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What If...? season 3

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The third and final season of the American animated anthology series What If...?, based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, explores alternate timelines in the multiverse that show what would happen if major moments from the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) occurred differently. The season is produced by Marvel Studios Animation, with Matthew Chauncey serving as head writer and Bryan Andrews directing.

What If...?
Season 3
Promotional poster
StarringJeffrey Wright
Release
Original networkDisney+
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 2
List of episodes

Jeffrey Wright stars as the Watcher, who narrates the series, alongside numerous MCU film actors reprising their roles. Development on the season began by July 2022, with Chauncey replacing previous head writer A. C. Bradley by December 2023. Andrews returned from previous seasons to direct.

The third season is scheduled to premiere on the streaming service Disney+ on December 22, 2024, and will release each of its eight episodes daily until December 29. It will be part of Phase Five of the MCU.

Episodes

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Episodes in the season include: a Red Guardian–centered episode written by Bradley,[1] also featuring Bucky Barnes, Bill Foster, and Ranger Morales,[2] that was originally intended for the second season;[1] an anime-inspired episode featuring the Avengers piloting mechs to fight a horde of Mega-Hulk monsters, titled "Go-Avengers: Heroes of the Gamma War", which features Sam Wilson / Captain America, Black Widow, Red Guardian, Xu Shang-Chi, Monica Rambeau, Moon Knight,[3] Shuri, and Melina Vostokoff;[4] an episode featuring Agatha Harkness with a musical number;[5] and an episode featuring a team-up between Shang-Chi and Kate Bishop in a Western-themed setting.[6]

Cast and characters

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The series is narrated by Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher, a member of the alien Watcher race who observes the multiverse.[7][8] Each episode features different versions of characters from the MCU films, with many actors reprising their roles for the series.[9]

Production

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Development

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Work had begun on a third season of What If...? by July 2022.[10] At that time, head writer A. C. Bradley revealed that the second season of the series was her final project at Marvel Studios,[11][1] with series' story editor Matthew Chauncey taking over as head writer for the season.[1] Series' director Bryan Andrews returns for the third season along with Stephan Franck. The season consists of eight episodes,[7] including a Red Guardian–centered episode written by Bradley that originally was intended for the second season, but was later moved to the third.[1] Bradley wrote the episode in 2020.[12]: 52:38–52:44  Executive producers for the season include Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, and Andrews.[7] In August 2024, it was announced that the third season would be the series' last.[13] In November 2024, Winderbaum discussed the series ending with its third season, saying there were "bigger [MCU] reasons" for it concluding as it was "part of a bigger tapestry that's being woven in real time"; he did not rule out reviving the series in the future.[14]

Writing

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Bradley and Ryan Little served as writers on the season alongside Chauncey.[7] Winderbaum described the season as being the culmination of a trilogy, completing an "emotional experience" with the Watcher whose humanity is explored more than in previous seasons.[15][16] He added that the season would have the first hints at "crossover potential" between the series and Marvel Studios' other animated projects.[17] Some of the unused episode concepts that were created for the first and second season were used for the third.[18][19] Andrews said the third season's episode concepts were "wackier" than those used for the first two seasons,[18] and further explore different genres.[20] One episode features the Avengers piloting mechs,[3][21] and Andrews was excited to go "full, hardcore, mega genre" with the episode. An episode revisits characters from the first season,[20] while another includes a "1930s screwball" musical number.[5][22]

Ideas that were considered for the season but not used include trying to involve the band Kiss in four different episodes, one of which would have been a galactic Battle of the Bands concept with Kiss serving as the judges, and a samurai episode that Andrews described as "hardcore and just brutal and awesome" with elements of Romeo and Juliet.[20]

Casting

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Jeffrey Wright returns to narrate the series as the Watcher.[7][8] Marvel's plan for the series was to have actors who portray characters in the MCU reprise their roles in What If...?.[23] with over 35 doing so for the season. These include:[9] Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter / Captain Carter, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Seth Green as Howard the Duck, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster / Giant-Man, Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams / Ironheart, Simu Liu as Xu Shang-Chi, Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Devery Jacobs as Kahhori, Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, James D'Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, Josh Brolin as Thanos, Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector / Moon Knight, Wyatt Russell as John Walker / U.S. Agent, Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch, Clark Gregg as Phil Coulson, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Meng'er Zhang as Xu Xialing, Taika Waititi as Korg, Rachel House as Topaz, Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis, Ross Marquand, Gene Farber as Karpov, Hamish Parkinson as Beerbot 5000, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw, and David Kaye as Arishem.[9]

Also included in the season are Black Widow, Tony Stark / Iron Man, White Vision, Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch,[13][3] Shuri, Melina Vostokoff,[4] Wong,[24] Ying Nan, Dormammu, Quentin Beck / Mysterio,[25] Kaecilius,[26] and Okoye.[27]

Characters introduced in the season include: America Ferrera as Ranger Morales;[2][28] Natasha Lyonne as Byrdie;[29] and Alison Sealy-Smith as Ororo Munroe / Storm the Goddess of Thunder, reprising her role from X-Men: The Animated Series (1992–1997) and X-Men '97 (2024–present).[8][9] Jason Isaacs, D. C. Douglas, and Darin De Paul have been cast as Watchers The Eminence, The Incarnate, and The Executioner, respectively. Allen Deng is cast in an undisclosed role.[30][better source needed]

Animation

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"Go-Avengers: Heroes of the Gamma War" includes 2D animation inspired by anime from the 1970s and 1980s, before shifting to the series' usual 3D animation.[3]

Music

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Laura Karpman returned from previous seasons as composer.[31]

Marketing

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The first footage from the season was released in December 2023, as part of the second season's "The Watcher's Nine Days of What If...?" advent calendar-style website,[32] while images from the episodes were released the following month.[21] Andrews and Winderbaum promoted the series during Marvel Studios Animation's panel at the D23 Expo in August 2024, where footage was shown.[33][3][4] More footage from the season was included in a video that was released by Disney+ in October, announcing the release schedule for Marvel Television and Marvel Animation projects through the end of 2025.[34] A trailer for the season was released on November 11.[7]

Release

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The third season will debut on Disney+ on December 22, 2024, with its eight episodes releasing daily until December 29.[7][25] In January 2024, Andrews said a late 2024 was possible, but the deadline was "tight" and noted how Marvel Studios and Disney were continually shifting releases around.[35] That May, Winderbaum said work was nearly completed on the season and it was likely to be the studio's next animated project to be released;[15] this and a December 2024 release was confirmed in October 2024.[34] The season will be part of Phase Five of the MCU.[36]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Bennett, Tara (December 31, 2023). "Marvel's What If...? Head Writer Breaks Down Every Episode of Season 2". IGN. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Dick, Jeremy (December 29, 2023). "What If...? Season 3 Gets First Look Trailer From Marvel". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Loo, Egan (August 10, 2024). "Marvel's What If…? Season 3 to Assemble Avengers' Robot Mecha, Voltron-Style". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Anderson, Jenna (August 10, 2024). "D23: Marvel Animation Panel Recap". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Behbakht, Andy (August 11, 2024). "Marvel Confirms The Upcoming WandaVision Spin-Off Isn't The End Of Agatha's MCU Story". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  6. ^ Power, Tom (November 12, 2024). "Marvel's first trailer for What If...? season 3 will feature a Disney Plus crossover episode with highly-rated show X-Men 97, sort of". TechRadar. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Watch the Trailer for 'What If…?' Season 3". Marvel.com. November 11, 2024. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Robinson, Tasha (November 11, 2024). "What If…?'s season 3 trailer gives the MCU its own Voltron and puts Mjolnir in Storm's hands". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Milakovic, Robert (November 15, 2024). "Full List of Voice Actors for 'What If…?' Season 3 Revealed & There Are Some Interesting Names". Comic Basics. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  10. ^ Nolan, Liam (July 22, 2022). "SDCC: Marvel Studios Animation Panel Reveals Future of X-Men '97, What If and Marvel Zombies". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 22, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
  11. ^ Bradley, A.C. [@TheAshBradley] (July 22, 2022). "This is my final project @MarvelStudios!! It's been an adventure. All my ❤️ to our brilliant cast & crew! Can't wait for the world to see our work! #WhatIf #whatifseason2 #SDCC" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Phase Zero (January 5, 2024). What If..? Season 2 Live Q&A With Creative Team (A.C. Bradley, Matthew Chauncey, Bryan Andrews). ComicBook.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ a b Mitovich Webb, Matt (August 10, 2024). "Marvel Zombies (TV-MA!), Spider-Man, Eyes of Wakanda (Iron Fist?!) and Other Animated Series Get Updates at D23". TVLine. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Holmes, Adam (November 14, 2024). "Marvel's What If… ? Is Ending With Season 3, And Now I'm Wondering If The Next Two Avengers Movies Have Something To Do With This". CinemaBlend. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Anderson, Jenna (May 18, 2024). "Marvel Exec Reveals Which Animated Show Might Be Next After X-Men '97 (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Johnson, Jim (July 30, 2022). "Marvel's What If...? Season 3 Will Further Explore the Watcher's 'Humanity'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  17. ^ Polk, Milan (March 21, 2024). "X-Men '97 Has Been In The Works Since What If...? Season 1". Men's Health. Archived from the original on March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Fleming, Ryan (August 17, 2022). "'What If…?' Director Bryan Andrews On Creating The Evil Doctor Strange And How The Next Seasons Will Be "A Little Bit Wilder"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
  19. ^ Bennett, Tara (December 12, 2023). "What If...? Season 2: New Avengers Lineups, a 'Lost' Episode Revived, and Other Things We Learned". IGN. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  20. ^ a b c Paige, Rachel (January 31, 2024). "'What If…?': Director Bryan Andrews Dives Into Season 2". Marvel.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Bradley, Ollie (January 22, 2024). "Marvel's What If...? Season 3 New Images Reveal Sam Wilson, Monica Rambeau & More". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  22. ^ Kelley, Aidan (October 27, 2024). "Marvel's 'What If...?' Is Getting a Musical Episode for Season 3". Collider. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Sciretta, Peter (March 12, 2019). "Exclusive: Marvel Studios Producing 'What If' TV Series For Disney+". /Film. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  24. ^ Trajkovic, Katarina (August 14, 2024). "What If...? Season 3 Announcements Reveal Some Interesting Info". Game Rant. Archived from the original on August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Nelson Jr, Keith (November 11, 2024). "Marvel's What If...? Season 3 Trailer Makes It Hard To Say Goodbye To The Series". Kotaku. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  26. ^ Freitag, Lee (November 11, 2024). "What If...? Season 3 Trailer Reveals Returning Villains, X-Men's Storm and Cowboy Shang-Chi". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  27. ^ Young, Kai (November 13, 2024). "Every New Marvel Character Confirmed For What If Season 3". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  28. ^ Anderson, Jenna (January 5, 2024). "Marvel's What If...? Casts Barbie's America Ferrera in Mysterious Season 3 Role (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  29. ^ Omotade, Lade (November 14, 2024). "Natasha Lyonne Will Voice This Character in 'What If...?' Season 3". Collider. Archived from the original on November 14, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  30. ^ Murphy, Charles (November 15, 2024). "Marvel Reveals Full Cast List for the Final Season of Its First Animated Series". Murphy's Multiverse. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  31. ^ Tangcay, Jazz (August 9, 2024). "'Captain America: Brave New World' Adds Composer Laura Karpman (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 12, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  32. ^ Adams, Timothy (December 29, 2023). "Marvel's What If...? Reveals First Look at Season 3". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2023. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
  33. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (July 11, 2024). "D23 2024 Will Include First Looks at X-Men '97 Season 2, Spider-Man Animated Series, and More". IGN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 12, 2024.
  34. ^ a b Lussier, Germain (October 30, 2024). "Marvel Just Revealed Its TV Release Dates for the Next Year". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  35. ^ Barnhardt, Adam (January 8, 2024). "What If..? Creative Team Updates Season 3 Status (Exclusive)". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  36. ^ Power, Tom (October 30, 2024). "Marvel Phase 5: new MCU movie and Disney Plus show release dates, confirmed cast lists, trailers, plot synopses, and more". TechRadar. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
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