What If…? was the first in a line-up of shows that came to Disney+ once Marvel began their descent into television with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It used the same name as its comic counterpart, a comic that looked at the endless possibilities of the Marvel universe. Marvel Studios took that concept and used it for their cinematic universe, giving us Peggy Carter as Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Vision (Ross Marquand) as Ultron with the power of the infinity stones, and much more. Unfortunately, we’re seeing an end to What If…? with its third and final season as it closes up with its overarching story involving Uatu the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), Captain Carter, and a new band of heroes who will have to save the multiverse. The question is, did this show really have to end here?
What If…? returns in Season 3 for its culminating adventure through the multiverse. Watch as classic characters make unexpected choices that will mutate their worlds into spectacular alternate versions of the MCU. The Watcher will guide viewers as the series traverses new genres, bigger spectacles, and incredible new characters.
Just like the previous season, season 3 arrives as a Christmas gift with an episode unwrapping each day. It has one less episode than season 2 but is better and more memorable than any of the seasons that came before. It has been clear that as the show has been progressing, they manage to come up with better story concepts, although some still fall short of others. They also get more confident with the rights they own, with more unexpected characters appearing and references, and this season is full of them.
What was great about this season is we get a lot of time with characters that we don’t see that often or haven’t seen at all. The first episode, “What If…The Hulk fought the Mech Avengers?” brings its focus to characters like Monica Rambeau, with Teyonah Parris returning to voice the character. This is a character that is one of the best recently introduced characters since The Multiverse Saga began and was a shining highlight of The Marvels, and finally getting to see her converse with characters such as Captain America (Anthony Mackie), something we would have to wait until 2026 for to possibly see her in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film, is something only a show like this is capable of.
There’s also great focus on Bruce Banner within that same episode, and for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it feels like the character is being served the justice that fans have been requesting since Avengers: Infinity War. With great character moments, that episode also delivers on an insane, giant-sized kaiju battle as Bruce battles with himself alongside the Mighty Avengers, who all have their own mechs to face against the kaijus. This episode is Marvel meets Pacific Rim and is perfect for fans of those films and the Monsterverse.
A few episodes have unique intros, such as the first episode, which introduces the story to us through this unique animation that gives off a retro feeling and dons the characters in their classic comic looks. A moment like this makes you wonder why a singular animation style was used throughout the entire show instead of experimenting with various animation styles, allowing each episode to feel more unique, whether they were good or not.
The second episode of the season, “What if…Agatha went to Hollywood?”, also has a unique introduction with the Marvel Animation intro being in black and white and in a 4:3 aspect ratio to get viewers into the mood as they’re thrown into this episode with both Agatha (Kathryn Hahn) and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani), who shoot a movie together while having to face against the odds of Arishem (David Kaye).
The titles for What If…? Season 3 got revealed earlier in the week, and once Eternals fans saw the episode titled “What If…The Emergence destroyed the Earth?”, they expected there to finally be another appearance of their fan-favourite characters, but unfortunately, they are only mentioned for a few seconds, and that’s about it for the whole episode. Their lack of an appearance makes up for it as we get Riri Williams’ (Dominique Thorne) second appearance in the MCU, and surprisingly it wasn’t in her own show. If you didn’t think that Riri was a cool character from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, then this episode is going to make you look at her differently as she transforms into a completely different being that will have you wondering if it’s the same character.
Agatha Harkness (voiced by Kathryn Hahn) in Marvel Animation Television’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
Her intellect is put on display and is also challenged in this episode as she’s put up against Mysterio (Alejandro Saab). A character that feels like they’ve been written better here than in Spider-Man: Far From Home. This episode was easily the second-best episode in the season and perfectly depicts why this show is an outright blast to watch when it’s at its best.
Arguably, the best episode in this whole season goes to the fourth episode, “What If…Howard the Duck got hitched?”, which also airs on Christmas Day, which feels like the perfect time to watch an episode such as this. When watching a What If…? episode, you want the story to subvert your expectations in ways that are unimaginable. You want it to be out of this world and make you even question what the hell is going on.
From the first minute of this episode, it does all of those things as we’re introduced to Darcy (Kat Dennings) and Howard the Duck (Seth Green), who are now a couple with a baby, well, an egg. Don’t ask who delivered the egg or how it was conceived because we don’t have the answers, and thankfully the episode steers far away from them.
This episode only gets crazier as it continues on with characters like The Grandmaster (Matt Friend), Frost Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Kaecilius (Jared Butler), Zeus (Darin De Paul), and even Thanos (Josh Brolin) making an appearance, and it’s all for this one egg that seemingly holds all the cosmic power in the world. Episodes such as this make What If…? such a joy to watch and remind you once again what this show is capable of when it truly wants to go all out. To also add, it’s a sequel to “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?“, the seventh episode of season 1.
There are many references in What If…? season 3 for fans to spot out; some of them are easy to miss if you don’t pay close attention to what’s being said. There are some first mentions of certain heroes who have yet to have made an appearance in the MCU. “What If… 1872?” is the episode besides the finale that feels like it holds the most important reference, which will for certain get fans talking.
It also marks the first official appearance of The Hood, who will be making an appearance in Ironheart. It’s very clear from the few episodes that Ironheart was originally supposed to air before this season, but unfortunately, due to delays, these characters have made their introduction or secondary appearance in this show rather than their own. If anything, it’ll only get audiences excited to watch these future shows, so in a way, great job Marvel Studios and Marvel Animation on the foreshadowing/marketing.
Like always, what disappoints with this show is the overarching story that involves Captain Carter and The Watcher. This two-part finale was great; although the first part slightly dragged in areas, it was used to introduce two new characters to the show while beginning to develop the situation our characters were stuck in. “What If…The Watcher disappeared?” sees the official introduction of Storm (Alison Sealy-Smith) into the MCU unless you personally count X-Men ’97 as part of the many universes that exist within the MCU. We also get to see Natasha Lyonne in her first role in the MCU before she makes her appearance in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Here she plays an original character called Byrdie who’ll be familiar to viewers who paid extra attention while watching this season.
The action that takes place in this episode is the best action that has been seen throughout the whole show and is very befitting of a series finale. It heavily takes inspiration from anime with an epic, explosive, planet-shattering battle that will easily be crowned as one of the best fights in the entirety of the MCU. It’s an extremely satisfying and emotional conclusion, as there are sacrifices that pay off well and don’t feel cheap. With all that being said, as beautiful as the ending to the show is, it still pains me that we’ll never get any more seasons of What If…?. It feels like the biggest missed opportunity to not divert from their overarching story, which has closed, and to officially turn the show into a structured anthology series.
Overall, What If…? Season 3 is a satisfying conclusion to the show, which finally takes its stories and concepts above and beyond. Finally exploring possibilities that are genuinely beyond insane but also work so well within the confines of the show. Out of the eight episodes, there is only one episode that disappointed, and for What If…?, that’s impressive. It had great character writing with high-octane action sequences, from Shang Chi’s ferocious punches to Storm’s electric godlike abilities. It’s unfortunate that this has to be the end of the show, but hopefully, it can be reworked in the near future to allow an even better iteration of What If…? where we can get various animation styles across the many stories being told within the vast multiverse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What If…? Season 3 releases on December 22 with episodes releasing daily through December 29.
