Now officially coming to Disney Plus in 2023, Marvel’s What If…? season 2 is almost here. The first season did quite well amongst fans and was confirmed for a second season before the debut episodes had finished airing. Much like before, Marvel Studios confirmed at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con that the series has already been picked up for a season 3, even though season 2 hasn’t even aired yet.
A lot of Marvel viewers have been speculating about which storylines the MCU will explore in season 2, especially now that the show’s creators held a screening for an episode from the season, which fans attending Comic-Con got to watch. Despite its massive success, no series is perfect and What If…? could definitely improve these three areas in season 2.
Tonal Balance
A majority of episodes from season 1 were pretty dark and heavy in tone, with there being virtually no hope for the characters and the world around them. This almost implied that if the live-action MCU movies and shows didn’t go down the way they did, the world would have never been saved.
Finding ways to incorporate more positive endings could be enjoyable for fans, not necessarily to eliminate the darker, more serious tone in its entirety, but to show that there are plenty of different outcomes possible when it comes to the Marvel world. Just because something in What If…? didn’t happen the same way it did in Marvel’s live-action films, that doesn’t mean it’s going to lead to total destruction.
Throughout season 1, when something turns out better for one hero, it typically does damage to others. In episode 2, for example, T’Challa ends up being Star-Lord. This had a pretty big impact on the world, since he convinced Thanos to abandon his genocide plans, and it’s eventually revealed that Drax’s wife and daughter were never killed. Although this is good news for one Guardian, another is about to embark on a journey of chaos.
Since T’Challa was taken as a child instead of Peter Quill, Peter grew up on Earth. When Peter’s father finds him, the Watcher admits that this series of events will most likely lead to the end of the world, since Peter and Ego will use their Celestial powers to destroy the universe. Overall, things aren’t looking great for the world anymore.
The multiverse is meant to be composed of infinite possibilities, so not every ending has to hint at there being death and ruin for the universe in the future. It’s still entirely possible that the heroes come out victorious on the other side, even if things don’t go according to the live-action MCU plan.
More Character Variety
Given the stand-alone nature of each episode, the opportunity to include multiple characters in a single season is greater in What If…? than any other MCU project created thus far. Since each episode doesn’t have to connect with each other and focus on the same plots and people, there’s plenty of room to give a wider range of characters the spotlight.
Leaning away from the heroes featured in season 1 and bringing in characters that debuted in Phase 4, or giving minor characters center stage for a change would bring more variety to the series. By focusing more on the live-action newcomers or lovable side characters, the What If...? creators would likely have an exorbitant amount of creative liberty, since a lot of these characters haven’t had their stories and personalities fully flushed out yet.
Crazier Stories
The concept of What If…? is extremely innovative, and it’s rare that a franchise as popular as the Marvel Cinematic Universe creates a series with the sole purpose of rewriting its majorly successful projects and heroes. With all that being said, however, a lot of the episodes from season 1 seemed plausible, in terms of the Marvel Universe.
Aside from the episode about zombies, most of the season 1 storylines focused on small changes that led to a larger chain reaction. Episodes like “What If…Ultron Won?” and “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?” drew pretty heavily on previous live-action MCU films. The stories for these episodes weren’t too wild and shocking, as many fans expected the series to be. Ultron winning instead of the Avengers or Peggy Carter getting the super soldier serum instead of Steve were relatively small alterations to the MCU stories fans already know, especially in the grand scheme of the multiverse.
Season 2 should include more episodes like “What If… Zombies?!” because it steps outside the box superhero worlds are often contained in. What If…? is in a league of its own, between the mostly self-contained episodes and animated style. This makes the series a great opportunity for the writers to touch on plot points that don’t fit in the live-action MCU, or conform to the brand Marvel Studios has spent over 10 years making.
By putting the characters in situations fans would never expect to see them in, What If…? season 2 could captivate audiences with brand-new, crazy ideas that take the series to the next level.
What If…? season 2 premiers on Disney Plus in 2023.