In Review: Marvel’s What If…? Season 3

Synopsis: Exploring pivotal moments from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and turning them on their head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.

The Stories

The final season of Marvel’s What If…? fully embraces its experimental nature, delivering a true pick-and-mix of genres before rounding things off with a figurative home run.

The season kicks off with Hulk facing the Mech Avengers. In this tale, Bruce Banner’s attempt to rid himself of the green beast backfires, creating an even greener, meaner version of the Hulk. This new incarnation is so powerful that even the mighty Mech Avengers struggle to keep up.

In the second episode, we dive into an alternate history where Agatha Harkness becomes a Hollywood star in the 1930s. Mixing her own magic with a touch of movie magic, Agatha captivates audiences, with enthusiastic filmmaker and fanboy Howard Stark capturing it all on camera. But Howard is unaware of Agatha’s far bigger, more sinister agenda.

The third episode explores what might have happened if the Red Guardian had managed to prevent the Winter Soldier from killing Howard Stark. This is followed by a quirky and unexpected story featuring Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis. The unlikely pair gets married and finds themselves fighting to protect their unhatched child—an egg that plays a surprising role in the season’s final episodes.

The tone shifts to something more serious as we approach the finale. Riri Williams battles to dismantle an authoritarian regime, leading to world-ending stakes that force The Watcher to intervene. The series then ventures into the Old West, where Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye and Shang-Chi team up on a mission to rescue his sister.

As the season barrels toward its conclusion, The Watcher is captured by The Eminence and put on trial for interfering with the natural order. Thankfully, a team of heroes—Captain Carter, Storm (now the God of Thunder), Kahhori, and Byrdie (Howard the Duck and Darcy’s daughter)—unites to take on The Eminence and rescue their Watcher.

The Voice Acting

The voice acting throughout this series is top-notch, as many of the actors who portray these characters in live-action return to their roles, with the odd exception.

Jeffrey Wright continues to deliver the goods as The Watcher, sharing some brilliant interactions in the final two episodes with The Eminence, masterfully voiced by Jason Isaacs. Hayley Atwell reprises her role as Peggy Carter, playing a pivotal part in the series finale. Joining Atwell are Devery Jacobs as Kahhori, Alison Sealy-Smith as Storm, and Natasha Lyonne as the bold and brassy Byrdie—who is unmistakably Howard the Duck’s daughter. Together, this group of women forms a formidable team, stepping up to save the day.

In the episode featuring Howard the Duck, we’re treated to an all-star cast, including Kat Dennings and Seth Green. They’re joined by Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Josh Brolin, and nearly all of the major players from the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Howard and Darcy battle to save their little egg.

Overall

What If…? closes things out on a strong note, but it saddens me that they’ve decided to call it quits on this show. The potential for endless Elseworlds-style stories was truly limitless. As a fan of the comic book series that inspired the show, I would have loved to see some of the original What If…? stories from the ’70s and ’80s adapted for the screen. Imagine seeing Spider-Man joining the Fantastic Four or exploring what might happen if Thanos joined the Avengers—those reinterpretations could have been incredible.

Who knows? Maybe Marvel will revisit the What If…? universe at some point in the future, this time drawing inspiration from the comic books instead of the cinematic universe. If they do, this fanboy would absolutely be on board.