Screenwriter blames Spanish for omitting English Colonization
Screenwriter blames Spanish for omitting English Colonization – The plot takes place in a setting where the Spanish devastate a Mohican village.
By Megan Sauer
In an episode that has generated controversy in season 2 of What If…?, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) alternate history anthology series for Disney+.
Screenwriter AC Bradley has decided to take a bold turn by justifying the omission of English colonization in the United States and blaming the Spanish instead.
Titled “What If Kahhori Reshaped the World?”, The plot takes place in a setting where the evil Spanish conquistadors, in search of the fountain of eternal youth under the orders of Queen Isabella the Catholic, devastate the
Mohican village, provoking the anger and persecution of the protagonist. This approach has sparked criticism from some Spaniards, who consider that it fuels the “Black Legend.”
The “anti-Spanish Black Legend”
The alleged anti-Spanish Black Legend is a concept that denounces the historical tendency to present Spain in a negative way, exaggerating and distorting its past actions.
Criticized as a biased narrative, this legend focuses on controversial aspects such as colonization, the Inquisition and the conquest, painting Spain as an imperialist and oppressive power.
Simplification and omission of complex contexts are often criticized, perpetuating negative stereotypes.
Although Spain has played a significant role in world history, the anti-Spanish Black Legend underscores the importance of addressing historical complexity equitably and avoiding harmful generalizations.
By focusing disproportionately on pointing out Spain’s historical mistakes, this supposed Black Legend helps divert attention from the atrocities committed by other European colonizers, such as the English and French.
This selective approach can lead to minimizing or even omitting the violations and abuses perpetrated by these powers in their respective colonies, perpetuating a narrative that does not reflect the entirety of European colonial history.
What If…? and the Black Legend
What If…? controversy is further intensified due to the anachronism in the script.
The presence of Spaniards in the Mohican region at the time in which the episode is set was minimal and later, since the area was claimed mainly by the Dutch, English and French. This historical discrepancy has generated discontent among those seeking a more accurate representation of historical events.
Faced with these criticisms, AC Bradley , the creator of the series, has come out to defend her creative choice through X (formerly Twitter). In her response, Bradley reaffirms the fundamental premise of What If…? , arguing that the series is set in alternate universes.
Bradley said: “You’re right! But in this universe, rumors of the tesseract and the forbidden lake reached Europe, so those looking for the Fountain of Youth started looking in New York and not Florida.”
Using Spanish conquistadors as villains is not new in the MCU.
It had already been explored in Eternals, which featured a scene set during the siege of Tecnochtitlan, as well as in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where Namor’s origin was altered to connect him to the Spanish colonizers who devastated his village several centuries ago.
Bradley’s choice to rewrite history and focus on an alternative version of colonization has sparked debates about historical responsibility in the representation of past events.
Some argue that these creative decisions can distort the overall understanding of the story, while others defend the creative freedom to explore alternate universes without being completely bound by historical accuracy.
The controversy will surely continue as What If…? continues to explore alternative narratives in the MCU.
