The second episode of What If…? was likely an emotional one for many fans as it featured the final performance of Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa in the MCU. But it was also a great way of showing a new side of T'Challa as this alternate universe explored what would happen if he became Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill. This change resulted in a lot of fun surprises, from T'Challa becoming an intergalactic Robin Hood to Thanos being redeemed as a hero of sorts. This episode really showcased how much fun this animated series can have playing around with established characters. But it also showed that it could help to give underutilized characters another shot within the MCU. Such was the case with The Collector in this episode.
In the comics, The Collector, also known as Taneleer Tivan, is an elder of the universe obsessed with collecting strange and interesting beings from across the cosmos. He even attempts to add the Avengers to his collection on several occasions. He maintained that hobby when he was introduced in the MCU (played by Benicio Del Toro) with his first appearance being in the post-credit scene of Thor: The Dark World. In that brief appearance, his mission of collecting the all-powerful Infinity Stones was teased as the Asgardians delivered the Reality Stone to him for safekeeping. Fans anticipated that The Collector would serve as some sort of rival of Thanos in his quest to acquire all six Infinity Stones, or perhaps that he would help the Mad Titan realize his goal. Sadly, the character's role in the MCU was much smaller than expected.
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The Collector was given a more expanded introduction in Guardians of the Galaxy as he attempted to get his hands on the Power Stone for his collection. However, the appearance was more of a one-scene cameo that served to simply give exposition of the Infinity Stones within the MCU. However, as Thanos got ready to pursue his mission in Avengers: Infinity War, fans predicted the character would finally get something interesting to do as he was still in had the Reality Stone. But once again, fans of the character were left disappointed as The Collector only received another brief cameo, delivering a few lines and seemingly being killed off.
Regardless of whether or not the MCU had bigger plans in mind for The Collector in the first place, it's clear they eventually decided he was not an integral part of the overall story and pushed him aside. It always felt like a big waste as he was an interesting and somewhat creepy character who felt different from the other cosmic villains of these movies. His collection also allowed for a lot of fun Easter eggs for the MCU that could have been used to better effect. But most of all, it wasted an incredibly talented actor as Del Toro was saddled with expository dialogue and was clearly trying to bring some fun to his brief appearances.
Thankfully, The Collector is given his chance to shine in the second What If…? episode. The setup reveals just how much T'Challa influenced the galaxy as Star-Lord, even helping Thanos see the error of his ways and abandon his quest to wipe out half the universe. But in the vacuum Thanos left in the cosmic underworld, The Collector filled and became far more powerful than he ever was in the MCU movies.
In this single episode, The Collector is established as perhaps the most powerful villain in the entire MCU. When showing off his collection of weapons, he seems to reveal that he killed Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves from Thor: The Dark World, as well as defeated Hela from Thor: Ragnarok. It is even suggested that he killed poor, lovable Korg. He also proves himself to be a skilled fighter, taking on both T'Challa and Yondu at once and giving them a considerably hard time. Fans are able to finally see The Collector for the menacing and intimidating bad guy he was supposed to be in the movies. And with the brief glimpse of his collection, it shows that he has already taken Captain America's iconic shield and Thor's hammer Mjolnir, hinting at just how powerful he is.
Adding to the joy of seeing this character finally getting some room to shine, Del Toro thankfully returned to voice The Collector in this episode. He likely has more lines in this episode than he does in any other MCU appearance and is not bogged down with having to explain Infinity Stones to anyone. Instead, Del Toro is given free rein to bring the kind of over-the-top and flamboyant energy he clearly wanted to bring to the role before. He adds so much to the character, making him funny as well as being threatening and wild. Interestingly, this take on The Collector really makes it seem plausible that he and The Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum) could be brothers, as it is in the comics. Maybe that will be a future What If…? episode.
It still remains to be seen just how much What If…? will play into the larger MCU, but it does remain a fun experiment for playing around with these characters. Seeing how The Collector was given this second chance to become a memorable Marvel character, it's very exciting to see what other characters might get the same treatment in the remaining episodes.
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