The head writer of Marvel Studios' ongoing What If...? series, A.C. Bradley, discussed the popular show's runtime and random cliffhangers. The What If...? series has been critiqued by fans who have had an issue with both of these aspects of the show, with many feeling the episodes end too abruptly.
The What If...? animated series is based on the comic books of the same name, which follow a cosmic being known as The Watcher. This individual is able to see multiple realities, alternate universes, and different storylines that divert from the original MCU timeline. The Marvel Cinematic Universe serves as the current or original canon timeline for the franchise, while What If...? diverts from the film storylines that fans have come to know and love.
Bradley addressed many of the critiques towards the show on the new episode of Deadline's Hero Nation Podcast. "What If...? comics ended abruptly and really dark to prove that the main timeline is the better timeline. We’ve used that as our reason to cut stories off a little bit shorter," she explained. The writer went on to say that all of these What If...? episodes had the potential of being 45 minutes. However, due to "animation and Covid," they had to cut the episodes a little bit shorter than what they had planned.
Bradley also admitted that despite wanting to stay true to the comics, they were restricted to only using MCU characters. "For Marvel Zombies, we went back to the original run and pulled some of the storylines from that because it was so much fun and it’s a huge cult classic, she explained. "So, when it came to adapting, you pick the best parts, but you can’t show every moment."
This may not come as a surprise to many hardcore fans considering a big component of these stories that's missing (even in the original canon storyline) is the X-Men. Many may not know, but the Civil War storyline featured multiple superheroes, including the X-Men, while the film version included a smaller roster of heroes.
The episodes of What If...? have had many storylines from the films touched upon during its current run, with a second season rumored to be coming sometime next year. There's a potential for Marvel Studios and Disney to take what they learned from this run and apply it to the next season. Hopefully, they do better a job at getting an overall positive consensus for fans and critics alike.
What If...? debuts new episodes on Wednesdays on Disney Plus.
Source: Deadline