Michael Rookercan’t stop gushing over how beautifulthis week’s episodeof Marvel’sWhat If…?is.
The answer is just as simple: T’Challa becomes Star-Lord.
“It’s just so wonderful, it’s great stuff,” he tells EW.
Yondu in ‘What If…?'.Marvel Studios
“This is an absolutely wonderful piece.
This one, in particular, is beautiful.
“And to bring back Yondu was a really beautiful thing.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This episode is Chadwick’s final time playing T’Challa.
Did you get to speak with him about the episode or record together at all?
MICHAEL ROOKER:We never got to hang out or speak together and work together on the project really.
You do your part, and he does his part, and it’s really quick.
It took us several sessions but it was really a blast.
I had no idea that it ended up being his last performance.
Boy oh boy, what a shame.
But the work, the legacy of the work is there for everyone to see.
When we got a [What If…?]
Yondu’s back!”
And it was like, “Yes!”
I look even better as an animated cartoon in an animated story.
[Laughs] I was like wow, they made me look good.
That’s an unexpected perk of voicing a character in animation.
[Laughs] They can make you lookreallygood.
Better than you look in real life.
Although my makeup people for Yondu, I’ve got to tell you, they are geniuses.
That makeup was so good you just literally forget that you have it on.
It feels like your regular skin, and it looks so rich and has depth.
I did a convention this past weekend and a little boy looked really confused.
He says, “Why isn’t he blue?”
I think he was about seven or eight.
And I told him that this is my human makeup when I’m on Earth.
And my fin is underneath my hat and my ship is on top of the roof of this building.
[Laughs] And the kid’s eyes were like big, giant saucers.
It was a beautiful experience.
That’s so sweet.
You preserved the magic for him.
He was right at that age where he still wants it to be real.
It was just so cute.
[Laughs] I know I look better in blue but I’m stuck in this skin."
He’s totally going to remember that.
What did you think about the script for this episode when you read it for the first time?
When I went first to read it, I was like, “Oh, this is good.
This is really cool.
What a great take on it.”
It’s the perfectWhat If…?story.
It just felt very special, knowing what I know now.
It was very heartwarming to be involved with it.
I feel so blessed to get to bring this character to life.
How does having T’Challa as Star-Lord influence Yondu and the rest of the Ravagers in this timeline?
I still treat Star-Lord as my son.
So I had it easy because I’ve already played the role.
So having a different Star-Lord, it made no difference to me.
It was beautifully written, and he becomes quite heroic.
The Ravagers and Yondu are made better because of him.
It’s good stuff.
And the animation is gorgeous.
I mean, kids get to see all the really great stuff.
[Laughs] When I was a kid the animation was like stick figures.
What surprised you about this episode?
That in itself surprised me!
[Laughs] Literally, I didn’t expect it.
Just being involved with [the MCU’s] very first animated series is just a joy.
I know I did while making it.
How does this episode pop launch the door for you to return to the MCU in the future?
Well, I certainly hope it does.
That would be a great “what if.”
[Laughs] I would jump on that bandwagon right away.
What if we told more of Yondu’s story and the Ravagers?
I bloody think the fans would go crazy over it.
We’ve got our fingers crossed.
What If…?debuts new episodes Wednesdays on Disney+.
