What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?

The sixth episode of What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World? is a departure from the rest of the series. This episode introduces a new character and asks MCU fans to get invested in a twist of fate that allowed her to gain the powers of the Tesseract.

That’s an interesting concept. Still, it feels like there are still plenty of directions and branching paths from events that played out in the MCU to start coming up with entirely new scenarios for original characters.

That prior lack of familiarity hurts this episode to a degree. Kahhori (Devery Jacobs), a young Mohawk woman, is curious about a myth that has passed down in her village. Supposedly there’s a vast power lurking just beyond the cursed battlefield.

Kahorri does manage to stumble onto it when Conquistadors attack the village in search of the Fountain of Youth.

In some ways, this feels like the Marvel Studios means of creating a Disney Princess. Kahhori is fierce, independent and fully capable of rescuing herself (thank you). She’s also got a potential romantic love interest in Atahraks.

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And she’s got a task — creating a staircase using her new powers to travel to the portal to return home. And not at all surprisingly, Kahhori ends up being better at channeling the powers than inhabitants who have been there for years.

All that’s really missing from this episode is a couple of original songs to capture the full Disney Princess Experience.

That’s not really what MCU or What If…? viewers have come to expect. It doesn’t help that there’s no twist to an existing Kahhori backstory allowing for some appreciation about this shift in her history.

There are some nice animation flex scenes showing the vastness and majesty of this magical land Kahhori now inhibits. As well as the Tessaract-infused populace putting their abilities in action.

Kahhori seems like a decent enough character but this cold open to a new character feels like the wrong approach to ensure she becomes a player going forward in the Multiverse arc. And Conquistadors aren’t necessarily the big menace of an Ultron, Hydra or The Dark Elves.

There’s probably going to be some annoyance from viewers that don’t want to have to read the subtitles as the characters speak in their native languages.

What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World? lacks the necessary twists that’s the norm for this series to fully resonate. Maybe a Disney+ dedicated Kahhori show could create more interest in the character? At least the closing act ensures this won’t be the final time this season that we see Kahhori in action.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Photo Credit: Disney

For a title featuring another ingenious character, check out Daredevil & Echo at Amazon.

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