Is What If…? returning for another season? Continue reading to find out more.
What If…? is an American animated anthology series created by A. C. Bradley for the streaming service Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. It is the fourth television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) produced by Marvel Studios and the studio’s first animated series. The series explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the MCU films occurred differently. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 7.95/10, based on 101 reviews for the first season.
The site’s critical consensus reads: “What If…? may not add much to the larger MCU narrative, but surprising takes on beloved characters and some of the best action sequences in the entire franchise make for engaging viewing.” Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the first season a score of 69 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”. This easily states that the series has been well received by the viewers and the critics. Hence, it was easy for the network to continue and expand this franchise. To help you prepare before streaming the new season, we’ve put up a quick summary of everything about new seasons of What If…?
What If…? Season 3 Renewal Status
Yes, it’s official that Marvel Studios has renewed What If…? for the third season in July 2022 and is in the developmental stages. Marvel Studios’ Animation panel at San Diego Comic-Con revealed that the Emmy-nominated series had been picked up for a third season, ahead of its Season 2 premiere.
What If….? Season 2 launches exclusively on Disney+ in early 2023. The news was also confirmed on the official Twitter handle of Disney+, quoting, “Just announced at #SDCC2022: Season 2 of Marvel Studios’ What If…?, an Original series, is streaming early 2023 on #DisneyPlus.!” Take a look at the post below:
Just announced at #SDCC2022:
Season 2 of Marvel Studios’ What If…?, an Original series, is streaming early 2023 on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/yi9Ngqhg5J
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) July 22, 2022
What If…? Season 3 Expected Release Date and Episodes
The exact release date of What If…? Season 3 is yet to be confirmed by Marvel Studios as of July 23, 2022, because the series’ renewal was just announced a few hours ago. It is speculated to include 9 episodes, just like the prior seasons, which are reported to have a runtime of 30–37 minutes. But on the bright side, it is speculated that the production will begin in a scheduled manner like the prior seasons.
So, the fans seem to be assured that the upcoming season will be released sooner than they anticipated, as the renewal announcement was made by the network on time ahead of the Season 2 premiere. If we were to guess, we’d say the release date would be somewhere between early and mid-2024. Furthermore, we would want to emphasize that this is all guesswork at this time. Marvel Studios will publish and confirm the official release dates in the following months, which fans should keep an eye on.
What If…? Season 3 Expected Plot
What If…? explores many possible timelines of the multiverse where key moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films occur differently, as watched by the Watcher after the multiverse was established in the season one finale of Loki. After the Guardians of the Universe were established, the Watcher continued to explore other unusual realms in season two, meeting new heroes and preserving the multiverse. Since the network has not yet broadcast the second season, we are unable to predict the specific plotlines because we are unsure of how season two will end.
However, it’s been predicted that the upcoming season would pick up any cliffhangers and subplots from the end credit scene from What If…? Season 1 and 2 and jump directly into this realm, offering viewers something new to consider as opposed to the usual themes of the MCU timeline and now the Multiverse. People have been drawn to watch the series when it airs on the streaming service because many of the episodes have garnered positive reviews from viewers. It will be intriguing to see how they respond to the increased interest of the fans in this new animated series in order to add a fresh element to the series.
What If…? Season 2: What to expect?
The Watcher returns in Season 2 of What If…? to meet more heroes and explore more bizarre new worlds in the MCU’s ever-expanding Multiverse after enlisting the Guardians of the Multiverse to stop Infinity Ultron. According to Deadline, What If…? director Bryan Andrews and writer-exec producer AC Bradley revealed the news at the end of the show’s presentation following a surprise screening of a Season 2 episode.
Per Marvel & Disney+, “What If…?” Season 2 continues the journey with The Watcher as our guide through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The animated series questions revisit and twist classic Marvel Cinematic moments with a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Jeffrey Wright stars as the Watcher, who narrates the series, alongside several MCU film actors reprising their roles. Moreover, The episode count for this season is also set to 9 episodes with a runtime of 30–37 minutes. The series is directed by Andrews, and Bradley is the head writer.
According to head writer AC Bradley in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, “Going into the second season, we’re sticking with anthology form, and it’s going to be all-new stories, lots of fun, new heroes, and pulling more from Phase Four than we were obviously able to this season. Hopefully, we’ll see hints of Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Black Widow characters. The fun of What If…? is that we get to explore the entire infinite multiverse, so we try and bounce around as much as we can. I want to play with all these characters, and as much as I love Captain Carter, we’ve got to share the love. I’m very excited to show new worlds, new heroes.”
What If…? Cast
The following are some of the well-known cast members of the show that are anticipated to feature in the forthcoming seasons, according to the most recent list for What If…? Season 2:
- Jeffrey Wright as Uatu/The Watcher
- Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter/Captain Carter
- Lake Bell as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
- Josh Keaton as Steve Rogers/HYDRA Stomper
- Cynthia McWilliams as Gamora
- Mick Wingert as Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Jeff Goldblum as En Dwi Gast/Grandmaster
- Taika Waititi as Korg
- Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
- Josh Brolin as Thanos
- Kurt Russell as Ego
- Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
- Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp
- Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff
- To-be-confirmed voice actress as Brunnhilde/Valkyrie
- To-be-confirmed voice actor as Peter Parker
- To-be-confirmed voice actress as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
- To-be-confirmed voice actress as Hela
- To-be-confirmed voice actor as Odin
- To-be-confirmed voice actor as Xu Wenwu
- To-be-confirmed voice actor as Shang-Chi
Where to stream What If…?
What If…? is an exclusive series created by Marvel Studios that will premiere on Disney+. This streaming platform offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. Hence, the series will only be available to stream exclusively on Disney+ with a selection of membership tiers from which viewers can pick according to their preference.
What If…? Official Trailer
What If…? Official Synopsis
The official synopsis of the animated series states that “What If…?” flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Marvel Studios’ first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles.
Catch up with Watch What If…? Season 1 now streaming on Disney+, with Seasons 2 and 3 yet to have a launch date.