Summary
Ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe first cracked open its multiverse egg,What If…?has been something to eagerly look forward to. The third season of the Disney+ animated series is set to arrive later this month, featuring some fan-favorite Marvel heroes. Despite all the exciting alternate realities it explores, it raises an important question: how much ofWhat If…?should actually be part of the MCU canon?
There is no doubt aboutWhat If…?being inMarvel’s canon. In fact, the show’s creator, A.C. Bradley, confirmed during the debut season that the events of the show are canon and fully part of the MCU multiverse. While that may be true, the franchise is better off avoiding any attempts to incorporate the series into the main continuity of its ongoingPhase Five or the upcoming Phase Sixlive-action films.
MCU’s Main Storyline Should AvoidWhat If…?
The Real Reason WhyWhat If…?Exists
Fan opinions will obviously vary, but there are many factors supporting the idea thatWhat If…?should not interfere with the rest of theMultiverse or Secret Wars Saga. The series had been a part of the MCU’s plans even beforeLokiSeason 1 finalepaved the way for new timelines and universes. During its initial development stages, the show was simply meant to present altered reality versions of events – exploring how things might have unfolded differently in the MCU. For example, concepts like “what ifLoki wieldedthe Mjolnir?” began to emerge one after another, eventually forming the anthology we know today.
30–37 minutes
Marvel Studios Animation
Connection To Other Marvel Projects
The conclusion of theInfinity Sagaand the extensive use of animation in the show allowed these ideas to be explored without restraint. Additionally, the introduction of the multiverse made the show just as integral to the franchise as any other Marvel property. In fact, Kevin Feige once stated that the show is all about taking pivotal moments from across the MCU and simply changing them. This is exactly why any upcoming film or live-action TV project should steer clear of including elements fromWhat If…?episodes.
Clearly, the purpose ofWhat If…?is not to introduce new variations of existing characters that could be used further down the line in the MCU. Instead, it serves as a medium for showcasinginteresting alternatives to charactersthat could never truly make their way into the bigger projects. This benefits bothWhat If…?and the rest of the MCU, as the show could exist as its own, working on its self-contained terms.
What If…? Is Better Off Being Self-Contained
Creative Freedom To Explore Alternate Reality Stories
Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming, TV, and Animation, Brad Winderbaum, reaffirmed that the stories did not need to be adapted exactly from the main MCU or comics. The multiverse concept gave them the freedom to take more risks and provided creative liberty to explore deeper stories without worrying about whether they are connected to future properties or not. In a2021 interview with Screen Rant, the EP revealed:
As we entered into a shared narrative with the MCU, I think it was creatively healthy to think about it as its own parallel world. It didn’t have to be a one-to-one adaptation of exactly what happened in the comics. It lives and breathes on its own terms. And in that way, we’ve always been tellingWhat If…?stories.
Only Familiar MCU Characters Would Work
Marvel has been very careful about choosing which characters to introduce in each episode ofWhat If…? with each one taking place in a different universe. For example, Sam Wilson, or Captain America, is making his way into the show only in theupcoming third season. The reason for this is that his spin-offThe Falcon and the Winter Soldierhadn’t aired until then. It makes more sense for the character to appear in live-action first and then return as a variation in the multiverse. Apart from the main narrator, the Watcher, voiced by Jeffrey Wright, the show has also been selective about introducing new characters, with some exceptions, like Kahhori from the second season.
What If…?Characters In Main MCU Movies
Captain Carter InMultiverse Of Madness
Coming to characters carried over fromWhat If…?to a major MCU film project, a prominent example stands out in the form ofCaptain Carter. Her presenceDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnesswas short-lived. However, it demonstrated serious potential for variant characters to make their way into live-action, possibly even as a standalone film starring Hayley Atwell in the future.
It’s important to note that this Illuminati member Captain Carter is an alternate version of the character from Earth-838, differing from the version inWhat If…?. But her introduction proved the idea that these characters could eventually get their own separate projects, much like howWhat If…?concepts from Marvel Comicsgradually became part of the main continuity (Earth-616).
Dropped Star-Lord T’Challa Project
In fact, it’s not just Captain Carter. TheStar-Lord T’Challa variantwas supposed to get his own spinoff series, but its development was left hanging in the balance after Chadwick Boseman’s untimely passing. However, the problem here is that these standalone projects will have a hard time fitting in alongside the rest of the MCU’s story. The 34-film franchise is already a little hard to keep up with, for both newcomers and die-hard fans alike.
CanWhat If…?Be True MCU Canon?
No Impact On Major Storylines
So, isWhat If…?really MCU canon? In a broad and true sense of the word, the animated series will remain canon as long as the multiverse does, too. But in a different sense, theentire point ofWhat If…?is arguably supposed to be its isolation from the rest of the comics canon. Even if their characters are introduced into the larger MCU narrative, a casual viewer doesn’t need the ton of backstory that they are getting fromWhat If…?, especially if that version is from a different universe.
Therefore, Marvel should simply stick to its original intent withWhat If…?. They must use the show as a means to explore interesting ways in which the MCU could have changed if certain events had occurred differently, without trying to force them into future projects. Is it time to call it the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse now?
MCU
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is a sprawling movie and television franchise that weaves together individual stories of superheroes including Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Black Widow, and many more. The first film in the franchise, Iron Man, was released in 2008. The MCU has garnered critical praise and financial success, earning billions at the box office and becoming a cultural phenomenon.
