Seasons to come off the Disney+ animated series What If…? will bring even more insanity to the Marvel world. Series director Bryan Andrews discussed the next seasons in an interview with Deadline. If only… examines pivotal periods in the MCU’s timeline and how a single alteration may have far-reaching consequences for the continuity of the MCU as a whole. Rather than Steve Rogers (Josh Keaton), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is given the super soldier serum, and T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is promoted to Star-Lord in place of Peter Quill (Brian T. Delaney).
Andrews explained that in the first season, “Kevin [Feige] wanted to keep it a little bit closer to the vest, have a tiny thing that was distinct,” and that “little thing” was what made these items unique while still being closely associated with a cinematic scene or piece of work. Andrews also contrasted the sorts of historical changes that would surface in the MCU’s second and third season episodes to those seen in the first. The need for “just a short moment” has been reduced since “now there are more films and stuff to draw from,” he explained. “As we grow, we have more room to go amok. In Season 2, we ramp things up a notch, and in Season 3, we take it to an all-new level of insanity. Season 2 introduces new characters that we haven’t had much time to develop, and we get a glimpse at how they’ll mesh with returning fan favourites.”
Andrews also mentioned that several of the forthcoming season’s episodes were originally conceived for season one but were shelved because they were deemed too ambitious for the show at the time. It was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in July that a reimagining of Marvel 1602 will be featured in the second season. Both Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert contributed to the Marvel 1602 comic book series. The eight-part series, published between 2003 and 2004, relocated the Marvel Universe to the 17th century. What If…? is getting a spin-off series called Marvel Zombies in addition to the planned second and third seasons.
This fifth episode of the first season of What If…? was inspired by the Marvel Zombies comic novels. Recent Marvel Cinematic Universe films have addressed the multiverse, even if the realms shown in What If…? are outside of the main MCU chronology. An Earth-838 version of Peggy Carter/Captain Carter appeared in this year’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Kevin Feige said at San Diego Comic-Con that the newest MCU films are a part of “The Multiverse Saga,” suggesting that the multiverse will play a significant role in the franchise’s future. If only… The first season is presently streaming on Disney+.