The upcoming What If...? series will focus on the events of The Infinity Saga. Marvel Studios' first animated show, which will be available exclusive on Disney+, was officially announced at San Diego Comic-Con during the company's Hall H panel. President Kevin Feige took the stage and laid out their blueprint for Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4 comprising of big and small screen projects. And while it won't have an impact in the established canon, What If...? will be a fun side project in conjunction to what went down in the last decade for the franchise.
Based on the 1970s What If? comics, the animated series will examine past events in the MCU and imagine how things would've turned out if there's a slight difference with how they played out. Jeffrey Wright will play the show's The Watcher with an expected Summer 2021 release date. In print, there were narratives that tackled scenarios where Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four and Thor becoming a herald of Galactus. However, the Disney+ show will solely tackle the events of The Infinity Saga - at least for now.
Speaking to Screen Rant at San Diego Comic-Con, Feige was asked about the possibility of adapting other What If...? comic book storylines that involve Marvel characters that have yet to be introduced in the proper MCU. The producer extraordinaire shares that the focus of season 1 is to examine the 23-film saga that started in 2008's Iron Man and this year's Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Right now, we’re focusing on for the first season, everything you know about the 23 movies in the Infinity Saga and adding one twist to them and seeing how everything turns out different.
What If...? will bring back 25 MCU actors to voice their respective characters. The pool is a mix of still-active ones including Anthony Mackie, Josh Brolin, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Douglas, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan and Chris Hemsworth and those who fans haven't seen in quite a while. Prior to the confirmation that Marvel Studios is doing What If...?, a report revealed that among the alternate scenarios in the show will revolve around Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell) getting the super soldier serum to become Captain America rather than Steve Rogers. While there's no official word regarding this, it seems to be confirmed with Hayley Atwell, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, and Dominic Cooper among those who are returning to voice their franchise characters.
The casting sheet for What If...? already gives fans an idea on the narratives that the show will tackle. Aside from Peggy as Captain America, the idea of imagining what would've happened if Thor went for Thanos' head in Avengers: Infinity War is such an interesting one. Like Feige said, the series is limited to the events of The Infinity Saga, but with the possibility of branching out. All that said, chances of it venturing outside the events in the MCU is slim to none. If anything, the series will be a palate cleanser for the franchise. And since it's animated, it'll be easier to rope back in old cast members for a gig.
