What’s next for Marvel Studios? Who’s recently joined the cast of your most anticipated series or film? Where can you find the teasers and trailers? Look no further, true believers. Everything you need to know about the future of the MCU has been collected for you here. Click on each logo to learn what we currently know about the upcoming MCU projects.
As one of the world’s greatest minds would tell you, everything dies. People, planets, suns, galaxies and universes all have expiration dates because they all have natural lifespans. Over a decade ago, Reed Richards understood and accepted that and explained it to his fellow heroes as Jonathan Hickman launched the dual runs on Avengers and New Avengers that would ultimately lead to Secret Wars. As Marvel Studios Multiverse Saga makes its way toward the same inevitable end in 2027’s Avengers: Secret Wars, fans of the MCU should start to get comfortable accepting that same inevitability; however, for myriad reasons, Reed Richards isn’t around to help them understand that just yet. So while What If…?, the studio’s multi-season multiversal adventure arrives at its end, it does so too early for fans to fully appreciate its coda.
Though no fault of its own, the final season of Marvel Animation’s first canonical adventure arrives about two and a half years too early for the magnitude of its multiversal mayhem to make the impact it should. Once upon a time, the Multiverse Saga was set to conclude on November 7, 2025, less than one year from the launch of What If…? Season 3. Had Marvel Studios adhered to that timeline, revealed at SDCC ’22, the final eight episodes of What If…? would almost certainly have hit differently. They didn’t, so they didn’t and so the final season, which contains some of the series’ most imaginative and chaotic offerings, might ultimately find its relative importance delayed by a few years.
From the opening episode, which introduces a multiversal iteration of the Mighty Avengers, through the final episode, which teases something beyond this iteration of the Multiverse, the final season of What If…? lands as an almost too self-aware commentary on the state of the MCU and could reasonably be viewed, for the most part as one giant size episode of “What If…the Multiverse Saga Had Gone as Planned?” Despite growing sentiment on social media by folks who haven’t watched an episode, the third season does indeed align with the intended premise of the anthological comics. For example, the first episode, “What If…The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?”, imagines what would have happened if Sam Wilson encountered Bruce Banner on his morning jog instead of Steve Rogers…and it ain’t good! Indeed Bryan Andrews, Matthew Chauncey, Stephen Franck, Ryan Little and A.C. Bradley deliver some Top 10 What If…? bangers here. Though the two-part finale doesn’t quite live up to the Season 2 double dip, it does deliver a deserving denouement for the series leads while also calling back to key moments from prior seasons. If you’ve liked What If…? so far, you’ll like it again; if you haven’t liked it so far, you won’t be watching it anyway.
Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum has made it clear that, at least for now, the studio is ready to put What If…? out to pasture and though the series ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, that’s probably ok. It’s probably ok, at least partly, because the Multiverse Saga is on its way to its (kind of) natural conclusion and, at least in the comics, realities cycle through birth, destruction and rebirth. However, as fun as two-thirds of this season of What If…? is, the feeling that the studio dropped the ball on its release date is hard to shake. Though it isn’t entirely clear, the series finale feels as though it is at least partially connected to the studio’s intended plans for the end of the Multiverse Saga. Sure, we can all go back and watch it around the time Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters but it’s probably fair to wonder what the rush was on the studio’s part to get it to D+ now. Everything dies…but What If…? could have stayed in stasis a bit longer, allowing Pedro Pascal‘s Reed Richards to provide some additional context for its super sci-fi, super comic book ending. Watch it and enjoy it for what it is because it may be some time before the studio takes the type of chances it did with this animated adventure.
The final season of Marvel Animation’s multiversal adventure, What If…?, is almost upon us and Marvel Studios has begun the final marketing push. The studio recently revealed the titles of the final eight episodes of the show, giving away a surprise or two in the process. Now, just four days away from the debut of the first episode, official synopses for each episode have been released by Disney.
Episode 1: What If…The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?
Captain America/Sam Wilson must suit up in a colossal mech suit to battle Bruce Banner after an attempt to cure himself of the Hulk goes horribly wrong. Bucky Barnes, Monica Rambeau, Moon Knight, and others must join Sam as his new team of Mech Avengers.
Episode 2: What If…Agatha Went to Hollywood?
Howard Stark may have helped the Allies win World War II…but what he really wants to do is direct! On the set of Stark Pictures’ first production, the playboy auteur quickly finds himself enchanted by his bewitching lead actress, Agatha Harkness. Little does she know there will be another superpower co-star on the call sheet…Kingo.
Episode 3: What If…The Red Guardian Stopped The Winter Soldier?
It is 1991, and the Red Guardian takes it upon himself to join a high-profile mission and prove himself to his Red Room superiors. When his antics interfere with the Winter Soldier’s own mission to kill Howard Stark, the two Soviet supersoldiers must form an alliance to escape the United States.
Episode 4: What If…Howard the Duck Got Hitched?
Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis find themselves on an intergalactic pleasure cruise. When dangerous factions from across the galaxy descend to threaten their trip, they must discover their own cosmic powers to withstand the onslaught.
Episode 5: What If…The Emergence Destroyed the Earth?
In a Universe where The Eternals never stopped The Emergence, the birth of an incubating Celestial shatters the Earth. Civilization endures on the rocky remnants of our planet, where Quentin Beck leads an authoritarian regime until freedom fighters recruit Riri Williams on a deadly mission to take him down.
Episode 6: What If…1872?
In a universe where the heroes of the MCU live in the Old West, Shang-Chi and his pistol-packing partner, Kate Bishop, traverse the frontier, saving the innocent from the evils of The Hood.
Episode 7: What If…The Watcher Disappeared?
The Watcher must stand trial for his many interventions.
Episode 8: What If…What If?
The end of the beginning…
The third and final season of What If…? begins streaming daily episodes on December 22nd.
On December 22nd, the third and final season of Marvel Animation’s What If…? will get underway on Disney Plus. As was the case with Season 2, Marvel will debut one new episode a day with the series finale dropping on December 29th. Ahead of the season debuting next week, Marvel Studios has released an episode guide complete with the titles of the final eight episodes. And as you might expect, some are a little unexpected!
While quite a few of the episodes have been prominently featured in the marketing for the series, quite a bit more can be gleaned about their premises now that titles have been revealed. For example, it’s been known for quite some time that an episode would feature Mech Avengers taking on Kaiju; however, knowing that they will also take on the Hulk certainly spices up the episode a bit.
Episode 4, “What If…Howard the Duck Got Hitched”, will almost certainly be a follow up to Season 1’s “What If…Thor Were an Only Child?” which saw the Master of Quack-Fu fall in love with Darcy Lewis. An absurd idea, to be sure, but you know the old saying: first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Byrdie in a baby carriage.
Though it seems as though 2021’s Eternals may never get a proper theatrical or streaming sequel, Episode 5, “What If…The Emergence Destroyed the Earth?”, will at least acknowledge the project and remind everyone it exists before Tiamut pops back up in Captain America: Brave New World.
Featured heavily but without context in trailers and promo spots for Season 3 was Episode 6, featuring Hailee Steinfeld‘s Kate Bishop and Simu Liu‘s Shang-Chi. Inspired, it would seem, by the 2015 Secret Wars title, 1872, “What If…1872?” will explore the Old West similar to the way that Season 2’s “What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?” did with familiar characters in an unusual setting.
Finally, as has been the case over the first two seasons, it is likely that Episode 7, “What If…The Watcher Disappeared?” will dovetail into Episode 8, “What If…What If?”. And though we’d hesitate to go too far out on a limb, it’s likely that over the course of those two final episodes, Captain Carter’s ongoing What If…? story will be picked back up and taken to its denouement.
The final eight episodes of What If…? begin on Disney Plus on December 22nd!
What If…?, Marvel Animation’s first MCU-set adventure, is set to return for its third and final season just in time for folks to be home a bit more for the holidays. As was the case with Season 2, one new episode of What If…? will arrive daily from December 22nd through December 29th.
Season 2 was a marked improvement over Season 1 in part because it expanded beyond the slightly altered retelling of familiar origin stories to take advantage of the true nature of the What If…? premise. Season 3 looks to be headed in that direction as well and will also greatly increase the size of the roster of characters. That said, you’ll likely want to refeesh your memory about some of the stories and characters set to make a splash in the new season. So if you’re looking for something to watch while you wrap your presents and guzzle your egg nog, we present The Ultimate List of What to Watch Before Season 3 of What If…?.
It’s been quite some time since Season 1 of Loki and most of Marvel Studios’ Multiverse Saga plans have been altered since then; however, without Sylvie knifing He Who Remains, there’s no Multiverse at all. That action went down in Season 1, Episode 6, “For All Time Always”, which is one of the best episodes of TV Marvel Studios has put together.
Even though Marvel Animation is adding characters such as Agatha Harkness, Shang-Chi and Moon Knight to the mix in Season 3 you’ll likely want to refresh yourself on some of the series’ central characters. While What If…? is ostensibly Uatu’s show, Captain Carter takes the lead in many episodes across both seasons and will be back for more. Additionally, the MCU original character Kahhori, who debuted in Season 2, is confirmed to return in the new season.
What If…?, Season 1:
Episode 1, What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?
Episode 9, What If…The Watcher Broke His Oath?
What If…?, Season 2:
Episode 5, What If…Captain Carter Fought the HYDRA Stomper?
Episode 6, What If…Kahhori Reshaped the World?
Episode 8, What If…The Avengers Assembled in 1602?
Episode 9, What If…Strange Supreme Intervened?
Not to beat a dead horse here but…the voice cast for Season 3 is MASSIVE. An unbelievable amount of stars are back to lend their voices to the characters they’ve played in Marvel Studios live-action projects. The list of first timers includes Kathryn Hahn, Oscar Isaac, Hailee Steinfeld, Simu Liu, Dominique Thorne, Kumail Nanjiani and more.
The trick here is that the appearances of each of these characters does not necessarily indicate an alteration of any individual story one of the may have had. For example, Kate Bishop’s appearance in a Western-set episode may not be a result of some small changes to her origin story which means watching Hawkeye may not provide any additional context for her actions in What If…? That’s certainly a change from Seasons 1 and 2 which included quite a few episodes that were just alt takes on familiar stories. All that said, here’s a list of projects that include characters that will appear in Season 3.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
WandaVision (2021)
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021)
Black Widow (2021)
Eternals (2021)
Hawkeye (2021)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
Moon Knight (2022)
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Secret Invasion (2023)
The Marvels (2023)
X-Men ’97 (2024)
Agatha All Along (2024)
The third and final season of Marvel Animation’s What If…? will debut new episodes daily for eight days beginning on December 22nd.
Marvel’s animated series What If…? returns in Season 3 for its culminating adventure through the multiverse. Watch as classic characters make unexpected choices that will mutate their worlds into spectacular alternate versions of the MCU. The Watcher (voice of Jeffrey Wright) will guide viewers as the series traverses new genres, bigger spectacles, and incredible new characters.
The series features an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Season 3 features fan-favorite characters like Captain America/Sam Wilson, The Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes, Hulk/Bruce Banner, The Red Guardian, Captain Peggy Carter, Agatha Harkness, Shang-Chi, Storm the Goddess of Thunder, and numerous others.
Episodes are directed by Bryan Andrews and Stephan Franck and are written by Matthew Chauncey, Ryan Little, and A.C. Bradley. Executive producers are Brad Winderbaum, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt, and Bryan Andrews, with co-executive producer Matthew Chauncey, and producers Danielle Costa, Carrie Wassenaar, and Alex Scharf.
After struggling to find consistency in its first season, Marvel’s multiverse-hopping canonical animated series, What If…?, hit its stride in Season 2. However, as the Multiverse Saga speeds toward its end, so indeed will Marvel Animation’s efforts to tell stories spread throughout it which means the third season of What If…? will be its last.
The series won’t go out with a whimper, however, as the new season will expand into territory that the previous two avoided by including alternate takes on characters and stories outside of the Infinity Saga. To that end, the cast of the series has grown, adding a massive number of Phase 4 and 5 stars to the list of returning talent. According to an official project profile shared by Disney, What If…? will feature Hayley Atwell, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Mark Ruffalo, Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, Kumail Nanjiani, Samuel L. Jackson, Seth Green, Laurence Fishburne, Dominique Thorne, Simu Liu, Hailee Steinfeld, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Devery Jacobs, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Tessa Thompson, Dominic Cooper, James D’Arcy, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, Wyatt Russell, Walton Goggins, Clark Gregg, Emily VanCamp, Meng’er Zhang, Taika Waititi, Rachel House, Kat Dennings, Alison Sealy-Smith, Ross Marquand, Gene Farber, Hamish Parkinson, Tom Vaughn Lawlor and David Kaye with all reprising their respective roles in Season 3.
Additionally America Ferrera, Jason Isaacs (as The Eminence), Natasha Lyonne (as Byrdie), Allen Deng, DC Douglas (as The Incarnate), Darin De Paul (as The Executioner)
The studio also shared a synopsis for the new season which promises “bigger spectacles” which is exactly what fans have hoped for in the final go-around.
Marvel’s animated series What If…? returns in Season 3 for its culminating adventure through the multiverse. Watch as classic characters make unexpected choices that will mutate their worlds into spectacular alternate versions of the MCU. The Watcher (voice of Jeffrey Wright) will guide viewers as the series traverses new genres, bigger spectacles, and incredible new characters.
-Official Synopsis for Season 3 of What If…?
Season 3 of What If…? will premiere on December 22nd with new episodes debuting daily through December 29.
Marvel Studios’ first canonical animated series, What If…?, seemed to truly hit its stride in its second season. However, despite its premise as a multiversal adventure, for reasons out of the control of its creators the series was by and large geared toward telling stories about alternate universe Variants of the core Avengers featured in the Infinity Saga. Footage from Season 3 released following the Season 2 finale featured the inclusion of David Harbour‘s Red Guardian, teasing a new direction for the new season.
However, even as complete footage was shared, neither creator Bryan Andrews nor Executive Producer and Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum were able to give a clear answer as to when the new episodes would hit Disney Plus.
In January, Andrews revealed that the best fans could hope for is a late-2024 debut of What If…? Season 3. “They move stuff around,” said Andrews of Marvel Studios. “Every time I thought it was like, ‘Oh, it’s going to be this!’ It’s like, ‘It’s going to move a little bit!’ So, even I would hate to say something and have people’s hopes come up and then have them be dashed because of the beast of production and when things move around,” he explained. “I thought that it could come out at the end of the year in 2024 possibly, but that would be tight. There’s some other group of people that are masterminding when things [release] and they’re moving things on the board, and I don’t know where we exist on that at this moment.”
“What If…? Season Three is — that might be the one that comes out next, in terms of animation,” said Winderbaum in a May interview, adding that the next season would be “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.
-Brad Winderbaum, May 2024
Though the episode release schedule was not included in the teaser, it seems as though the studio will repeat the daily episode roll out it utilized with Season 2, which premiered on December 22, 2023 and wrapped on December 30, 2023.
During Marvel Animation’s D23 panel in August, footage from the upcoming third season showcased an expanded roster of heroes which generated quite a bit of buzz online with the majority of fans eagerly looking forward to the next group of episodes. Now those fans can look forward to settling in over the December holiday season.
Following some reflection its television production methodology, Marvel Studios longtime Parliament member Brad Winderbaum, the studio’s Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation, oversaw some significant restructuring and rebranding that helped move developing and future projects away from the good old “it’s all connected” era. As part of the restructuring, Marvel Studios Disney Plus projects would be produced under all-new, all-different banners such as Marvel Spotlight, Marvel Animation and Marvel Television.
The first projects produced under each of those banners debuted in 2024. As the first Marvel Spotlight project, Echo carried on the spirit of Stan Lee’s “tryout books” in bringing “more grounded, character-driven stories to the screen.” According to Disney, Spotlight projects “can focus on street-level stakes over larger MCU continuity” and, perhaps most importantly, ensure “viewers don’t have to watch any other Marvel series to understand the plot.” Shortly after Echo’s binge release, X-Men ’97, Marvel Animation’s first streaming project, hit Disney Plus and brought a tidal wave of positive vibes with it. And as Agatha All Along, the first project made under the Marvel Television banner, neses the end of its run, it continues to receive praise from fans and critics alike. In short, rebranding Year One was a success. And now it seems the Year Two slate is starting to take shape.
There was a lot of pressure post-Avengers: Endgame on the public to feel obligated to watch absolutely everything in order to watch anything. Part of the rebranding was a signal to the general audience that we’re creating a lot of options, and you can follow your tastes within this brand. Some will be more comedic, some will be more dramatic, some will be animated, some will be live-action. Marvel is more than just one thing — it is actually many different genres that just happened to coexist in a single narrative.
-Brad Winderbaum
First announced as Spider-Man: Freshman Year on November 12th, 2021 on Disney Plus Day, the animated series was retitled Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in December 2023.
Originally described as a story that would follow “Peter Parker on his way to becoming Spider-Man in the MCU,” the project, created by Jeff Trammell, underwent some major changes. In 2022, Winderbaum clarified that the series is set elsewhere in the multiverse and not on the Sacred Timeline.
It follows the pattern that you see in [Captain America:] Civil War. Down to Peter getting the broken Blu-ray player from the trash and he walks into his department for the famous moment where Tony Stark is waiting for him to offer him the stark internship and take him to Berlin. But because of things that happen in the multiverse because of new, random occurrences, it’s not Tony Stark who’s waiting for him there. It’s Norman Osborn and that sends his life in an unexpected trajectory that collides him with many unexpected characters in the Marvel universe.
-Brad Winderbaum
Originally considered for a late-2024 release, the third and final season of What If…? has seemingly been meant for a 2025 release for some time. In May 2024, Winderbaum indicated the project “might be the one that comes out next.”
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.
-Brad Winderbaum on Season 3 of What If…?
At that time, both Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Eyes of Wakanda were still part of the studio’s 2024 streaming slate, as revealed in late 2023.
First revealed in December 2023, Eyes of Wakanda is an animated series that Winderbaum explained “fits right into our sacred MCU timeline continuity.”
Throughout Wakandan history, brave warriors have been tasked to travel the world retrieving dangerous vibranium artifacts. This is their story.
-Official Synopsis, Eyes of Wakanda
Announced as part of 2021’s Disney Plus Day, Marvel Zombies was originally thought to be headed for a 2024 release though the studio never gave any indication of its plans.
We’ve done the whole thing. It was amazing. It was so much fun. And I love—there are a lot of cool characters in the ‘Marvel Zombies’ show. And Kamala is kind of the center of the show. They described it to me, it’s like, “She’s basically the Frodo of the story.” And I was like, “That’s amazing.”
-Iman Vellani
A four-episode, TV-MA series developed by Marvel Comics’ writer Zeb Wells, Marvel Zombies will feature Iman Vellani‘s Kamala Khan as well as zombified versions of Jimmy Woo, Kate Bishop, Shang-Chi, and more.
Even before WandaVision debuted on Disney Plus in January 2021, MCU fans had already fallen in love with Kathryn Hahn‘s Agnes. Over the course of the 9-episode series, Agnes evolved from a nosy neighbor to a major nuisance and was eventually revealed to be Agatha Harkness, a power-hungry witch who had been alive for over 300 years. Hahn’s performance created a demand for more MCU-set Agatha adventures and the WandaVision finale left the door open for them. It didn’t take long for an Agatha-centric spinoff to go into development and after a half dozen or so name changes, the debut of Agatha All Along is right around the corner. And even before it debuts, fans have already begun clamoring for more of the wicked witch.
Agatha All Along will see Hahn’s depowered witch break free from Wanda’s spell, collect a coven and head down the Witches’ Road to regain what she’s lost. And while there’s no guarantee Agatha or any of her crew will survive, Marvel TV’s head honcho, Brad Winderbaum, is already teasing her next MCU project.
In Marvel Studios’ Agatha All Along, the infamous Agatha Harkness finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth Teen helps break her free from a distorted spell. Her interest is piqued when he begs her to take him on the legendary Witches’ Road, a magical gauntlet of trials that, if survived, rewards a witch with what they’re missing. Together, Agatha and this mysterious Teen pull together a desperate coven, and set off down, down, down The Road…
-Official synopsis for Agatha All Along
In an interview with Screen Rant’s Joe Deckelmeir, Winderbaum revealed that Agatha will next be seen performing a “giant musical number” in the third season of Marvel Studio’s canonical animated series, What If…?.
“When you have an icon like Kathryn Hahn [and what she] has brought to the screen with Agatha, you just want to see more of her,” said Winderbaum responding to a question about the future of Agatha. “So yes, there will be more Agatha in the future [of] the MCU, yes,” he added before revealing her appearance in the animated project’s third season. “She is in an episode of What If…? season 3 – I shouldn’t say more, but it’s one of my favorite episodes ever done, and and it may involve the giant musical number, and she’s just incredible, and we all want to see more of her.”
A considerable amount of hype has already been built around Season 3 of What If…? and the inclusion of a musical number by Agatha will do nothing to calm it down. In fact, Hahn‘s participation in the series is rather likely to attract a number of fans who fell in love with the character during her time on WandaVision.
While there’s no release date yet set aside for Season 3 of What If…?, Agatha All Along will debut with a two-episode premiere on September 18th on Disney Plus.
Source: Screen Rant
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With the series ending, director and showrunner Bryan Andrews explained that he was comfortable going big. “We can take big swings,” said Andrews of the creative teams efforts for Season 3. To that end, the series is set to feature some wild new genres, including a Western, and expand its roster beyond the major characters who populated most of the show’s first two seasons.
In addition to a Western, another of those “big swings” will see a new team of Avengers–featuring Sam Wilson, Moon Knight and Monica Rambeau, take on gamma monsters.
Updating…
