“Marvel’s What If…?” has been part of the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe umbrella since very close to the start. It was the fourth official Marvel Studios present to launch on the then-burgeoning streaming platform again in 2021, following up “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and “Loki” Season 1. The animated anthology collection’ third and last season premieres on December 22, 2024, mimicking the vacation launch window for “What If…?” season 2 in 2023.
By means of its run, “What If…?” has tried to strike a difficult stability between presenting true one-off alternate universe tales and tying into the bigger “Multiverse Saga” of the MCU. There have been recurring characters and regular storylines, even whereas the episode to episode arcs stay comparatively hypothetical and self-contained. Ultimately, it appears that evidently the present’s connective tissue to the grand MCU plot could have been the rationale for its finish after three seasons, at the least in line with Marvel TV head Brad Winderbaum.
In a latest interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Winderbaum defined a part of the reasoning for cancelling the animated collection. “‘What If…?’ has all the time tied into the higher MCU and the Multiverse Saga,” Winderbaum defined. “And for causes that can grow to be clear within the subsequent couple of years, this was the precise time to culminate the collection from a narrative perspective.” It is also true that three seasons is a fairly respectable run for something animated within the fashionable streaming panorama — an extended run than another Marvel Studios Disney+ reveals have but acquired.
What If…? could not be related to the MCU
In keeping with Brad Winderbaum, there is a compelling narrative motive why now’s the precise time to wrap up “What If…?” Nevertheless, as a consequence of how muddled the MCU’s multiverse period has grow to be, that reasoning is not instantly clear.
Whereas a lot has occurred lately concerning the assorted “branches” of the so-called “Sacred Timeline,” the multiverse itself is not going anyplace as a core narrative assemble, or at the least it does not appear to be. Kang the Conqueror was pushed apart as a consequence of controversy surrounding actor Jonathan Majors, however Robert Downey Jr. might be taking part in Physician Doom within the upcoming “Avengers: Doomsday.” It is nonetheless laborious to inform the place precisely the franchise goes in overarching phrases, however it additionally would make sense for Marvel Studios to begin shifting away from narratives about the multiverse explicitly and begin utilizing it extra as a justification for telling totally different sorts of tales.
That stated, there are absolutely different causes at play for the present’s cancellation. Animation is not low cost, and Disney hasn’t hidden the truth that the various “Star Wars” and Marvel streaming collection launched over the past a number of years have been extremely costly — usually with out the commensurate payday. “What If…?” has been a fairly regular hit with critics and followers, however it additionally hasn’t earned the sky-high reward of different latest Disney+ fare like “X-Males ’97” or “Agatha All Alongside.”
There might be different explanation why Marvel’s What If…? has been cancelled
Whereas Marvel is all the time conserving the overarching story of the MCU in thoughts, there are tons of things that go into any present being renewed or cancelled. If “What If…?” had acquired vital consideration or been an enormous money cow for Disney+, I am positive the studio would have discovered a story motive to maintain it going. However even an organization as monumental as Disney has restricted assets, and the animated wing of Marvel particularly has began going in several instructions recently.
The huge success of “X-Males ’97” doubtless made some people at Marvel Studios rethink future TV initiatives. The present has no connection to the MCU in any way, and for followers who merely could not sustain with all of the streaming collection which have come out lately, that was form of a promoting level. In the identical interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Winderbaum described one other upcoming animated challenge, “Your Pleasant Neighborhood Spider-Man,” as “only a enjoyable trip,” emphasizing its comparatively impartial standing, which has similarities to that of “X-Males.”
“Eyes of Wakanda,” another upcoming animated collection, will doubtless be extra instantly tied into the bigger MCU, however its angling, which Winderbaum described as “a narrative about conquest and nationwide id,” makes it considerably distinct thematically, at the least in concept. By its very nature, “What If…?” is a much less targeted present, making it probably much less of a match with Marvel’s upcoming animated slate.
As soon as once more, the third and last season of Marvel’s “What If…?” will premiere December 22, 2024, on Disney+.
