It’s time to enter the multiverse. Marvel Studios dropped the first trailer for the upcoming animated series “What If...?”
What the “What If...?” trailer showed us:
“What If...?” will focus on untold stories where our main Marvel Cinematic Universe characters experience different fates and storylines than they normally faced. Basically, we’re seeing examples of how their lives turned out in different universes.
- For example, the trailer opens with the early scene from “Iron Man.” But Tony Stark, who is captured by a group of terrorists, is saved by Kilmonger from “Black Panther.”
- We see a number of new characters in different roles, including Black Panther teaming up with Yondu, and Peggy Carter taking on the role as Captain Carter — a British version of Captain America.
- And yes, there are even zombies in the trailer.
What Easter eggs appeared in the “What If...?” trailer
Social media tweeted a number of stills of what we might have seen in the trailer.
What should we expect from the “What If...?” series?
As I wrote for the Deseret News, “What If...?” will feature individual stories dedicated to massive changes to the MCU. For example, we will learn what will happen if Peggy Carter became a super soldier instead of Steve Rogers.
- Major Marvel actors reprised their roles for the show, including Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston and the late Chadwick Boseman.
“What If...?” will also introduce the Watcher, who will be voiced by Jeffrey Wright. In the Marvel comics, the Watchers are aliens who look over the Marvel multiverses and monitor what happens. This is different than the Time Keepers referenced in “Loki.”
It’s unclear if the timelines will interfere with what’s going on with the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe storyline. But the multiverse has been hinted at in “Loki” and “WandaVision,” which suggests these stories may be happening in an alternate timeline or reality, but won’t directly impact events in the MCU. It’s unclear if these stories will have direct consequences on the Marvel timeline.
When does “What If...?” come out?
“What If...?” hits Disney+ on Aug. 11.