What if Thor grew up without Loki? Well, he becomes “Party Thor.”
You may be thinking, doesn’t Thor already like to party? Yes. This version takes it to the extreme though leading to one of What If…?‘s zaniest episodes yet.
Only child Thor decides to take a sort of “Spring Break” trip while Frigga is away during the Odinsleep and chooses the “most backwood, backwater planet,” he can think of so Heimdall won’t look for them. And that planet, my friends, is Earth.
The idea that aliens might invade Earth and then almost destroy it through partying too hard is hysterical. And for fans who are sad about Loki being returned to the Frost Giants, don’t worry.
Loki still shows up to hang out and calls Party Thor his “brother from another mother.” (Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth must have had a blast recording their parts for this very different Loki and Thor dynamic).
Not even Fury could’ve planned for Party Thor, which is why they have to call in the big guns AKA Captain Marvel (Fury’s beeper is getting a lot of screentime this season).
Bringing in Captain Marvel makes sense due to her cosmic power but it probably would have been funnier to see him face off with one of the original Avengers. Then again, I don’t mind seeing Captain Marvel kick a whiny dude’s butt and this Thor is not the one we know and love.
Of course, the only person who can actually stop him is his mother, bringing home the parallel of a teenager having a party and then panicking when his parent comes home early.
The episode includes too many jokes to list, but some of my favorites include Captain Marvel calling Thor, “White Snake,” and Darcy suggesting they could blow up one of the Dakotas (bad idea).
I do have some issues with how Jane is characterized in this episode. Maybe this is secretly a ploy to rebrand her character ahead of Thor: Love and Thunder, but the version on this episode is a little too carefree when meeting the alien.
Her falling for the movie version of Thor sort of makes sense but Party Thor is pretty much a manbaby. Even under the neon lights of Las Vegas, I don’t see this love connection working.
At least the SHIELD agents in the episode are reliably concerned. I loved seeing Coulson and Maria Hill show up again (with Fury incapacitated by Korg).
You really can’t ignore the huge number of cameos in this episode that span Marvel’s galactic storytelling from Guardians of the Galaxy to Captain Marvel. I’ve mentioned before that I think the writers of this show must hate the van Dyne-Pym family, but on that same note, they must LOVE Howard the Duck.
Would Darcy Lewis really marry a talking duck? Well, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
The bummer twist of an army of Ultrons led by Vision showing up harshes the vibe a little bit towards the end, but it wouldn’t be a What If…? episode without some sort of unnecessary cliffhanger.
Although Episode 7 might not be the most thought-provoking episode of the season, it sure is the most fun. So don’t be a party pooper and tune in.
What did you think of this episode of What If…? Let us know in the comments.
What If…? airs Wednesdays on Disney+.