It appears that one of the most unique elements of the Marvel Comics universe is making its way into the MCU via Disney’s upcoming streaming service, Disney+. According to Slashfilm, Marvel Studios will be producing a “What If” animated series for the direct-to-consumer platform.
Comic book fans love daydreaming about alternate universes and possibilities, and Marvel Comics helped influence this trend by imagining what the Marvel universe would look like if critical moments has gone down a bit differently. For instance, “What if Captain America had not vanished during World War II” gave readers a look at how different the world would have been if Cap had stuck around his own time and influenced history.
These typically played on a memorable comic book moment and involved crossovers between different characters in the Marvel Universe. Each What If issue was a fun thought experiment outside of the weekly stories of long-running comics.
If the Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting the same treatment, fans are in store for some off-beat alternate universe entertainment.
According to Slashfilm, the series would be an anthology, with individual episodes each tackling a single idea. Under those parameters, it would be far easier to get the big-name thespians of the MCU to reprise their roles in a voice acting capacity — quite a bit more realistic than asking Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Hemsworth to sign on for a full live-action series.
Disney+ is still expected to feature a few live-action series featuring the original actors of the MCU. A Loki series with Tom Hiddleston is in the works; incidentally, Slashfilm’s example of an animated “What If” episode set for the new series is based around the comic issue “What if Loki had found the hammer of Thor?” Live action series for notable pairs Scarlet Witch and Vision, and Falcon and Winter Soldier are also slated for Disney+.
The “What If” series would join other previously announced Marvel animation on the platform; a new adult-focused “Offenders” group of series is in development which focuses on obscure characters like M.O.D.OK., Howard the Duck, Tigra and Dazzler, and Hit-Monkey. Those series will be overseen be Jeff Loeb, while Kevin Feige will take the lead on “What if.”
Source: Slashfilm
Image: Marvel’s What If Vol. 1 #26
