The sixth episdoe of What If…? takes us to the Wild Wild West — MCU style. On this frontier, the wicked are scorned by two heroes who protect the innocent. Known as Hawkeye and the 10 Rings, the pair is Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) and Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), two relatively new MCU characters that deserve more time to shine.
The gunslinger and martial artist supreme traverse the vast West to handle criminals of all shapes and sizes. In one instance, they defeat a barn of outlaws in the time it takes Shang-Chi’s hat to fall from the air. While nomadic, the two pursue one singular criminal: The infamous Hood. The mysterious outlaw murdered Kate’s family, and rumor has it disappeared with Shang-Chi’s sister, Xu Xialing. Xu Xialing escaped her father’s treachery to find solace in the land of the free. Fueled by disappointment in how immigrants were treated, Xu Xialing fought against the Hood’s treachery and was never seen again.
On this particular day, Kate and Shang-Chi receive word The Hood has passed by recently, kidnapping Chinese immigrant laborers from work sites. They follow his trail to Point Pegasus when they run into a young boy named Jun-Fan. Jun-Fan relays his father is among those kidnapped and placed on a ghost train. The young boy, who has heard of the legend of Hawkeye and the 10 Rings, joins the duo on their quest to rescue the workers and find Xu Xialing.
Shang-Chi and Kate are skeptical of this alleged “ghost train” at first, but they soon erase all doubt when they see the locomotive before their eyes. The machine moves across the land without a track. As they stow away on the caboose, they even witness the train leap across a large canyon, proving something more is powering the mysterious vehicle. Inside they find a glowing blue generator; the train’s engine and probably a product of Stark Industries, no less. The next car holds the missing workers, and Jun-Fan spots his father. But it appears his father and the others are under some trance, unresponsive.
Suddenly, the three meet the ringleader of this slave trade, Sonny Burch, who is working in tandem with The Hood. Jun-Fan attempts an escape while Sunny explains that The Hood wants to see Shang-Chi alone. Jun-Fan manages to climb atop the train as two henchmen chase after him. The masked men plan to throw Jun-Fan from the train, but the Watcher intervenes a third time, saving the boy. Jun-Fan watches in fear as the train comes to a stop.
Shang-Chi steps off the train and is met by The Hood, who requests that he join his mission. Shang-Chi refuses and a battle commences. As the two fight, Kate is stuck watching on the train with Sonny. The scoundrel pulls out a pocketwatch that plays a music box lullaby. Soon, Kate feels drowsy and realizes the pocketwatch hypnotized the workers. Before she knows it, she is unable to move. Sonny finally reveals he was the one who murdered her family and prepares to kill Kate when Jun-Fan jumps to action. He rings the train’s bell, waking her and the kidnapped workers out of their trance.
Shang-Chi is winning his fight against The Hood until the culprit’s identity is revealed: The Hood is his sister Xu Xialing. Once Xu Xialing defeated the cruel slaver, she took on his persona and magic, kidnapping workers to form an army to fight for an America that should exist. Shocked by her villainous turn, Shang-Chi surrenders, knowing in his heart that Xu Xialing will not kill him. His attempts to reach her fail, as she goes for the fatal blow. Suddenly, Kate fires her weapon, killing The Hood, not knowing it is Xu Xialing. She apologizes to Shang-Chi, who forgives her saying The Hood took his sister. Despite the sorrowful ending, Hawkeye and the 10 Rings ride on befriending passersby and being beacons of hope.
The episode wraps with the other Watchers finally approaching Uatu (Jeffery Wright) for his third infraction. He will now have to suffer consequences for breaking his sacred oath.
Episdoe 6 is another excellent edition that felt like the pilot of an even better series. Westerns are a staple in American long-form storytelling, and the adventures of Hawkeye and the 10 Rings subvert our idea of who cowboys can be in the most splendid way. Steinfeld and Liu are solid leads. And given they’ll possibly lead the next iteration of Avengers, it was awesome to preview their chemistry. Goggins’ Burch is a deep MCU character that receives a new, frightening flare in this adaptation. To pair him with The Hood, albeit a different one from the comics, preps fans for Anthony Ramos’ version of the villain in the upcoming Ironheart series. While the reveal was somewhat predictable, mirroring Shang-Chi and Xu Xialng’s relationship in the film, it was still exciting. Also, the episode’s use of historical fiction raises the stakes compared to other Marvel stories. American colonialism has been alluded to in former projects like Black Panther, but here the message is more straightforward. The Hood’s villainy preys on the emotions and fears of both American citizens and immigrants, creating a rift where one doesn’t exist. A tactic played throughout history.
Rating: 9/10