Creator of Marvel Studio’s What If…?, A.C. Bradley, says his series will make audiences feel like they’re watching one of the movies. The show will be the first animated series to tie into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the many premiering as part of Phase 4 on Disney+. WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and the upcoming Loki are proving Marvel’s commitment to scope and scale on their streaming service—each series has the look and feel of a blockbuster movie.
Based on the comic series of the same name, What If…? is an anthology series narrated by Uatu the Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright), an impartial being tasked with watching the MCU’s Multiverse from afar. Exploring its titular question, the series will put twists on characters and stories from the main timeline. This will include Peggy Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell) becoming a super soldier instead of Steve Rogers and T’Challa (voiced by the late Chadwick Boseman) being abducted instead of Peter Quill and taking on the mantle of Star-Lord. While these may sound like stand-alone stories, there will be some sort of overarching narrative that ties into the Spider-Man films and the larger MCU.
In an interview with Total Film (via Comicbook), Bradley said that audiences will feel like they’re “watching one of the movies” within 30 seconds. “I do joke that I’m writing very expensive fan fiction,” said Bradley. There are “more than a few surprising MCU cameos” across the 10-episode first season as most of the universe’s cast reprise their roles. While What If…? won’t dedicate an episode to all of the films within the MCU, it will attempt to explore every movie in a new way.
The cel-shaded series’ cast includes returning Marvel stars like Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk—basically all the heroes audiences have come to know and love. That said, the series should easily elicit investment from long-time MCU fans who hold specific characters and plot points close to their heart. Like Avengers: Endgame’s out-of-her-timeline Gamora, and Disney+’s Loki, exploring the path not taken/hitting the reset button eliminates certainty and raises the stakes. On top of that, What If…?’s animated nature means the sky is the limit visually—from action sequences to extraterrestrial worlds.
What If…? is set to be released on Disney+ sometime in August, after season 1 of Loki and before Ms. Marvel. A season 2 is already in the works, indicating confidence in the series. As the MCU begins to open up its Multiverse with films like Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, it’s not unreasonable to assume the animated series will further flesh things out. Uatu the Watcher is a major character in the Fantastic Four comics, and, now that Disney owns X-Men and the Fantastic Four, it seems likely he’ll appear in future films. Regardless, the studio’s track record in impressive production value should continue with What If…?
Source: Total Film (via Comicbook)
Originally from https://screenrant.com/marvel-what-if-show-mcu-movie-multiverse-connections/