Marvel’s What If…? has been part of the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella since the beginning. It was the fourth official Marvel Studios show to launch on the then-emerging streaming platform in 2021, following “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” and “Loki” Season 1. The third and third seasons of the animated anthology series The The final season premieres on December 22, 2024, mimicking the holiday release window “What if…?” Season 2 in 2023.
Through its run, What If…? has attempted to strike a delicate balance between presenting real, one-off alternate universe stories and tying into the MCU’s larger “multiverse saga.” There were recurring characters and established storylines, even if the episode arcs remained relatively hypothetical and self-contained. Ultimately, it appears that the series’ connection to the larger MCU storyline may have been the reason for its end after three seasons, at least according to Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood ReporterWinderbaum explained some of the reasons for the cancellation of the animated series. “‘What if…?’ “Always has a connection to the larger MCU and the multiverse saga,” Winderbaum explained, “And for reasons that will become clear in the next few years, this was the right time to crown the series from a story perspective.” It It’s also true that three seasons is a pretty good runtime for anything animated in the modern streaming landscape – a longer runtime than any of Marvel Studios’ other Disney+ series to date.
What if…? may no longer be relevant to the MCU
According to Brad Winderbaum, there’s a compelling narrative reason why now is the right time to wrap up “What If…?” However, because the MCU’s multiverse era has become so confusing, that reasoning isn’t immediately clear.
While a lot has happened in recent years regarding the various “branches” of the so-called “Sacred Timeline,” the Multiverse itself as a central narrative construct isn’t going anywhere, or at least it doesn’t seem like it. Kang the Conqueror was pushed aside due to the controversy surrounding actor Jonathan Majors, but Robert Downey Jr. will play Doctor Doom in the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.” It’s still hard to say exactly where the franchise is heading broadly, but it would also make sense for Marvel Studios to move away from the narratives around the multiverse explicitly and use it more as a justification for telling different types of stories.
However, there are certainly other reasons for the show’s cancellation. Animation isn’t cheap and Disney hasn’t hidden the fact that the many “Star Wars” and Marvel streaming series released in recent years have been incredibly expensive – often without the corresponding payday. “What if…?” has been a fairly consistent hit with critics and fans, but hasn’t received the overwhelming praise of other recent Disney+ films like “X-Men ’97” or “Agatha All Along.”
There could be other reasons why Marvel’s What If…? was cancelled
While Marvel always keeps the overarching story of the MCU in mind, there are a lot of factors that go into renewing or canceling a series. If “What If…?” had attracted a lot of attention from Disney+ or was it a huge cash cow, the studio would surely have found a narrative reason to keep it going. But even a company as huge as Disney has limited resources, and Marvel’s animation division in particular has started to move in other directions recently.
The huge success of “X-Men ’97” probably made some people at Marvel Studios reconsider future TV projects. The series has no connection to the MCU, and for fans who just couldn’t keep up with all the streaming series that have come out in the last few years, that was kind of a selling point. In the same interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Winderbaum described another upcoming animated project, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, as “just a fun ride” and emphasized its relatively independent status, which is similar to that of “X-Men.” “
Eyes of Wakanda, another upcoming animated series, will likely be more directly tied to the larger MCU, but its focus, which Winderbaum described as “a story of conquest and national identity,” makes it a little thematically different, at least in theory. It’s the nature of What If…? is a less focused series, which may be why it’s less of a good fit for Marvel’s upcoming animated film.
Once again, the third and final season of Marvel’s “What If…?” will premiere on Disney+ on December 22, 2024.
