Marvel’s What If…? Star Teases “Everything and Anything Can Be Changed”

Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 star Michael Rooker reprises his role as Yondu Udonta in Marvel Studios' animated What If...?, a Disney+ original series where "everything and anything" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be changed. Inspired by the Marvel Comics series of the same name, What If...? remixes familiar characters and storylines, exploring alternate realities outside mainline continuity. The ten-episode first season includes episodes re-imagining Peggy Carter (voice of returning Captain America star Hayley Atwell) as super soldier Captain Carter, taking the place of Steve Rogers, and another asking what if T'Challa (voice of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman) became Star-Lord?

"We did that [recording] a long time ago," Rooker told the Talk Nerdy to Me podcast, where Rooker wouldn't rule out another meeting between Yondu and former crew member Taserface, again voiced by Rooker's Vol. 2 co-star Chris Sullivan. "Maybe, maybe, maybe [laughs]. Maybe not."

Yondu has been declared permanently dead in the mainstream Marvel Cinematic Universe by Guardians franchise writer-director James Gunn, but in What If...?, events have unfolded in surprising and unexpected ways.

"Everything and anything can be changed in the What If…? series," Rooker teased. "Just letting you know."

Other MCU stars lending their voices to the animated series include Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Natalie Portman (Jane Foster), Josh Brolin (Thanos), and Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury). Also appearing in the series are Rooker's Guardians co-stars Karen Gillan (Nebula), Djimon Hounsou (Korath), and Sean Gunn (Kraglin).

"I'm very happy that we're doing the What If…? series for Disney+ right now, and I've seen most of them. We have ten for Season 1, we're already working on the next ten for Season 2," Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige previously told BuzzFeed Brazil. "We've revealed one that is very exciting, we've talked about it for years, which is the one where Peggy Carter gets the Super Soldier serum and becomes Captain Carter. That's the very first episode, and I'm excited for people to see that. I'm excited to see the finished version of that, and I'm excited for the world to see it."

In the case of the Black Panther and Guardians remix — where it's Wakandan king T'Challa who becomes infamous outlaw Star-Lord, not Yondu's adopted son Peter Quill — that episode is "taking two universes, two to three movies, [and] kind of twisting them in new ways," showrunner Ashley Bradley said in a past interview.

What If...? premieres exclusively on Disney+ in Summer 2021.