Marvel Exec Reveals Which Animated Show Might Be Next After X-Men ’97 (Exclusive)

The first season of X-Men ’97 is now in the books, culminating an epic animated journey for fans of the Marvel Universe. The series is just one of several titles under the Marvel Animation banner at Marvel Studios, with projects like returning series What If…? and new series Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Eyes of Wakanda on the horizon. Earlier this week, Marvel Television announced release windows or dates for some of its upcoming live-action offerings, including Agatha All Along, Daredevil: Born Again, and Ironheart. Those announcements did not include the aforementioned projects from Marvel Animation — but we might have a better idea of what’s next on the docket.

While speaking with ComicBook about the recent season finale of X-Men ’97, Executive Producer and Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum revealed that the upcoming third season of What If…? could be the next Marvel Animation show released, without confirming an exact release date or window.

“What If…? Season Three is — that might be the one that comes out next, in terms of animation,” Winderbaum revealed. “That is the culmination of a trilogy. We’re actually close to completing that one, and it really feels like you’ve gone through this amazing emotional experience with Uatu, in a way that’s… What’s great about The Watcher is that he presents himself as uncaring, and cold, and just an observer, but he cares more than everybody [and] anybody. That is on full display in that third season.”

What Will What If…? Season 3 Be About?

Early looks at What If…? Season 3 were released shortly after the show’s sophomore season wrapped in late 2023, confirming that Sam Wilson / Captain America (Anthony Mackie) Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), Bill Foster / Goliath (Laurence Fishburne), Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Alexi Shostakov / Red Guardian (David Harbour) will all factor into the episodes in some way. Additionally, ComicBook previously exclusively confirmed that America Ferrera will join the cast as Agent Morales.

“She’s great,” writer and executive producer AC Bradley said of Ferrera. “I’m so glad she is getting her flowers when it comes to Barbie, because — I shouldn’t say this, but hey, I no longer work at Marvel — Barbie was my favorite movie of the year, my favorite superhero movie, because Barbie’s a hero. And, so is America. That was the best. So, we’re so happy that she was willing to come in, and do this part in this random episode of What If…?. She was so lovely about it.”

The first season of X-Men ’97 is now available to stream exclusively on Disney+. If you haven’t signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.