The latest episode of What If? is here, retelling the events of Guardians of the Galaxy from the perspective of Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa. Most of the main cameos from James Gunn’s 2014 adventure return here, including the morally ambiguous Collector. He plays a key role in this episode, holding the Embers of Genesis that our heroes fight for. There’s one big question you might have around the Collector: does Benicio del Toro return to voice him?
Does Benicio del Toro voice The Collector in What If? episode 2?
If you recognize The Collector’s voice in What If? episode 2, then don’t be surprised. Yes, that is Benicio del Toro, who returns here to play the character once more.
This is Del Toro’s fourth time playing the colorful but untrustworthy trader of intergalactic goods. He first appeared in the post-credits scene of Thor: The Dark World. After that, he played more prominent roles in Guardians of the Galaxy the year after, and Avengers: Infinity War in 2018.
In this episode, The Collector functions as the main antagonist, as he tries to battle T’Challa, and holds the Embers of Genesis that our hero is after. He even shows off a range of iconic mementos that he’s taken from beloved Marvel characters over the years, like Korg’s arm and Captain America’s shield.
It’s unclear if this is Benicio del Toro’s last performance as The Collector, though it seems like it might be. His character was killed by the Mad Titan, Thanos, in Infinity War, and this is his first appearance since then. As his character is canonically dead in the main MCU, The Collector might only re-appear in multiverse stories in the future. Nonetheless, it’s good to hear del Toro return to the role that he plays so well.
If you want more What If? we’ve got a review and breakdown of the second episode. We’ve also looked ahead to next episode, breaking down the spoilers we have so far.
