Marvel’s What If..? Is Just As Important As Any Other Marvel Project

Brad Winderbaum, who is the executive producer of Disney+’s upcoming series, What If..?, has revealed that the project is as important to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe as any other Marvel project.

The series will be based on the comic series with the same name, What If…? This explores the question of re-imagining the classic MCU stories and characters. For instance, the show will see Peggy Carter take the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. The second instance has Yondu kidnapping Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa instead of Peter Quill.

When the series was announced, it was initially thought to be an anthology series. This meant that it won’t affect the MCU. However, the series is set to premiere after the events of Loki, where the Sacred Timeline turned into the multiverse. This brings in various possibilities for characters and stories which will be incorporated in the animated series.

The series will be narrated by Uatu the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), who is the character that watches over the multiverse. Many of the MCU actors will be reprising their roles in voice form for the series. This series will put the multiversal madness on full display, possibly leading to the upcoming films like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania.

Winderbaum Says It Is No Coincidence That What If…? Comes After Loki

In an interview with Deadline, Winderbaum revealed that the series will affect the larger MCU. As the series is set after Loki, the series deems important to the MCU than any other story. He said, “It’s no coincidence that the show picks up right after Loki. The multi-verse has erupted in every possible direction. What If…? gives us a chance to explore that…I think that without going into great detail, I can tell you that What If…? as a project, as a story that exists in the MCU, is as important as any other and is woven into that tapestry.”

The list of actors who will be returning for What If…? are Atwell, Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson; Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Danai Gurira; Don Cheadle, Emily VanCamp, Evangeline Lilly, Jeff Goldblum, Jeremy Renner; Jon Favreau, Josh Brolin, Karen Gillan, Kat Dennings, Kurt Russell, Leslie Bibb, Mark Ruffalo; Michael B. Jordan, Michael Douglas, Michael Rooker, Natalie Portman, Neal McDonough; Ophelia Lovibond, Paul Bettany, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, and the late Boseman in his final role. 

The show’s creators have put a lot of effort into making Chadwick’s episode pay homage to the actor’s legacy and Guardians of the Galaxy. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel studios had also revealed the goal of the series. He said it is to turn all these classic moments on their heads and feature various MCU characters. The series can also focus on the events of Loki or even more, i.e., Kang the Conqueror.

Doctor Strange will be playing a major role in the animated series as the episode details have revealed the sorcerer to face the darker version of himself. It will not be a stretch to assume that Doctor Strange might be aware of the branching realities after Loki. What part of the multiversal madness of What If…? are you most looking forward to?