What If’s Head Writer Says Marvel Studios Pushed For “Headliners” in Season One

The second season of Marvel’s What If…? came to an end yesterday, and the episodes were well-received by critics and audiences alike. The season currently stands on Rotten Tomatoes with an 83% critics score and a 73% audience score. In fact, the animated series has the highest critics rating of any Marvel Cinematic Universe project released this year. Some fans are calling the second season a “glow-up,” which could be because of the big swings taken this time around. What If…?‘s head writer, A.C. Bradley, recently spoke with IGN and revealed Marvel Studios pushed to include the “headliners” in the show’s first season.

“With Season 1, there was a push to use the headliners, to do the Tony Stark episode, to do the Black Panther episode and Doctor Strange,” Bradley shared. “But with Season 2, we had a bit more freedom. At the end of the day, we’re not writing the big blockbuster, 100-million-dollar movie. We’re not even showrunning the live-action TV shows. We’re the scrappy, little animation show slipping under the Marvel machine radar. So, it was really subconscious but I think we veered toward the scrappy characters in Season 2. We started with the second stringers, the undervalued and overlooked, like Nebula [Karen Gillan], Darcy [Kat Dennings], and Hela [Cate Blanchett].”

A.C. Bradley Exits Marvel Ahead of What If…? Season 3:

It was revealed earlier this year that the third season of What If…? was already in production, and Marvel Studios released a teaser this week that saw Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier teaming up with the Red Guardian. While Marvel didn’t confirm that Sebastian Stan and David Harbour were providing the voices for their characters, it definitely sounded like them. Considering Stan lent his voice to the latest season of What If…?, we’d be surprised if he chose not to return for Season 3. Aside from the new clip, not much is known about the universes that will be explored in the season. 

Yesterday, Bradley took to Twitter to reveal she is not returning for the show’s third season.

“Last #WhatIf tweet! This ep is my absolute FAVORITE and marks my final What If script,” Bradley wrote while sharing the new clip from the show’s third season. “After season two, I made the decision to move on from Marvel. It’s been a fun ride, but it’s time for new adventures and mediums. All my love to the cast, crew, & fans!”

Stay tuned for more updates about What If…?‘s third season.