Entertainment
Marvel’s What If: How important is Disney Plus series to the MCU?
What If…? sees the return of several MCU fan-favourites (Picture: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
The release date of new Marvel series What If…? on Disney Plus has finally arrived, with fans desperate to see how the nine episodes impact the MCU.
Based on the comic book series of the same name, What If…? explores what would have happened if specific events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had transpired differently, such as Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) being injected with the super-soldier serum and T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becoming Star-Lord.
The show is one of several new MCU releases to come out this year, following on from WandaVision, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Loki and Black Widow.
While fans are excited to watch some of their favourite characters in action once more, many of whom are voiced by the original actors, there may be some confusion as to whether the series is a standalone project or connected to the other tales in the cinematic universe.
So how important is What If… ? to the MCU and when are episodes coming out on Disney Plus?
How important is What If to the MCU?
While there have of course been animated shows released before based on Marvel characters (all hail the animated X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons of the 90s), What If…? is the first animated series to launch as part of the MCU from Marvel Studios.
Release of What If…? after Loki is ‘no coincidence’ (Picture: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
The show has been released just under a month after the finale of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki series came out… and according to executive producer Brad Winderbaum, the timing is no accident.
During a recent press conference, the producer said that it’s ‘no coincidence that the show picks up right after Loki’, with the Loki finale ending with the timeline splitting, teasing the chaos of the multiverse.
‘The multiverse has erupted in every possible direction,’ Brad said, adding that the first animated series released by Marvel Studios ‘gives us a chance to explore that’.
Considering What If…? is animated, this may have led some fans to believe that it is a separate entity to the live-action MCU films and TV shows.
However, this answer from the exec producer has heavily hinted that the events of What If…? could have a greater impact on the MCU than people may have previously realised, especially after the timeline breaches in Loki and the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse sequel.
Could this mean that certain What If…? scenarios may end up being portrayed or followed up in live-action films or TV series? We’ll just have to wait and see.
How will Doctor Strange cope with the mayhem of the multiverse? (Picture: Marvel Studios/Disney Plus)
Who is in the cast of Marvel’s What If?
What If…? features many of the actors from the MCU reprising their roles, including Hayley as Captain Carter, the late Chadwick as T’Challa, Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and Karen Gillan as Nebula.
However, some notable characters have been replaced with new voice actors, including Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Captain Marvel and Black Widow, meaning that Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Brie Larson and Scarlett Johansson are not a part of the show.
Another character who was replaced with a new voice actor was Guardians of the Galaxy’s Drax, who was shown in the trailer snapping a selfie with T’Challa.
Dave Bautista, who plays the character in the MCU, recently tweeted that he was not asked to return to the role for the animated series.
More: US TV news
When are episodes of What If coming out on Disney Plus?
The release date for What If…? is Wednesday August 11, with the first episode available to watch on Disney Plus.
Episodes are being released on a weekly basis and there are nine episodes in total, meaning that the season one finale should come out on Wednesday October 6.
What If…? returns next Wednesday on Disney Plus.
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