Marvel Studios' first animated series, What If...? is reportedly arriving on Disney+ this summer. The series is an anthology series based on the comic book series of the same name and will feature various retellings of events from the MCU with a different outcome. The series has already teased plotlines like, what if Peggy Carter got the super-soldier serum, or what if Steve Rogers was a zombie.
The series will feature Jeffrey Wright as the voice of Uatu the Watcher, who will serve a similar role to Rod Sterling in The Twilight Zone, a narrator guiding the viewer through the various stories. The series will also feature various actors from the MCU returning to reprise their roles, including Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, and the late Chadwick Boseman in his final portrayal as T'Challa. It is the fourth television project in Phase 4 after WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki.
According to EW, What If...? is set to air on Disney+ in August 2021. No exact date is set for the series, and Disney has yet to officially confirm an August premiere date. The series will consist of ten episodes and has already been renewed for a second season.
Loki is set to premiere on June 9 and with six episodes, the series will wrap on July 14. While that means What If...? could arrive at any point in August to fill the Marvel gap in the Disney+ schedule, the addition of Black Widow on Disney+ Premier Access on July 9 means that Disney could want to give fans plenty of time to purchase and watch Black Widow before the next series. The other major Disney+ animated series, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, is currently set to finish its sixteen-episode run on August 13. This means that What If...? could arrive on Disney+ on the same date or premiere the week after on Wednesday, August 18, or Friday, August 20. The series would be airing as Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings arrives in theaters.
What If...?'s status in the MCU is a fascinating one. It being the first animated project in the MCU leaves many fans to wonder exactly how the series will connect back to the wider MCU, despite using various actors from MCU projects. Given that Phase 4 seems to be introducing the multiverse in projects like Loki, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, there is a chance the characters in the various alternate timelines may make an appearance in later projects. Merchandise for the series teases the various characters together as The Guardians of the Multiverse. Uatu the Watcher is a major character in the Fantastic Four comics, so there is a chance we will see the character return in the upcoming film set within the MCU.
Source: EW