Warning! This article contains spoilers about What If…? Season 3.
What If…?is a unique Marvel project to come out of the Multiverse Saga, but after season 3, the show’s fate and future hang in the balance. After the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, theMarvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)set its sights on expanding the universe beyond the big screen. In response, shows like WandaVision and Loki landed on Disney+, and gave familiar characters the opportunity to have their stories explored in more detail. However,What If…?did something very different.
Rather than focus on a core character, the show’s status as an anthology series meant that it could use almost any character, including a few new and original heroes, to tell a story. The show also delved into experimental storylines that could only be given the space and freedom to thrive in an animated TV format, which truly dived into the Multiverse. But afterthree seasons ofWhat If…?, there is aquestion of whether the show that revealed the infinite possibilities of the multiverse will continue.
What Marvel Has Said About What If Season 4 Happening
Marvel Has Other Projects To Focus On
As far as Marvel’s top brass are concerned,What If…?has run its course as a series, and season 3 served as the final outing. Brad Winderbaum, the Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation for Marvel Studios, spoke withThe Geekcentric Podcastabout the season 3 finale and the purpose ofWhat If…?within the larger MCU. And, according to Winderbaum, the show wasa story about Uatu in three parts, with anthological elements weaved in.
We always looked at it as, it’s an anthology first and foremost, but that it would have an overarching narrative, especially when it comes to Uatu and his story as the Watcher and his struggle. Even though all three seasons culminate by the finish line, it is a slow burn and kind of keeps that anthological element of the story throughout, but if you look at the final episodes of each season as kind of a Watcher Act 1, Act 2, Act 3, I think it does stand alone as a Watcher story. And in terms of tying to the MCU, we do follow very closely the mythology that’s being set up for the multiverse as the MCU unfolds. Whether it’s kind of the revelation that the multiverse exists or the idea that it’s all now harnessed by Loki sitting in the center of the multiversal tree of stories, or, you know, as will be revealed over time why this was the perfect moment to culminate ‘What If…?’ in its third season.
This appears to definitively answer the question by saying that there are no further plans from Marvel Studios at present. And, when looking ahead at the rapidly approachingconclusion of the Multiverse Saga, the multiple other TV shows and animated series' from the studio, and more, there isn’t a lot of room to dive into random adventures and oddities. Theshow made sense in the context of the Multiverse Saga, but outside of this, it’s harder to recognize how or where it fits in.
It’s Unlikely That Season 4 Will Happen Anytime Soon
Image via Disney+
What If…?season 4 has thus not been renewed for any more seasons after season 3. The show has concluded the story that it intended to tell, and thestudio is preparing to move on to the next phase. However, just because the show has not been renewed right now does not mean that there is no possibility for a future down the road.
What If Season 4 Cast: Which Marvel Stars Could Return
What If… There Was A Season 4?
IfWhat If…?did have an opportunity to return later in the MCU, it’s worth speculating as to what characters could be included. If the show hopes toleave Uatu and the core Multiverse team behind, it is possible that the anthology show could make even larger departures with stories and creativity in future stories. And with the Mutants joining the MCU and expected to lead a new Saga, it would make sense to take a closer look at these heroes. In fact, the inclusion of Storm inWhat If…?season 3 speaks to how these characters could be used in new stories.
Every Multiverse Avengers Team That Could Return In The MCU’s Phase 6
Marvel’s animated What If…? series has introduced several Avengers teams from across the multiverse that could make the move to the live-action MCU.
The director of the animated series,Bryan Andrews, spoke recently about how acquiring the rights to use the X-Men in stories did not come until later in the production ofWhat If…?season 3; “I think when we were doing this episode, we didn’t even know if that purchase had been made, and we were too locked in, and now things had been chosen, done, and were in production.” But if the show were to return, heroes like Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine could take the spotlight. Alternatively, if it continues to build on the stories that appeared in the first three seasons, then Captain Carter, Uatu, and the rest of the gang would likely come back, butwith even greater crossover potentialnow available for the show.
What If Season 4 Story: How Marvel Could Continue The MCU Show
There Is Room For More What If In The MCU’s Future
The truth is that when creating an anthology story, the potential for new seasons is unlimited. And especially for an anthology series that follows comic book characters. Within Marvel Comics, the What If label already exists as a way to explore alternate timelines, dimensions, and realities. Just like the show, theexperimental line of storytellingmeans that the original stories can be reimagined and adjusted in a way that creates something brand new, soWhat If…?season 4 could draw inspiration from these comics to start with.
But beyond that, there are still interesting “what if” questions that remain around the MCU. For instance, what if the other half were snapped away, meaning none of the original Avengers remained. The show could also choose to double down on the Uatu narrative, and give that character more room to grow, seeing as theWhat If…?season 3 finaleturned him into a new leader among the Watchers. Alternatively, the show could become a true anthology andexplore a totally different corner of the MCU, in some alternate reality that has yet to be seen.
What If Is Getting A Spinoff In 2025: Marvel Zombies
The Story Will Go On Outside Of What If…?
DespiteWhat If…?seemingly concluding with season 3, theshow is actually getting a spin-off of its own. Back in 2021, the first season of the show introduced one of the most wild and confronting multiverse concepts in “What If… Zombies?!,” the fifth episode of season 1. This idea was inspired by another popular comic story from Marvel, and was soon approved to be getting a spin-off miniseries consisting of four episodes to expand on the story that was introduced at that moment. Now, the series is finally set to be released on July 13, 2025.
Do you wish Marvel would make more seasons of What If…?
Unfortunately, I only really liked half of the episodes from What If…? Season 3. That said, the concept of the show is something I really would like to see continue, albeit with some stronger stories and execution. While the third season was marketed as the last, there have been teases that the series might come back one day (which I would really love to see).
Marvel Zombieswill include several of the biggest stars from the franchise, with Elizabeth Olsen, David Harbour, Simu Liu, Iman Vellani, and Randall Park all confirmed to be reprising their respective roles. And, depending on the success of this spin-off, it could be the start of a strong case to bring Marvel’sWhat If…?back, even if it is only in a limited or infrequent capacity to expand and explore the furthest reaches of theMCU when the moviesand live-action shows don’t get to dive as deep as if they allowed themselves to really ask, “What if…?”
What If…?
Cast
What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse.
