Marvel Studios’ fourth Disney+ installment, What If…? was noteworthy for several reasons. On one hand, it was the studio’s first dive into animation which showcased shorter, mostly standalone stories that remixed movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In other cases, the series managed to tell almost entirely new stories as well. But What If…?’s most important aspect may have been the fact that it was also the MCU’s first look at its own multiverse.
Even though the animated form of the series tends to lessen the perceived importance of the What If…? stories to the greater MCU, it has been rumored before that its characters and concepts may find their way into live-action in the future. Now, it seems as though What If…? crossovers are confirmed.
In the new Marvel Studios: Assembled episode that showcases how What If…? was created, Producer Brad Winderbaum states:
“What If…? gives us an opportunity to tell stories with a whole new idea of what the physical reality of the universe is. That is something that’s gonna be explored in other ways moving forward in our films.”
Brad Winderbaum
The President of Marvel Studios himself, Kevin Feige also added:
“I really believe the deepening fictional mythologies is a way to appreciate them more, is a way to understand them more, look at them in a different way. They’ve got now two seasons of What If…? ideas underway that’s some of the best storytelling we’ve ever had that you may see spin into other mediums. It’s really the most uniquely beautiful animated series I’ve seen in a long time.”
Kevin Feige
It is safe to say that down the line, some of What If…?‘s characters, or even storylines, from episodes like What If…Zombies!? will almost certainly appear in some form in the live-action MCU Universe. Whether these are brief cameos or total animation-to-live-action transitions remains unknown. Either way, we will continue to see more What If…? content as Season 2 of the series is confirmed and its episodes are already written.
