A lot of superhero devotees just witnessed Loki Season 2’s wacky and emotional finale and, already the mighty machine at Disney is already toting the next entry on the schedule of upcoming Marvel shows. As has been reported over the past few weeks, Disney+ subscribers are now about to dive back into the multiverse by way of What If…? Season 2. The animated series made a major impression when it debuted in 2021 and, based on the first trailer for the new season, it’ll expand on the lore in kooky and fun ways. In this footage alone, we get a glimpse of a new hero and a taste of a pitch-perfect Die Hard joke I need more of. On top of that, the show’s sweet release schedule has also been revealed.
What If…? follows Uatu – a.k.a The Watcher – who presides over the multiverse and tells stories of the happenings in the various universes and timelines. So in this trailer, you can see a reality in which Hank Pym, the Winter Soldier, T’Chaka and others team up to stop a boy that appears to be young Peter Quill. There also seems to be a world in which the Ten Rings organization goes to war with the forces of Asgard. I’m also stuck on that Christmas episode, which sees Kat Dennings’ Darcy Lewis name-dropping Con Air and Under Siege before Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan references John McClane. (I really hope there’s more to that bit.)
As previously mentioned though, this season will also introduce a totally new superhero to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – Kahhori. The character will be established as a young Mohawk woman, who encounters the Tesseract after it falls to Earth ahead of American colonization. Per the studio, she’ll then use the cosmic object to discover her abilities. It’s unclear as to whether the character will make the jump to the live-action realm after her debut but, if she proves popular, that may be a possibility.
Marvel’s What If: 5 Big Things Set Up For Season 2 After The Season 1 Finale
We also have to point out the release strategy that the House of Mouse is using for these nine installments. Per the trailer, after Season 2’s debut on December 22, a new episode will be released every day. That’s certainly a sweet holiday gift for the fans, and it’s somewhat reminiscent of the days when cartoons dropped new episodes weekly Monday through Friday. It’s a unique way to handle this MCU release, and I’m so here for it.
When it comes to narrative threads, there are few things that have been known about What If…? Season 2. It was confirmed last year at San Diego Comic-Con that Captain Carter would return and team up with Black Widow to take down Steve Rogers (a.k.a. the HYDRA Stomper). There were also rumors that Cate Blanchett’s Hela would be back in the fold, and she’s certainly visible in the clip show above.
Something that’s particularly exciting to me is that the series is now employing storylines related to MCU Phase Four productions. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is clearly represented, based on that aforementioned Ten Rings timeline. Also, the Wanda Maximoff that's shown appears to be similar to the one fans saw in WandaVision and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The Marvel show’s Season 1 episodes (which we ranked) were a lot of fun, as the stories drew inspiration from different genres and tackled fan-favorite characters in eclectic ways. I’m excited to see that the new episodes will seemingly build on that approach. With multiversal mayhem, MCU action and references to beloved action flicks in tow, I can’t imagine not enjoying this. So you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m telling you why. Because the Watcher is coming to town, and he’s bringing plenty of stories with him this year!
While you wait for What If…? Season 2 to debut on December 9 as part of the 2023 TV schedule, binge the first season on Disney+.
