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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting animated, with ‘more to come’ after ‘What If…?’
The Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand. We’ve had the movies for over a decade, with three more coming out later this year and four(!) more dropping in 2022. We’ve also got the Marvel Disney+ shows, which have just starting nabbing up Emmy nominations galore. But the upcoming Disney+ show, What If…?, is MCU’s first foray into animation. And according to Victoria Alonso, Marvel’s executive VP of film production, it won’t be the company’s last.
“We’re going to have our animation branch and mini studio, and there will be more to come from that as well,” Alonso told Variety at this year's NALIP Media Summit. “We’re super excited about animation, which is my first love.”
According to Alonso, What If…? will be only the first of many animated projects that will take place in the MCU. Part of the impetus for Marvel branching out has to do with the launch of Disney+.
“When the chance of being a part of this streaming world came about, we were beyond excited because all of a sudden we could actually give the fans far more than a quarter of a page or three cool moves,” she said.
The medium of the small screen allowed for deeper dives into previous ancillary characters like Wanda, Vision, and Loki. With the animated What If…?, fans will now get to enjoy deep dives into hypotheticals, like what if Peggy Carter got Super Soldier serum instead of Steve Rodgers. The benefit of animation is it allows Marvel to make these changes without the big budget of a live-action production.
Marvel branching out further into animation begs the question: what animated series (or movie?!) will the MCU tackle next? There’s an expansive Marvel library to choose from, and the possibilities seem endless. We're holding out hope for a Howard the Duck spinoff series.
What If…? will premiere Aug. 11 on Disney+.
