with captivating choreography, stunning graphics, and a soundtrack that slaps

S3E5: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review

Welcome back Marvel fans! We have been itching to talk Shang-Chi with all of you and now that the embargo has lifted we can do that! Don’t worry our Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings review will be spoiler-free. As a bonus, we had the opportunity to interview the cast of Shang-Chi and we are sharing some highlights from that as well.

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No spoilers here so you’re safe to proceed!

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has easily worked its way into our top 10 lists for MCU films, maybe even top 5 in some cases. With a unique story and incredible action and visuals, it is the best MCU origin film since phase 1. It also happens to be in our top 3 for that, nothing beats an Alan Menken song though, sorry Simu.

Not only is this an epic addition to the MCU lineup and arguably the best way to kick off Phase 4 excitement… no offense Black Widow, but it also introduces us to a whole new world of mythology and culture that many fans are unfamiliar with. If you thought the rhinos in Black Panther were amazing, you haven’t seen anything yet. So while yes this is a superhero movie it transcends that and tells a story that could stand on its own outside of the MCU. In fact, viewers might forget they are watching a comic book movie if it wasn’t for some cameos sprinkled in.

The entire film is visually stunning, from the lighting to the special effects and the costumes. Looking for action? The fight scenes are beyond anything that we have seen before, each better than the last and they all lead into a mind-blowing finale that will have you cheering.

We gushed about the cast’s performance and how much each of the legends brought to the film. Michelle Yeoh, Tony Leung, and Sir Ben Kingsley. Enough said.

Post-Credit Scenes: Yes! There are TWO post-credit scenes and both hint at future Phase 4/5 plans and we can’t say anything but you’re going to love them and we have A LOT to talk about.

Shang-Chi Cast Interviews

Interview with the Cast of Shang-Chi: Casting Simu, Stunt Work, & More

Interview with the Cast of Shang-Chi: Big Risks, Getting Physical, Casting by Tweets, and More

Spoiler Free Reviews of Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings

For our complete reviews of the film, including guidance for parents, check these out.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Movie Review: MCU Does it Again

Marvel’s Shang-Chi Review: An epic new origin story, East-meets-West martial arts mashup with captivating choreography, stunning graphics, and a soundtrack that slaps

S3E4: Spider-Man No Way Home Trailer Breakdown

No Way Home Trailer Breakdown Podcast

Welcome back Marvel fans! The Spider-Man No Way Home trailer FINALLY, OFFICIALLY dropped, and like we chatted on the Shang-Chi Review, we had to talk about it because there was A LOT going on in this teaser. Not one, not two, but FIVE villain teases, Dr. Strange, and was that a Miles Morales reference?

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Spider-Man No Way Home Trailer Breakdown

No Way Home Trailer Breakdown Podcast

This teaser revealed Doc Ock’s return (no surprise there) along with FOUR, yes four other Spider-Man villains like Sandman, Electro, and Green Goblin. Not only that but the fact that Dr. Strange seems so strange has fans talking. Including us. We have our theories and yes some involve the big M… MEPHISTO. Hear us out though, we have evidence to back it up.

There is also another M hinted at here, and that would be Miles Morales. We don’t know about you but seeing Miles in the MCU would have us way more excited than Andrew or Tobey. Just saying.

Okay, so what exactly went down in the No Way Home trailer? Well, basically it picks up right after the events of Far From Home. EVERYONE knows who Peter is and he is feeling the pressure. He is arrested by the same department that is meant to clean up superhero messes, the DODC. Interesting. Also interesting is that he manages to not stay locked up. Could that mean he has an awesome lawyer who is also a superhero named Matt Murdoch? We hope so.

Related: Spider-Man No Way Home Trailer Breakdown: Everything You May Have Missed

Instead of going the Talos-poses-as-Peter/Spidey-to-clear-his-name, Peter takes the more complicated route of having a VERY suspicious Dr. Strange cast a dangerous spell. A spell that Wong warned him not to cast. He did it anyway, chaos ensues–BAM Multiverse.

Sinister Six

Let’s talk villains. This trailer features 5 of them, we only need one more to make the Sinister Six, and hey, Vulture is still out there, and is Mysterio dead? Maybe. We know that when it comes to comics no one stays dead dead.

In this trailer, we see or hear hints of: Sandman, Electro, Lizard, Green Goblin, with the big reveal of Doc Ock at the end. “Hello, Peter.” But which Peter is he talking to? He wouldn’t know our Tom Holland Peter…but Tobey’s Spidey he would…just putting it out there.

No Way Home Trailer Breakdown Podcast

What did you think about the trailer? Let us know your Dr. Strange theories as well in the comments? Team Mephisto? Team Multiverse? Or team sweatpants?

S3E3: What If Episode 3 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

What If Episode 3 Breakdown Podcast

Welcome back Marvel fans! Last week we shared our breakdown and thoughts on episode 2 of What If. This week we can finally talk about our favorite episode of all the ones we have seen, “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” In this take on Fury’s Big Week, things go a lot differently for the would-be Avengers, and it is not a pretty sight.

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So this is your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen episode 3 of What If…?

What If Episode 3 Breakdown

What If Episode 3 Breakdown Podcast

There was an idea…yeah yeah we know. Fury and Black Widow are on their way to help Tony Stark survive his palladium poisoning. They find him in the donut hole just like in Iron Man 2. Only this time instead of successfully giving him the antidote and recruiting him to the Avengers… he dies.

He is just the first of many Avengers Initiative recruits to meet their maker this week. Somehow, someone managed to kill Thor and frame Hawkeye and kill Hulk in the most gruesome way possible without being too gruesome for a Disney+ animated series.

But hey, we got Coulson!

Related: What If Episode 3 Easter Eggs & Breakdown

Coulson is back and everyone cheered. Steve Rogers may have been still lost in the ice somewhere but that didn’t keep this fanboy down. Coulson is still a forever Steve stan despite getting sidetracked by Thor’s amazing locks and smell. That’s right our boy Coulson has the BEST password ever but easily guessed if you know the guy.

Related: Best Quotes from Marvel’s What If

The big reveal as to who was behind offing the Avengers- WOW. Michael Douglas returns as a Hank Pym that is actually closer to his comic book self than the MCU version. He has turned villain, killing the Avengers and crippling SHIELD in an act driven by the madness that comes with grief. Hope and Janet are both dead and he wants Fury and everyone else to pay.

Oh and Loki started off by attacking Fury, then decided to work with him, and after hanging out on Midgard he took over. But that’s okay, there are other Avengers to page and to thaw.

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What did you think of episode 3 of What If? What was your favorite Easter egg? Any thoughts on what might happen as a result of this one in Season 2? Let us know!

Marvel’s What If is now streaming on Disney+.

S3E2: What If Episode 2 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

what if episode 2 breakdown marvel podcast

Welcome back Marvel fans! Last week we shared our breakdown and thoughts on episode 1 of What If. This week we can finally talk about the bittersweet episode 2, “What If… T’Challa Became Star-Lord? Ironically this is the funniest of the first 3 episodes but knowing it was Chadwick’s last role and what he wanted people to get from it… well we can’t help but tear up just thinking about it.

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So this is your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen episode 2 of What If…?

What If Episode 2 Breakdown

what if episode 2 breakdown marvel podcast

We begin on Morag at a familiar rundown temple that houses the Orb. However, that isn’t Peter Quill but T’Challa, Prince of Wakanda. And not only is he this universe’s Star-Lord but he is also well known and loved, just ask Korath who fanboys all over the place.

How did T’Challa end up being Star-Lord? Well, what if Yondu outsourced the pickup of Ego’s child to Taserface and Kraglin? The result would be that they would pick up T’Challa instead of Peter because all Terrans look the same. Don’t be too sad for him, T’Challa is making the most of his time in the galaxy. He has saved countless places from destruction and even reformed a MAD titan. In fact one of those exploits ties into the Skrulls.

Related: What If Episode 2 Easter Eggs & Breakdown

Nebula is also changed and mostly whole. We like it. We also like the little flirtations that are occurring between her and Cha Cha. Sure we are all for Storm and T’Challa like in the comics but there is something very fun and intriguing about this pairing. Aside from them practically making heart-eye emojis at each other these two work together. They come up with plans even the others have no idea about.

Related: Best Quotes from Marvel’s What If

Enter a job to rob the Collector. Yes, that guy, the eccentric, powerful brother of The Grandmaster. In the first Guardians of the Galaxy, his tower houses much interesting flora, fauna, and Marvel Easter eggs. This time is no exception. There are quite a few awesome ones to spot, including a certain horned God of Mischief. Oh yeah, and Howard the Duck serves as a tour guide. Love it.

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What did you think of episode 2 of What If? What was your favorite Easter egg? Are you also sad that we won’t get any more of this T’Challa?

Most importantly, who is the best Star-Lord and why is it T’Challa?

Marvel’s What If is now streaming on Disney+.

S3E1: What If Episode 1 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

What If Episode 1 Breakdown

Welcome to Season 3 of the Geek Girls Universe Podcast. We are kicking it off by breaking down the new Marvel Studios’ show What If. On the bugle, we shared our reactions to the first 3 episodes but now we can finally talk episode 1: “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?” 

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So this is your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen episode 1 of What If…?

What If Episode 1 Breakdown

What If Episode 1 Breakdown

The Watcher kicks off the episode recapping (pun not intended but it works) what happened when Steve Rogers became the First Avenger. However, that didn’t happen in this universe. One small decision changed everything.

Peggy Carter decided to watch Steve’s transformation from the floor and she was able to stop the HYDRA agent but not before he shot Steve. Someone needed to take the serum and she was the only woman for the job.

Related: What If Episode 1 Easter Eggs & Breakdown

Steve, because his specialness DID NOT come from a bottle, continues to fight HYDRA with the use of the HYDRA Stomper, a pseudo-first-gen Iron Man suit created by Howard Stark and powered by the Tesseract. Together, he and Peggy kick butt and take names.

Bucky is alive and well with TWO arms. He also is still the snarky, confident 40s era Bucky we only got to see briefly. He has jokes for days.

Related: Best Quotes from Marvel’s What If

A faux Iron Man suit and jokes about ripping Bucky’s arm off aren’t the only Easter eggs from the MCU and comics. That beastie at the end could be one of two otherworldly creatures. Who do you think it is?

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What did you think of episode 1 of What If?

Marvel’s What If is now streaming on Disney+.

S2E41: The Weekly Bugle Vol 28 Jungle Cruise Review & What If Reactions

the weekly bugle vol 28 Jungle Cruise podcast review

Hello friends and welcome back to the Weekly Bugle Vol 28. It’s been a while since we recorded one of these but that is because the God of Mischief stole our TemPads and our hearts.  

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So this is your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen Jungle Cruise.

The Weekly Bugle Vol 28

The Weekly Bugle Vol 28

 Jungle Cruise is now in theaters and on Disney+ premiere access and so far it is cruising steadily with high scores and a nice box office turnout. That means a sequel may be happening and we hope it does! What If drops later this month. We’ve watched the first 3 episodes and we have some nonspoiler thoughts.

Jungle Cruise Review

The Jungle Cruise had a massive (for these times) box office debut, making $100+ million opening weekend worldwide. We both really enjoyed the film which given the talent involved wasn’t a surprise. The ride is iconic and this film hit all the right notes for longtime fans.

It is The Mummy meets Pirates meets Indiana Jones and we are here for all of it. Dwayne and Emily are the onscreen duo we didn’t know we needed and now can’t get enough of. Jack Whitehall is as hilarious as always as Emily’s snooty yet charming brother MacGregor.

Related: Jungle Cruise Move Review: Adventure, Charm, and Puns Equal Epic Fun

the weekly bugle vol 28 Jungle Cruise podcast review

Looking for puns? Hoping for the backside of water? Jungle Cruise has PLENTY. It might be one of our more BOULDER statements but this film brought everything we love about the attraction and plussed it, if we are talking Disney Parks terms.

Oh and that hilarious interview we talked about on the show. Here are the links to those.

Meet the Cast of the Jungle Cruise

Interview: Cast of Jungle Cruise on Favorite Puns, Ghosting The Rock, & more

Was your favorite pun also the same as the cast? Let us know!

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Marvel’s What If…? Reactions

If the first three episodes of What If…? are any indication, the new show is going to be amazing. It just gets better and better as it goes along.

Here is what we know:

Episode 1: What If Peggy Carter took the super soldier serum?

Episode 2: What If T’Challa was taken by Yondu instead of Peter Quill?

Finally, Episode 3 is well, we can’t tell you but trust that us it will blow your mind.

The runtime for each is around 32 minutes with credits and season 1 will feature 10 episodes. Yes, there are plans for a season 2.

How excited are you about What If? Let us know below or tweet us!

what if podcast

S2E40: Black Widow Review & Easter Eggs

black widow movie review

Black Widow is now in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access. It’s been a long wait for not only Black Widow but an MCU film. We had a few things we didn’t love about it but overall it is another solid Marvel film that continues to push forward Phase 4 despite being set in the past.

This is your spoiler warning if you haven’t seen Black Widow.

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Black Widow Review & Easter Eggs

black widow movie review

Despite the one reveal we weren’t totally excited about, Black Widow is the movie fans have been waiting for since Natasha was introduced in Iron Man 2. It is a spy-thriller with plenty of action and that classic Marvel humor. It also featured many callbacks to previous MCU films and Marvel comics. Which obviously made us super happy.

Related: Black Widow Easter Eggs You May Have Missed

We know you want to know, what didn’t we love? Aren’t you two Marvel fangirls ’til the end of the line? Yes, we are but that doesn’t me we love every choice they made. *cough* Natalie Portman *cough*

Let’s rip the bandaid off. Taskmaster. This version of Taskmaster wasn’t what we were looking for. In fact, she could’ve been left out of the movie and things still would have made sense. However, after reading an interview with the writer for Black Widow, we understand why the choice was made.

Related: Best Black Widow Movie Quotes

Moving fast that, there was plenty to love about the film, especially getting more Natasha. That’s always a win. Black Widow introduces us to her complicated past and family. The bonus of course is Yelena, who will be the new Black Widow going forward in Phase 4. Love her even if she isn’t one for poses.

Related: Black Widow Movie Review

David Harbour’s Alexei was also a scene-stealer and hopefully will show up in the future. Kevin Feige seems on board to see him return so fingers crossed.

Related: Fun Facts About Black Widow

What was your favorite Black Widow moment? Easter egg? Let us know!

Black Widow Podcast breakdown

S2E39: Loki Episode 6 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

Loki Episode 6 Breakdown

Loki Episode 5 was a game-changer for our Loki and opened a door of other Lokis that we hope to see more of in the future. Kid Loki is a Young Avenger after all and Alligator Loki is perfection. In the finale of season 1, Loki and Sylvie confront the man behind the curtain and we get some nice validation for a theory. But as the credits roll, the future of the MCU is absolute madness. Are you ready for this Loki episode 6 breakdown?

This is your spoiler warning.

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Loki Episode 6 Breakdown

Loki Episode 6 Breakdown & Easter Eggs

The opening Marvel Studios logo scroll was packed with audio from films spanning the entire MCU. This was a bit of foreshadowing. By the end of the episode what is real and what isn’t may be up for debate. Not only did we hear MCU quotes but also ones from our own world. Marvel is saying hey we are all part of this multiverse and things are about to get a bit mad.

Speaking of madness, Miss Minutes popping up like that with her crazy eyes = stuff of nightmares. For everyone who thought she was cute and sweet, good luck sleeping tonight.

Let’s get to the good stuff. KANG. The second Jonathan Majors appeared in that elevator we cheered. After the Mephisto business and Power Broker, there were some doubts they would actually reveal Kang. But holy Hela they brought him out, Immortus style, and Majors killed it. We cannot wait to see more of his variants down the road.

Related: Loki Episode 6 Easter Eggs and Breakdown

Loki Episode 6 Podcast Breakdown

Despite him lying about some things, he actually wasn’t lying about the consequences of taking him out. Sylvie didn’t want to listen to him and decided attacking him was the best option. Loki tried to stop her and reason with her. But unfortunately, she doesn’t trust anyone and he isn’t trustworthy. The kiss heard round the multiverse happens and Sylvie betrays Loki, shoving him back through a time door to the TVA.

Related: Best Loki Quotes

She kills Kang, but exactly what he said would happen happens. The timeline explodes and a war is coming. Kang The Conqueror has officially taken over. Heartbroken Loki runs into his friend Mobius who doesn’t recognize him.

In my best Luis voice, “But we get a season 2!”

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