More Marvel Studios Animated Shows Coming After What If

Marvel Studios' Executive VP of Film Production, Victoria Alonso, said that there will be more animated shows to come after What If...?. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continued on the silver screen with Black Widow, the overall story is also being told on smaller screens with television shows released on Disney+. With Loki having recently concluded, the next show will be the animated series What If...?.

The new series is an animated anthology that follows various characters across the MCU. Each of its episodes will answer: what if pivotal moments in the story happened differently? How would things have changed due to those important events? This marks the MCU's first adventure into the animated medium. The first season will be composed of 10 episodes. This story will be a part of Phase 4 and will premiere on August 11 on Disney+. A second season is already in development.

In speaking with Variety, Alonso talked about the inclusion of animation in the MCU. She expressed her love for this form of content and how dedicated Marvel is to delivering more of it. She noted how the creation of Disney+ truly allowed Marvel to explore more corners of the universe and its characters. See below for Alonso's statement:

We have so much coming your way that you might tell us, ‘Okay, take a break now! We’re going to have our animation branch and mini studio, and there will be more to come from that as well. We’re super excited about animation, which is my first love. When the chance of being a part of this streaming world came about, we were beyond excited because all of a sudden we could actually give the fans far more than 1/4 of a page or three cool moves.

While What If...? hasn't even premiered yet, it's clear that Marvel is doubling down on its animated content with the order of a second season. Having an animation branch and a mini-studio dedicated to the medium, audiences are sure to see a lot more of it in the future. The trailers and images have already confirmed some comic arcs, including Marvel Zombies. Despite the fact that What If...? won't be in live-action as the other Disney+ shows have been, it will still be included as part of Phase 4 and will be relevant moving forward in the MCU's story.

While this may be Marvel's first time including animation in the MCU, the superheroes in the brand have been involved in plenty of animated films and television series before. However, What If...? will be under the microscope of those already invested in the MCU, rather than the stories existing in a vacuum. Animated content will allow the MCU to explore more niche, strange areas of the universe that the live-action films likely would have never touched upon. Additionally, some of the larger and more cosmic-level threats could be difficult to achieve in live-action form, but would be a better fit for the animated medium. Only time will tell if the animated series are as successful as the hugely popular live-action universe.

Next: What If Loki Always Knew He Was Adopted By Odin? How The MCU Would Change

Source: Variety