What would have happened if all the characters “snapped” out of existence at the end of Avengers: Infinity War instead stayed behind while the other heroes were gone? That’s what one fan wondered — and created a short video that explores the question in animated form, inspired by the forthcoming Disney+ series from Marvel Studios, What If…?. As with the comics, What If…? will tackle alternate universe stories where things played out a little differently than they did in the “main timeline,” and it will give them a chance to reuse characters, some of whom may be the ones who have left the franchise by now.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Marvel’s alternative reality animated series is kicking off with a premiere episode that imagines a world where Peggy Carter becomes Captain America, while Steve Rogers works with Howard Stark to become Iron Man. Before Endgame it seemed as though What If? was just taking a flight of fancy with this storyline; now, it seems like it could be a crucial epilogue to Avengers: Endgame‘s controversial ending.
Marvel Studios’ San Diego Comic-Con panel revealed quite a lot of details about the Marvel Cinematic Universe‘s future – including a pretty unique exploration of the franchise’s past. During the panel, Marvel officially announced a What If…? animated series, which will cover certain alternate scenarios spawning out of key moments in the MCU. As the panel revealed, there will be a pretty wide slew of MCU actors who will be returning to voice their characters in the series, in addition to Jeffrey Wright narrating the series as The Watcher.
The list consisted of Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Thanos (Josh Brolin), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Dum Dum Duggan (Neal McDonough), Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), Kurt (David Dastmalchian), Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), Korg (Taika Waititi), Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), Korath (Djimon Hounsou), Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum), Yondu (Michael Rooker), and Taserface (Chris Sullivan).
While there’s still quite a lot of time until What If…? hits the small screen, that cast list certainly helps potentially determine what corners of the MCU the series will cover. Early reports had suggested that the series will cover Peggy Carter turning into a super-soldier instead of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), which explains where the Captain America: The First Avenger characters potentially fit in. Outside of that, it sounds like the Ant-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Thor franchises are probably a safe bet, but we’ll probably know more as the series’ debut gets closer.
Upcoming Marvel Studios projects include Black Widow on May 1, 2020, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier in Fall 2020, The Eternals on November 6, 2020, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on February 12, 2021, WandaVision is set to hit Disney+ Spring 2021, Loki in Spring 2021, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 7, 2021, Spider-Man 3 on July 16, 2021, What If…? in Summer 2021, Hawkeye in Fall 2021, and Thor: Love and Thunder on November 5, 2021, and Black Panther 2 on May 6, 2022. Marvel Studios Disney+ series without release dates include Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.
