How Marvel's What If Season 1 Was Almost WAY Different (& Why It Changed)

Marvel's What If...? season 1 was initially going to be way different from what was presented on screen. Season 1 of What If...? saw The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) present alternate realities inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe's newly-opened multiverse after the events of Loki Season 1. At the end of the season, many characters from the episode's alternate realities, including Captain Carter (Hayley Atwell), Party Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Doctor Strange Supreme (Benedict Cumberbatch), and T'Challa Star-Lord (Chadwick Boseman) assembled as The Guardians of the Multiverse to defeat a newly-reincarnated version of Ultron (Ross Marquand), who threatened the multiverse.

What If...? was the MCU's first animated series, and presented a unique blend of 2D and 3D animation. The show cracked open the multiverse in a way that wasn't even possible in live-action titles like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. It was also a way for Marvel Studios to introduce alternate versions of popular characters before they made their way to the big screen. Captain Carter made her live-action debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as a member of the Illuminati, before she would be brutally killed by the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).

Now, the show's director, Bryan Andrews, revealed during a at the LightBox Expo, via Laughing Place, that their plans for season 1 was initially very different. The director had worked on more than 30 concepts for episodes, which ultimately got brought down to 9 episodes for season 1. In addition to comics, his iration of The Twilight Zone inspired the series. Twilight Zone's frequent change in style and aesthetic based on its anthology-style storytelling was something he wanted for What If. However, because of budgetary constraints, the episodes ultimately shared a similar look and took cues from film noir with "dimly-lit sets," to ease the workflow for the animators working on the backgrounds.

Why Marvel's What If...? Style Works For The Show

While Andrews' initial vision for What If...? was drastically different than what was presented on screen, the animation's "film noir" style works well for the show. Instead of having a different style in each episode, the show's style has visual cohesion throughout the episodes. While it isn't the most polished animated style, the blend of 2D and 3D works particularly well during action sequences, especially when its main heroes accomplish feats that likely couldn't easily be shot in live-action, even with the best CGI and the biggest budget possible.

With What If...? season 2 and Marvel Zombies around the corner, audiences should expect the same consistent style throughout all seasons and spinoffs of the show. But that doesn't mean that the creators can't have fun with audience expectations and how the style will be represented, with Marvel Zombies being the MCU's first TV-MA-rated Disney+ show. Fans should expect lots of blood and gore, which would likely give the traditional What If...? style a rather violent upgrade. Little is currently known about What If...? season 2, other than its first episode will pick up after season 1's finale left off, but it will release on Disney+ in early 2023.

Next: Scarlet Witch Could Still Break The MCU's Multiverse

Source: Laughing Place