What If…? Episode Count: Marvel Studios Series Will Air Nine Episodes Instead of Ten

Marvel Studios original animated series What If...? will air nine episodes instead of the [...]

By Cameron Bonomolo

Marvel Studios original animated series What If...? will air nine episodes instead of the previously announced 10 because of pandemic production delays. In 2019, Marvel chief Kevin Feige revealed Disney ordered a 10-episode first season and a 10-episode Season 2 of What If...?, the studio's first animated series putting a twist on big moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ahead of Season 1, premiering August 11 on Disney+, producer Brad Winderbaum says both seasons of What If...? will each air nine episodes for a total of 18 — still the most episodes of any Marvel Studios series to premiere on the streamer.

"We had to push an episode into Season 2. It was just, honestly, like everything else, that was a COVID impact," Winderbaum told Collider. "There was an episode that just wouldn't hit the completion date, but luckily we do get to see it in the second season of the show." Winderbaum then confirmed another nine-episode run for Season 2.

Each episode of What If...? is approximately 30 minutes in length. That's about as long as all nine episodes of WandaVision, but shorter than the six episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki.

"We targeted a half an hour for each episode. Some of them come in a little longer, some of them come in a little shorter," Winderbaum said. "We wanted to tell as many stories as we could, and we had a certain budget we had to work with, so it felt like that 10-episode — now 9-episode run — was the right quantity."

More than 50 cast members reprise their roles from the live-action MCU, including Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, and Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa in the late actor's final performance.

"What If...?" flips the script on the MCU, reimagining famous events from the films in unexpected ways. Marvel Studios' first animated series focuses on different heroes from the MCU, featuring a voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their roles. The series is directed by Bryan Andrews; AC Bradley is head writer.

Marvel's What If...? is streaming August 11 on Disney+.

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