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

After three short seasons in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, What if…? ending The animated anthology debuted in 2021 and plunged into the craziness of the Marvel Multiverse, but the MCU is gearing up for it. What if…? Season 3 in 2024, it feels like things are coming to an abrupt halt.

Away from the MCU's live-action adventures, What if…? Arriving as part of the franchise's ever-expanding Disney+ slate. There are other animated outings as well X-Men '97, Your friendly neighbor Spider-Manand procrastination Marvel Zombies serving as What if…? spin-off. However, when exploring the series in alternate timelines, there are only eight episodes left.

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

While What if…?The multi-faceted nature of has told its own stories away from the MCU's main canon, with fan-favorites such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Elizabeth Olsen, and the late Chadwick Boseman all reprising their roles from live-action. What if…? Season 3 tells another crop of multiverse stories, overseen by Jeffrey Wright's Uatu, aka The Watcher.

Highlights of What if…? Season 3 includes the return of White Vision WandavisionThe long-awaited reintroduction of Moon Knight, and X-Men: The Animated Series' from Alison Seeley-Smith reprising her role X-Men '97 in the form of a storm. Storm wielding Mjölnir was a highlight of the Season 3 trailer. And with Disney purchasing 20th Century Fox in 2019, the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU marks a new era for the franchise.

Like What if…? While Season 2 introduced Kahori as a brand new hero who was expected to make the leap 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 looks like an easy fit for Captain Carter. Avengers: Secret Wars' Battleworld's entertainment approximation. This comes after Hayley Atwell played a version of the character Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

What if…? have largely told their own stories that have played out over the course of a season and culminated in a massive team-up. So far, the MCU has not had to worry about Earth-616 being core canon. Still, as the series closes, many are hoping What if…? Go out with a bang and set up a future live-action project for the MCU. with two The Avengers movies on the horizon, it's only logical to start sowing these seeds now.

Missing out on the MCU's potential if…? Season 4

Even if Seeley-Smith is unlikely to take over as Storm for the upcoming X-Men reboot, her role What if…? Reminds fans of the potential for future seasons What if…? could keep Like how Deadpool and Wolverine Channing Tatum's Gambit and Wesley Snipes' Blade included, What if…? Season 4 could see many familiar faces lend their voices to classic roles. Imagine a Ghost Rider episode with Nicolas Cage, Ben Affleck voicing the animated Daredevil, or a Spider-Man-centric episode that makes good on Drew Goddard's Sinister Six movie that never happened.

More importantly, the upcoming debuts of The Fantastic Four and X-Men will feature a whole host of characters that will be worthy of their own. What if…? Stories. After all, the live-action version of Charles Xavier would become Juggernaut (What if…? #13) and Herald of Dazzler Galactus (What if…? #33) is unlikely to ever play in the mainline MCU. Beyond that, the possibility of Wolverine fighting Conan the Barbarian (What if…? #16), becoming a punishing poison (What if…? #44), and the thing is a mutated Hulk-a-like (What if…? #37) are just some of the stories that viewers have missed.

Exactly why is unclear What if…? It's coming to an end, but it seems like it was always planned as a three-part story that could be a springboard to other projects. It has already been demonstrated by Marvel Zombies Season 1's “What If… Zombies?!” Speaking to the Official Marvel Podcast in July 2024, executive producer Brad Winderbaum said Season 3 “Seems to be the completion of the trilogy”:

However, viewers were briefly teased Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2The live-action MCU has yet to make good on its potential. As the franchise introduces more cosmic entities, e.g Thor: Love and Thunder Infinity and done with Agatha all along Done with death, the Watchers (and especially Uatu) seem motivated to play a role.

What if…? Season 3 is assembling an alternate Avengers lineup with Sam Wilson, Shang-Chi, and Monica Rambeau, which is convenient since these are all potential recruits for the new Avengers in the MCU. Even so What if…? Ending in the traditional sense, it is possible to continue to explore some of its ideas in spin-offs. Marvel Zombies. Entertaining ideas that are too 'wild' for live-action, What if…? At least it has served as a testing ground for unusual concepts. There's already been a Christmas episode, so it might be worth revisiting What if…? For occasional specials.

As disappointing as it is What if…?it's important to remember that this is the only Disney+ series to receive a three-season order. Most Marvel shows are limited to a single season, and are also critically acclaimed Loki It doesn't look like he'll be back for a third season. Also, with Secret Wars Rumors suggest destroying the multiverse and ending the current multiverse saga before moving on to the 'mutant saga', which makes sense. What if…? ending While it's a shame fans didn't get to see Wolverine become Lord of the Vampries (What if…? #24), even the Watcher doesn't know what the future holds What if…? includes