What If…? was the first animated show in the MCU, exploring alternative possibilities of what could have happened in classic Marvel storylines. For example, what if Peggy Carter got the super-soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers?
All nine episodes in season 1 have now aired – but will there be more? We’ve pulled together everything we know about the future of What If…?, including the planned episodes, cast and plot predictions.
You can read up on our thoughts on the show after viewing the first three episodes. You can also check out all the Marvel shows and films that are on Disney Plus right now.
When is What If…? season 2 releasing?
What If…? season 2 will begin rolling episodes out daily from 22 December 2023, giving you your very own Marvel advent calendar during the festive season.
There will be nine episodes in total, the same amount seen in season 1.
In an interview with Discussing Film, showrunner Ashley Bradley confirmed that around 30 episode ideas have been written – so if they all get used, there will be room for three seasons in total.
Which cast and crew members are confirmed for season 2?
The following cast members have been confirmed by the trailer for season 2:
- Jeffrey Wright as Uatu/The Watcher
- Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter/Captain Carter
- Josh Keaton as Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Lake Bell as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes
- Rachel Weisz as Melina Vostokoff
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
- Cynthia McWilliams as Gamora
- Mick Wingert as Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Jeff Goldblum as En Dwi Gast/Grandmaster
- Taika Waititi as Korg
- Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/Doctor Strange
- Josh Brolin as Thanos
- Kurt Russell as Ego
- Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
- Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne
- Michael Douglas as Hank Pym/Ant-Man
- Cate Blanchett as Hela
- Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster/Goliath
- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
There are other characters in the trailer such as Peter Parker and T’Challa, but we don’t know yet who will be voicing them.
The show will continue to be written by A.C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews. The animation has been co-developed by Marvel Studios and Squeeze, with Stephan Franck serving as head of animation and Brad Winderbaum serving as an executive producer.
Is there a trailer for What If…? season 2?
Here is the first explosive full trailer for season 2 of the Marvel animated series:
What is the plot of What If…? season 2?
What If…? is an anthology series, so most episodes stand alone as their own stories. However, season 1 set up an overarching narrative through Uatu, also known as the Watcher. The Watcher is an extra-terrestrial being who plays out alternative timelines within the multiverse to see how the stories end.
Brad Winderbaum confirmed to iO9 that Captain Carter will have multiple episodes across the seasons, and will be connecting thread for the overarching narrative.
Season 1 did end up building towards a story about Ultron taking over the world, and ultimately battling against the guardians of the multiverse. However, the showrunners have confirmed that the next season will be more character-driven (EW).
Season 2 will feature an episode related to the Black Widow film, according to The Direct. Director Bryan Andrews also confirmed that there will be episodes related to Eternals and Shang-Chi, and Spider-Man. These will likely be extensions of the plots told in phase 4 of the MCU.
The trailer also showed a young version of Peter Quill, and the return of Hela – the villain of Thor: Ragnarok.
There will be a new superhero introduced in season 2. She is a young Mohawk woman called Kahhori who discovers the Tesseract when it falls to earth and lands in the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the colonization of America.
This episode will tell the history of the Akwesasne region, which nowawdays is Upstate New York. Here is a first look at her design:
You may have also spotted that in the final episode of season 1, there was reference to a story that starred Gamora and Tony Stark. This episode was cut due to production delays, and will now air in season 2. We assume that this will explore the Infinity Crusher.
At Comic-Con, attendees in Hall H got to view the first exclusive trailer for What If…? season 2. This showed off Steve Rogers as the Winter Soldier, as well as an episode set in Neil Gaiman’s limited series, 1602.
How to watch What If…?
What If…? is a Disney Plus exclusive, which means you can only watch it on there. Disney+ prices start from $7.99/£4.99 per month for a monthly rolling ad-supported subscription, and $10.99/£7.99 per month for an ad-free one. You can sign up for Disney+ here.