What If…? Season 3 is happening – and this is what we know about it.
It feels like just yesterday we were watching the latest episodes of What If…? Season 2 and learning about all the scenarios and stories that the Watcher sees as he looks over the universe. We waited so long for Season 2, and when it finally came, it felt like the best Christmas present ever.
Thankfully, we can add What If…? Season 3 to our upcoming MCU projects list because it's already confirmed. There's already a first look. But, who is going to be in Season 3? And what could it be about? Here is what we know so far.
What Is The What If…? Season 3 Release Date?
As of March 2024, there is no set release date for What If…? Season 3.
The second season was a part of the 2023 TV premiere schedule, but since we already have a first look for Season 3, a 2024 premiere date might not be that crazy.
The director of the series, Bryan Andrews, talked about Season 3 of What If…? on the ComicBook's Phase Zero podcast in January 2024 and said that the third season could come out later this year, but things get "moved" around and it's hard to have an exact date of when it'll drop:
They move stuff around. Every time I thought it was like, 'Oh, it's going to be this!' It's like, 'It's going to move a little bit!' So, even I would hate to say something and have people's hopes come up and then have them be dashed because the beast of production and when things move around…I thought that it could come out at the end of the year in 2024 possibly, but that would be tight.
We can be cautiously optimistic about a 2024 TV premiere but don't get your hopes up.
Several Characters Will Most Likely Be Back – And One New Character Is Confirmed
The thing with What If…? is that we never really know who is going to be in what episode or who is going to star in each story. That's the great thing about an anthology series – different stories mean different characters from all over the MCU.
However, we do know that Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan in the MCU) and a young Red Guardian (played by Dave Harbour in the MCU) appear in the special first look that came out for Season 3, and so does Dr. Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne).
These are just a few of the characters that we can expect to see in Season 3 of What If…?:
Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher
Considering The Watcher is the main character of What If…? and is guiding us into these different scenarios, I’d say it’s safe to expect Jeffrey Wright to be back as The Watcher. Wright has voiced the character the last two seasons.
Wright is also a prominent actor who has appeared in several films, including the James Bond film franchise, The Hunger Games movies, and most recently scored a nomination for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for American Fiction.
David Harbour as Red Guardian
David Harbour plays Red Guardian in the MCU, and I would expect that he’d most likely voice the character in What If…? Season 3. Harbour has appeared in several movies and TV shows but most prominently, people know him as Jim Hopper from the Netflix hit, Stranger Things.
Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier
It’s expected that Sebastian Stan will come back to voice The Winter Soldier as he has for the last two seasons of What If…? The character is seen in the first look for Season 3 so we’ll certainly be seeing him again. Stan, aside from his role as Bucky Barnes in the MCU, has appeared in various films such as I, Tonya, Fresh, Logan Lucky, The Martian and more.
Hayley Atwell as Captain Carter
Considering Captain Carter has appeared in several episodes across both seasons, it’s pretty much expected that Hayley Atwell will be back to voice the character in What If…? Season 3 to some extent. Atwell played Peggy Carter in the MCU and starred in her own show titled Agent Carter. Aside from that, she’s starred in Cinderella, The Pride, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 and more.
America Ferrera as Ranger Morales
According to that same podcast from Phase Zero, the creative team behind the show confirmed that America Ferrera will join the MCU as the voice of Ranger Morales.
Ferrera has been in Hollywood for some time, gaining fame for her starring role in Ugly Betty (one of the best shows to binge watch on Netflix) and appearing in films like The Dry Land, End of Watch, and How to Train Your Dragon franchise. She also held a significant role in the Barbie cast, which scored her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the 2024 Academy Awards.
It’s certainly going to be an entertaining third season – and I for one can’t wait to hear these actors in all their glory.
Check Out The First Look For What If…? Season 3, Featuring The Red Guardian and The Winter Soldier
If you're curious about What If…? Season 3, be sure to check out the first look above, showing the Winter Soldier and a young Red Guardian getting into some trouble while out on the road – just an example of the action we are most likely getting ourselves into in the third installment.
Season 3 Of What If…? Will Dive Deeper Into The Watcher’s Story
Aside from a few moments, the viewers of What If…? really haven't been able to dive super deep into the story of the Watcher, but now, in Season 3, we'll learn far more.
Brad Winderbaum, the head of streaming, television, and animation at Marvel Studios, spoke with The Direct in July 2022 and said that the third season is going to dig deeper into the story of the Watcher and how the viewers will get to explore "his humanity" in the third installment:
The fact that we have What If…? going into a third season, it means that we can go a little bit deeper with these characters, especially the Watcher. It's a Multiverse story, they're standalone stories, but there is a serialized aspect to it because there's this narrator who…he loves the subjects of these stories, he's the ultimate fanboy. He's watching, like we all watch, and he loves these characters like we do. So we can dig in a little deeper into what makes him tick in the second season, and then into the third season, we kind of get to know his humanity a lot more.
I mean, sign me up. I want to know everything about this strange character.
Season 3 Will Revisit Characters From Season 1
There are plenty of great characters in the world of What If…? to revisit, but we actually know that Season 3 of the show will be looking into the life of another character from the first season.
A director of the show, Bryan Andrews, confirmed in an interview with Marvel in January 2024 that Season 3’s episodes will feature one where audiences will get to revisit characters from the first season:
They're all good. There's one that revisits characters from a Season 1 episode, but I won't say which.
I’m so curious as to what characters could be looked at again that we didn’t see in Season 2 – but until then, I’ll just sit with my theories.
Sam Wilson’s Captain America Will Appear In Season 3
Other than the first look above from YouTube, we also got a first look via some screenshots that were shared on Marvel’s Twitter page – and guess what? Sam Wilson’s Captain America will be featured in the upcoming season, alongside Monica Rambeau:
From all of us at Marvel Studios, THANK YOU for watching season 2 of #WhatIf and joining us on this journey across time…space…reality. We’re excited to share this early look at some of the endless possibilities we’ll explore together in season 3 of What If…? pic.twitter.com/fM6Z17ZnNJJanuary 22, 2024
There are other pictures featured as well, including a tease of the story with the Winter Soldier and Red Guardian, one involving a giant Captain America battle-suit, and more.
But this is exciting news, and I wonder what story will be told. Considering Captain America: Brave New World is set to release in 2025, it makes me wonder if Anthony Mackie will be voicing Sam Wilson in What If…?. Only time will tell.
What If…? Season 3 Will Only Get “Wackier” With Its Plotlines
The stories in What If…? are some of the most creative ideas I've seen. One of them was so popular it's getting another animated show – the upcoming Marvel Zombies. And now, we know that Season 3 is about to get even "wackier," according to Bryan Andrews in an interview with Deadline in August 2022:
We take it up a notch in season two and then in season three we just go even wackier. In season two, we have different characters that we haven't really got a chance to play with before and we see how they'll integrate with some of the favorites that come back. There's lots of really cool stuff, and I can't wait for people to see it.
Some of these storylines have, indeed, been crazy to watch, so I am so down.
The Stories Are Something That People Won’t “Guess What’s Coming”
So if the stories are only going to get wackier, it makes me wonder what kind of episodes we are going to get. But in that interview with Marvel, Bryan Andrews says that these episodes are something fans will not expect.
Andrews commented that Season 3 will feature “a lot of surprises” and that there’s no way “people can guess what’s coming:”
There are a lot of surprises in Season 3! There's no way people can guess what's coming. We do get to push genre a little bit. I'm super excited about some of the ones that are coming up. There are a few that are just fantastic. I think everyone's going to nerd out because we get to push. And one of them's going to sell a lot of toys. I can say that. One of them for sure is going to sell a ton of toys!
Okay, the toy one had me curious, I’m not going to lie. Every little tease I get makes me want to experience Season 3 even more.
The X-Men Characters Are "Off The Table" Until They Make Their Live-Action MCU Debut
Something significant that has been an ongoing process in the MCU is the arrival of the X-Men characters, which 20th Century Studios have long held but, since the merger with Disney, will eventually make their debut in the MCU – most likely with the upcoming Deadpool 3, since Hugh Jackman's Wolverine will appear.
However, the usage of X-Men characters in What If…? storylines is "off the table" until they appear in the MCU, according to an interview with the creators of the show with ComicBook in January 2024, where Bryan Andrews said that there were still "limitations:"
They were pretty much off the table. They're like, 'We got to do it first in live action and then you get to do it.' And we're like, 'Ah, man!' We would've loved to have played with all kinds of toys. But there's limitations.
I feel that any storyline involving the mutants will be great, so whenever they appear in the MCU, I know I'll be excited to see them in What If…?.
A.C Bradley Will Not Be Returning For Season 3
The last thing we know is that A.C. Bradley will not return for Season 3. Bradley was a head writer and executive producer on the series, but confirmed that the first look episode would be her last in a post on Twitter in December 2023:
Last #WhatIf tweet! This ep is my absolute FAVORITE and marks my final What If script. 🥲 After season two, I made the decision to move on from Marvel. It's been a fun ride, but it's time for new adventures and mediums. All my love to the cast, crew, & fans!
Bradley wrote nine episodes for the series, including one of the most critically acclaimed, "What If…Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" She will be missed.
What If…? Season 3 feels so close and yet so far. I know I'll be counting down the days until it arrives. I can't wait.
