What if…? Season 3 shouldn't be the end of the story

After only three short seasons in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, What if…? is coming to an end. The animated anthology debuted in 2021 and delved into the craziness of the Marvel Multiverse, but as the MCU prepares to What if…? season 3 in 2024, things seem to come to an abrupt halt.

Away from the live-action adventures of the MCU, What if…? arrived as part of the ever-expanding Disney+ franchise. There are other animated trips in the form of X-Men '97, Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Manand delayed Marvel Zombies serving as a What if…? spin-off. However, there are only eight episodes left when it comes to this series exploring alternate timelines.

What if…? Season 3 is the end of the road

While What if…?Its multiverse nature told its own stories outside of the main MCU canon, with fan favorites like Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Elizabeth Olsen and the late Chadwick Boseman all reprising their live-action roles. What if…? Season 3 tells another slew of Multiverse stories overseen by Jeffrey Wright's Uatu, aka the Guardian.

The most important of What if…? season 3 includes the return of White Vision from WandaVisionthe long-awaited reintroduction of Moon Knight and X-Men: The Animated SeriesAlison Sealy-Smith reprized her role X-Men '97 like Storm. The storm-wielding Mjölnir was the highlight of the Season 3 trailer. And with Disney buying 20th Century Fox in 2019, the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU marks a new era for the franchise.

Just like What if…? season 2 introduced Kahhori as a brand new hero expected to make the jump to live-action, Natasha Lyonne makes her MCU debut in season 3 as a new creation named Byrdie. There are also rumors that Wright's Uatu will play a major role in the future of the franchise, while the stalwart Captain Carter seems an easy fit for Avengers: Secret Wars' the supposed renewal of Battleworld. This comes after Hayley Atwell played a version of the character Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

What if…? largely told its own stories that unfolded over the course of a season, culminating in a massive multiversal team-up. We haven't had to worry about the main canon MCU Earth-616 yet. Still, with the series coming to an end, many expect What if…? to go out and prepare a future live-action project for the MCU. With two Avengers movies on the horizon, it only makes sense to start planting those seeds now.

The MCU is losing potential, what if…? Season 4

While Sealy-Smith is unlikely to make the cut as Storm for the upcoming X-Men reboot, her role in What if…? reminds fans of the potential of future seasons What if…? could hold Similar to Deadpool and Wolverine including Channing Tatum's Gambit and Wesley Snipes' Blade, What if…? season 4 could have had any number of familiar faces lend their vocals to classic roles. Imagine a Ghost Rider episode with Nicolas Cage, Ben Affleck voicing the animated Daredevil, or a Spider-Man-centric episode to match Drew Goddard's Sinister Six movie that never happened.

More importantly, the upcoming Fantastic Four and X-Men debuts feature a whole host of characters that would be perfect for their own What if…? stories. After all, the live-action version of Charles Xavier becoming Juggernaut (What if…? #13) and Dazzler is the herald of Galactus (What if…? #33) will likely never play out in the main MCU series. Additionally, Wolverine's potential to fight Conan the Barbarian (What if…? #16), Punisher becomes Venom (What if…? #44) and the Thing becomes the mutated Hulk (What if…? #37) are just some of the stories audiences are missing out on.

It's not exactly clear why What if…? it does end, but it sounds like it was always planned as a three-part story that could jump into other projects. He has already demonstrated that Marvel Zombies a spin-off from Season 1's “What If… Zombies?!” In an interview with The Official Marvel Podcast in July 2024, executive producer Brad Winderbaum stated that Season 3 “feels like the completion of a trilogy”:

Although the Rangers were briefly teased Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2the live-action MCU is yet to reach its potential. As the franchise features multiple cosmic entities such as Thor: Love and Thunder did with Eternity and Agatha all the time with Death, the Watchers (and specifically Uatu) look poised to play a role.

What if…? season 3 sets up an alternate Avengers lineup with Sam Wilson, Shang-Chi, and Monica Rambeau, which is convenient since they're all potential recruits for the MCU's presumed New Avengers. Even if What if…? ends in the traditional sense, it is possible to continue to explore some of his ideas in spin-offs such as Marvel Zombies. Fun ideas that are too “wild” for live action, What if…? it served at least as a testing ground for unusual concepts. There was already one Christmas episode so it might be an idea to watch it again What if…? for occasional specialties.

As disappointing as What if…?It may be over, it's important to note that it's the only Disney+ series to get a three-season order. Most Marvel shows were limited to one season and even the critically acclaimed ones Loki it doesn't look like she's coming back for a third season. Also with Secret Wars bent on destroying the Multiverse and ending the current Multiverse Saga before heading into the rumored “Mutant Saga”, it makes sense that What if…? ends Although it's a shame fans never got to see Wolverine become Lord of the Vampries (What if…? #24), even the Guardian doesn't know what the future holds What if…? contains.