Marvel’s What If… ? Season 2 creators discuss what fans can expect in the upcoming nine episodes during the special screening Q&A session, which was moderated by Brandon Davis from ComicBook.com.
Following a special screening on the Walt Disney Studios lot, What If… ? creators discuss what fans can expect in season two of the animated series, which turns the MCU on its head. The premise of the show is based on the comic book series of the same name, where viewers discover how things would play out differently if an event changed. The series is narrated by The Watcher, who is voiced by Jeffrey Wright.
The Q&A session panel, which was moderated by Brandon Davis from ComicBook.com, included AC Bradley (Writer and Executive Producer), Bryan Andrews (Director and Executive Producer), and Matthew Chauncey (Writer and Producer).
Matthew Chauncey confesses that part of the fun with the series is that the MCU has a lot of toys that they can play with to offer, and they have none of the responsibility of exactly fitting into a larger narrative. “But the challenge is we only have, sometimes, twenty-two minutes to tell these stories. The hope is that unlike some of the live action movies that deal with multiverse stuff, What If…? is the show where you actually get to live in these alternate realities for the whole story.”
Chauncey goes on to say, “Hopefully it’s filling in that larger canvas and creating the stakes of the multiverse for those live action movies. ‘Cause I think sometimes when you’re dealing with the multiverse, you’re like, oh, if there’s an infinite number of Peggy Carters, what does it matter if you lose one? But I think hopefully our show is making you invest in all of these worlds, in all of these characters, so that you realize everything in this multiverse really does matter.”
What If… ? Season 2: Creators Discuss What To Expect
In regards to what fans can expect from the upcoming season, AC Bradley teases a little of the 1602 episode. “That was the one where we had the most fun and went a little nutty. Like, what’s the weirdest we can get with these characters? What is the most different outfits and personas that we can put them through? I don’t want to talk any more about it, but people who have read the comic kind of probably know what I mean.”
For season 2, What If… ? is being released a little differently. There are nine episodes coming to Disney+ daily over the holidays, starting on December 22nd. Bryan Andrews explains that while they were not the ones deciding the release schedule, they were excited about it, thinking it could really be a fantastic thing. “Once the trailer was out and it was announced, some of the reaction has been so positive. It’s right during the holidays. It’s like every day you get a brand new gift. It’s pretty cool.”
Michael Douglas is back again this season, voicing Hank Pym and everyone on the panel just gushes about how great he is. Andrews says. “He is such a pro. He just comes in, he’s just like, ‘Yep, what are we doing?’ And he just gives it. He’s such a magician. It’s amazing. It’s like three takes, boom, boom, boom. Each one is uniquely different, but all on point for what you need character-wise, emotion, story.” He also adds that Douglas is a joy to work with.
Matthew Chauncey, when talking about Captain Peggy Carter and the Watcher, says that their journeys mirror one another. “I think part of the fun of watching their journey throughout the show is they’re mirrors for one another, and I think the Watcher is gonna reckon with some of the choices that he made in season one through how he engages and watches Captain Carter navigate her life in these episodes, which is cool.”
Bryan Andrews teases, “There was an episode at the end of season one, where we left on a little bit of a cliffhanger. And in this season, we pick up at a certain point where that left off. So in essence, one can think, it’s like Black Widow was in that episode. So therefore, she kind of makes a reappearance.”
Kahhori: A New MCU Character
When asked about the new MCU character that they created just for What If… ?, AC immediately jumps in saying she’s amazing, before shouting out Ryan Little, who wrote the episode.
AC adds, “Also to the entire Mohawk community, who really backed us up. I remember our first Zooms about that. It was April 2020, and it was really fun. We got Disney Diversity on the phone, and we told them the episode.”
She explains that Disney Diversity then called the Smithsonian to connect with the Museum of the Native American to get them involved. “And so from day one, we were talking to people. We brought them in for everything from design, story, costuming, music. It was really a collaborative effort, and we were so lucky to get all the help. It was really kind of amazing and beautiful.” AC says she is very, very proud that we were able to pull that episode off.
In regards to that episode, Bryan Andrews says that it is pretty incredible. “It was one of the early ideas we had, because what bigger what if is there than, what if colonialization didn’t happen? What if the Europeans didn’t come here? And that’s, at least for me, what I keyed into. But we needed more, and when talking with the consultants and getting into their belief system and the rest, we were able to totally find an in that was solid and worked.”
He also explains that Ryan was instrumental for the episode. “He was so fantastic. He was super point on this and really working with the consultants a ton to bring this character to life. But it was incredible the work that the vis/dev team did and our art team did with the locales, because when the consultants would see the artwork finally, after giving a few notes and things like that, they were amazed. They wrote us a letter saying that they felt for the first time that their people were honestly being represented in media.”
He goes on to talk about how the First Nations tribal community is coming together for a screening of the episode, and that they are excited to show it to their families and kids because it is all in their language. “The whole episode is subtitled and that hasn’t been done before. And so they are beyond the moon for it, so we’re really proud of that.” The decision to have the episode be in their language was always the plan, and was heavily supported by the studio.
What If… ? premieres exclusively on Disney+ December 22nd, with a new episode following every evening until December 30th.
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About What If… ? Season 2
Season two of “What If…?” continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU. The series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles. Featuring fan-favorite characters this season like Nebula, Hela and Happy Hogan, episodes are directed by executive producer Bryan Andrews with executive producer AC Bradley as head writer.
What If… ? premieres exclusively on Disney+ December 22nd,
with a new episode following every evening until December 30th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.