Marvel Studios’ first animated series What If…? is all set to premiere on Disney Plus and will be forcing fans to look at some big events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a different light. Back in 2019, Marvel boss Kevin Feige had announced that a 10-episode first and second season had been ordered for What If…? However, things seem to be changing as the premiere date approaches.
In an interview with Collider, Brad Winderbaum, executive producer of What If…?, revealed that the ongoing pandemic had forced the studio to change the original plan of 10 episodes per season. One of the episodes from the first season has been pushed into season 2, as it wasn’t possible to have it ready to go before the August 11 premiere date. While the initial plans included 20 episodes, 10 per season, What If…? will now consist of nine episodes per season, and so 18 in total.
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The change is due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected several other projects Marvel Studios had scheduled to release in both 2020 and 2021. When the first set of lockdowns were announced in March 2020, the production schedule for What If…? was largely affected. The studio will be losing out on two episodes, but they are staying positive about bringing the unique stories to the fans. Among the confirmed episodes for season 1 are the ones where Peggy Carter takes the super-soldier serum and becomes Captain Carter.
Each episode of the animated series will likely cover a different event from the MCU’s timeline, making every one unique in its own way. Therefore, the studio didn’t set a mandate on the runtime, allowing the writers to be as creative as they wanted. But, it has now been revealed that each episode of What If…? will be approximately 30 minutes in length. That is very similar to most of the episodes in Marvel Studios' first series WandaVision. The six episodes of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki had a longer runtime.
In the upcoming animated series, several cast members from the MCU will be seen returning to reprise their roles, including Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, among others. One of the performances that fans are looking forward to most is that of Chadwick Boseman, as this will be the actor's final performance as Black Panther.
After his death, the role of Black Panther has not been recast in the live-action MCU films. The show will not feature many of the main MCU stars though, including the A-listers Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man and Chris Evans as Captain America.
What If…? will begin streaming on Disney Plus on August 11, 2021.
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Source: Collider
