Josh Keaton thanked fans for their support after he filled in for Chris Evans and voiced Steve Rogers in What If...? What If...? premiered on Disney+ on August 11th and opened up the series with a Captain Carter storyline. The first episode explored what would happen if Peggy Carter became Captain America instead of Steve Rogers. The episode was reminiscent of Captain America: The First Avenger, but incorporated many of its own twists and surprises to fulfill the potential of Hayley Atwell's Carter.
One noticeable change was that Rogers' voice sounded quite different from what MCU viewers are used to. Evans was among several MCU actors who did not return to voice their characters in What If...? due to scheduling conflicts and end of contracts. Keaton, who has over a decade of voice acting experience in projects ranging from The Spectacular Spider-Man to Hercules, stepped up to take over the role. Keaton made his Rogers debut in the first episode of What If...? and may return in further episodes as the series continues.
After the first episode, Keaton took to Twitter to thank fans for their support of his Steve Rogers debut. The self-proclaimed fellow nerd and comic book geek understands how the change in Rogers' portrayal could have been difficult for fans. Evans' portrayal was quite iconic, leaving Keaton with some very big shoes to fill. However, the actor was grateful to be accepted as viewers positively received his debut and offered him support. Check out Keaton's tweet below:
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The positive reception Keaton received is encouraging, considering that viewers will be seeing more of their favorite superheroes recast, including Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man. However, the recasting actually works very well with premise of What If...? as illustrated by the first episode. The Rogers that Keaton portrays is vastly different than Evans' Rogers. Keaton's Rogers never receives the super soldier serum and doesn't become Captain America, instead finding himself better suited to become War Machine. As the series explores alternate realities and the power of a simple choice, the Marvel characters will be changing and transforming in ways that completely differentiate them from their previous MCU forms. As the series continues, changes in voice may be the most minor of changes to some of these characters.
Overall, What If...? is providing a unique Marvel mash-up and viewers are, so far, positively reacting to the changes. Making a debut in the MCU is nerve-wracking enough on its own, but to take the reins on one of the franchise's biggest heroes is something else entirely. Keaton's performance was well-earned after his years of experience in the industry and the support he earned was equally well-deserved for his realistic and heartfelt portrayal of Rogers. Hopefully, his performance will extend past episode 1 of What If...? and fans look forward to being introduced to more talent as the series continues.
Source: Josh Keaton