Marvel Shares What If...? Season 3 New Look, And A Very Exciting Superhero Team-Up
At a time when the Marvel Cinematic Universe feels more and more creatively stale, with the box office reflecting this, "Marvel's What If...?" is a breath of fresh air. The animated show offers writers and animators an opportunity to tell the kind of wildly creative stories that the MCU's movies can't — both because they have to adhere to the Marvel formula and continuity, and because of budget constraints.
Though the first season was a bit formulaic, with most of the episodes following the plot of a previously-released Marvel movie (but with a little twist), the second season did a better job of exploring the infinite possibilities of the MCU multiverse. As Vanessa Armstrong wrote in her review for /Film, season 2 was "a zany, refreshing mix of stories."
Following the end of season 2, Marvel Studios quickly confirmed plans for a third season with a three-minute clip teasing a team-up between Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier and Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, as they are chased by Laurence Fishburne's Dr. Bill Foster. Of course, that also doubles as a tease of the upcoming Bucky and Red Guardian team-up in "Thunderbolts."
Now, Marvel is expanding its teases for "What If...?" season 3 by releasing new images on Twitter (we're not calling it "X," dammit!), which give audiences an early look "at some of the endless possibilities we'll explore together" in the new season. Most excitedly, the images show Sam Wilson, finally getting his time to shine in animated form as Captain America. Not only that, but he is also teaming up with Monica Rambeau, and they even have mecha suits! This is the kind of story that makes "What If...?" so exciting, offering character dynamics and power-ups that the movies wouldn't do. Besides, everything can be improved with a mecha suit.
From all of us at Marvel Studios, THANK YOU for watching season 2 of #WhatIf and joining us on this journey across time…space…reality. We’re excited to share this early look at some of the endless possibilities we’ll explore together in season 3 of What If…? pic.twitter.com/fM6Z17ZnNJ
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) January 22, 2024
A multiverse of opportunities
Speaking with IGN, head writer and showrunner A.C. Bradley revealed that the Bucky and Red Guardian tease is part of an episode that was produced for season 2, before getting moved to the upcoming third season. "I will say that the season 3 episode is probably my absolute favorite episode I've ever written for Marvel," she teased. "And not just because it features Alexei, who my cat is named after."
When can we expect to see "What If...?" season 3? That is a bit complicated. For one, season 2 just premiered last month on Disney+. Besides, Marvel Studios has a variety of animated shows to release before continuing the adventures of The Watcher, as the studio finally figured out that superhero stories thrive in animation, and that they are way behind DC when it comes to making animated movies and shows. Upcoming animated Marvel projects include the highly anticipated "X-Men '97," the Spider-Man cartoon "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man," and "Eyes of Wakanda."
The first two seasons of "What If...?" are currently streaming on Disney+.