Marvel’s What If is coming in August, and after the success of WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, it seems like not a lot is riding on Marvel’s first animated series. But the truth is, What If… has the opportunity to change the MCU going forward, in ways no other Disney+ property of feature film can even come close to.

To understand how, it’s important to know the concept behind the show. What If… explores what would happen if some of the major moments in the MCU occurred differently. Among the moments teased in the first trailer for the show were Killmonger saving Tony Stark from the kidnapping that would turn him into Iron Man, T’Challa being abducted by the Reavers instead of Peter Quill, and Peggy Carter taking the serum instead of Steve Rogers and becoming Captain Carter. All these interesting alternate scenarios will be explored in animated form, with many of the MCU’s biggest stars returning to voice the characters that made them household names, including Chadwick Boseman’s final appearance voicing T’Challa.

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“Time, reality …it’s changeable,” the voiceover in the trailer teased, with the same voice going on to declare that “every universe is different.” This isn’t exactly a new concept for Marvel in general. The comics have dealt with the multiverse in multiple properties. The multiverse has also been set up in the MCU already, with most of the upcoming feature films, from Spider-Man: No Way Home to Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness dealing directly with the concept. What What If … promises, however, is something different than those films are set to explore.

What If Marvel Studios Disney Plus

It’s basically the AU concept in fanfic, made animated series. And there’s a reason why the AU tag is one of the most popular ones in every fandom. Fans have always been drawn to the idea introduced in this show – what if things were different? How would our favorite characters react? What would happen if the characters from one franchise met the characters from another, or if they all met during different circumstances? Would they become friends? Would two people who haven’t yet met, but who seem very compatible on paper, fall in love?

Marvel’s first test of whether something like this would work was the Loki TV series. The show used the same actor and presented basically an alternate timeline, with a character that was the one fans knew, but in many ways, wasn’t. His growth in the show has not followed the path the Loki fans were attached to took. And yet, that hasn’t really mattered to people. The show still has an episode to go, but based on audience reaction, there is space in people’s hearts for not just one Loki, or two, but an infinite number of Variants.

This means that What If… can be more than just a fun test study into what could have happened. The show can instead be used to gauge audience reception to certain alternate storylines. If a storyline proves to be particularly well-received, well, the multiverse has already been established. The characters or situations in that particular scenario can always be brought back, their storylines presented in What If … expanded. The multiverse presents an infinite number of possibilities, and What If … is the perfect way for the studio to gauge which ones are worth investing in.

What If Doctor Strange Marvel Studios Disney Plus

Loki was an easy gamble, as Tom Hiddleston’s performance and the general popularity of Loki promised that fans would invest in whatever version of the God of Mischief they could get. The success of one show focused on one character, however, doesn’t ensure the success of other shows focused on other characters. And as good as What If … would be as a test of what could work, it’s unlikely Marvel wants to dedicate a full-length movie or even a Disney+ series to every possibility. That’s the point of the show to begin with, and Marvel has plenty of other characters waiting for their own chance to shine to focus on too many alternate versions of other characters.

This, however, doesn’t mean the show can’t – and shouldn’t be used as a test not just of what characters could be further explored, but what storylines get the most buzz. This could help determine not just actor’s contracts going forward, but also the order in what new characters could join the MCU. Comic books are notorious for having at least two, sometimes more characters, who are pretty similar. It serves to reason that if fans react positively to one, and the studio isn’t interesting in bringing that character back, they could always focus on the dupe.

Either way, What If… offers Marvel the opportunity to test out so much of what will shape the MCU going forward. It’s a brilliant move, because the studio is offering the kind of entertainment fans are always hungry for, in a way that allows them to collect information on what the audience wants. But then again, Marvel is notorious for making these kinds of moves. Let’s just hope that if – when – fans fall in love with one of the alternate versions presented in the show, Marvel is ready and willing to give more to us.

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