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What If...? season 3

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

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.

Jeffrey Wright stars as the Watcher, who narrates the series, alongside numerous MCU film actors reprising their roles. Development of 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 expected to be released on the streaming service Disney+.

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] and an episode featuring Agatha Harkness with a musical number.[5]

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.[citation needed] Each episode features different versions of characters from the MCU films, with many actors reprising their roles for the series.[6][additional citation(s) needed]

Production

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Development

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Work had begun on a third season of What If...? by July 2022.[7] At that time, head writer A. C. Bradley revealed that the second season of the series was her final project at Marvel Studios,[8][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.[9][10]: 4:28, 50:08–50:12  The season features 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.[10]: 52:38–52:44  In August 2024, it was announced that the third season would be the series' last.[11]

Writing

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Executive producer Brad 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.[12][13] He added that the season would have the first hints at "crossover potential" between the series and Marvel Studios' other animated projects.[14] Some of the unused episode concepts that were created for the first and second season were used for the third.[15][16] Andrews said the third season's episode concepts were "wackier" than those used for the first two seasons,[15] and further explore different genres.[17] One episode features the Avengers piloting mechs,[3][18] and Andrews was excited to go "full, hardcore, mega genre" with the episode. An episode revisits characters from the first season,[17] while another includes a musical number.[5]

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.[17]

Casting

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Jeffrey Wright returns to narrate the series as the Watcher.[citation needed] Marvel's plan for the series was to have actors who portray characters in the MCU films reprise their roles in What If...?.[6][additional citation(s) needed] These include: Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, David Harbour as Alexei Shostakov / Red Guardian, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster,[19][17] Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector / Moon Knight,[11] and Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness.[5] Also included in the season are Sam Wilson / Captain America,[18] Monica Rambeau, Black Widow, Xu Shang-Chi, Tony Stark / Iron Man, White Vision, Riri Williams / Ironheart, Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch,[11][3] Shuri, Melina Vostokoff,[4] and Wong.[20] Characters introduced in the season include America Ferrera as Ranger Morales, an original character.[2][21]

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.[22]

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,[23] while images from the episodes were released the following month.[18] Andrews and Winderbaum promoted the series during Marvel Studios Animation's panel at the D23 Expo in August 2024, where footage was shown.[24][3][4]

Release

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The third season will debut on Disney+.[7] In January 2024, Andrews stated he believed there had been the possibility of the season releasing at the end of 2024, but called that deadline "tight" and noted how Marvel Studios and Disney were continually shifting releases around.[9] 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.[12]

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 c 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. ^ a b 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.
  7. ^ a b 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ a b 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.
  10. ^ a b 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.
  11. ^ a b c 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ a b c d 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.
  18. ^ a b c 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.
  19. ^ Carter, Justin (December 30, 2023). "Marvel Teases More What If...? Adventures to Come". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on December 31, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2023.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
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