‘What If…?’ Season 2 Will Focus on Marvel’s Phase 4 Projects Like ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Shang-Chi’
Season 1 of Marvel’s What If…? came to a close on Oct. 6 with an epic finale that saw the heroes of the multiverse setting things right — and proving that every universe has someone willing to step up for the greater good. What If…? Episode 9 saw characters like Doctor Strange, Thor, Captain Carter, and T’Challa taking center stage, but apparently season 2 will venture outside of Marvel’s well-established heroes. In fact, the Disney+ show’s next outing will focus more heavily on the Phase 4 additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Is Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ getting a season 2?
Marvel’s What If…? was greenlit for season 2 before the first episode of the animated series even arrived. The Disney+ show will have another nine-episode outing, and work on the new season is already underway.
During a 2019 conversation with BuzzFeed Brasil, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige suggested the upcoming episodes were already in the works. Additionally, head writer A.C. Bradley recently told Entertainment Weekly that every second season installment is written. Whether they’ve begun recording them is the question.
Still, with What If…? Season 2 planned and scripted, the writers already have a good idea of where they’ll take the series. Apparently, they’re planning to stick with its anthology format. However, there will be one notable difference between season 1 and season 2.
New episodes of ‘What If…?’ will focus on Phase 4 characters
Season 1 of Marvel’s What If…? reimagined the franchise’s most beloved and iconic stories, many of them hailing from the early chapters of the MCU. The first season featured characters and storylines from Phase 1 to Phase 3, but it managed to avoid spoiling anything from Phase 4.
With Phase 4 well underway, that’s going to change in season 2. During her discussion with EW, Bradley revealed they’ll bring in newer Marvel characters in the coming episodes:
“Going into the second season, we’re sticking with anthology form, and it’s going to be all-new stories, lots of fun, new heroes, and pulling more from Phase Four than we were obviously able to this season. Hopefully, we’ll see hints of Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Black Widow characters.
That means new installments of What If…? could introduce animated versions of Shang-Chi and his friends, Yelena Belova, the Eternals team, and some of the characters from Marvel’s Disney+ series. Seeing Mobius M. Mobius or Kate Bishop brought to What If…?‘s animated world would prove exciting — especially if season 2 will tie into later Phase 4 projects.
Of course, What If…? Season 2 will likely return to familiar faces as well, especially fan-favorites. There’s a chance Captain Carter or Evil Doctor Strange will make another appearance. However, Bradley wants to ensure everyone gets their moment to shine:
“The fun of What If…? is that we get to explore the entire infinite multiverse, so we try and bounce around as much as we can. I want to play with all these characters, and as much as I love Captain Carter, we’ve got to share the love. I’m very excited to show new worlds, new heroes.”
When will season 2 arrive on Disney+?
The prospect of seeing Marvel’s Phase 4 characters in What If…? Season 2 is an exciting one. However, there’s no word on when the new episodes will arrive. With all of them already written, fans could see the next chapter of What If…? sometime in 2022. Of course, that’s assuming they’ll finish production soon — and that Marvel won’t have some other reason to schedule them for later.
Fortunately, fans have plenty of other projects to look forward to in the meantime. In the next couple of months alone, Eternals and Spider-Man: No Way Home hit theaters. It’s a great time to be a Marvel fan, even if we have to wait a bit between release dates.
