Every MCU What If…? Pitch Marvel Didn’t Include In The MCU Multiverse Series (2025)

Since it first premiered in August 2021, the creators of Marvel Animation's What If...? have confirmed a number of episode pitches that unfortunately didn't get included in the popular MCU multiverse series. Jeffrey Wright made his MCU debut in What If...? season 1 as the voice of the Watcher, an enigmatic cosmic being who watches over and narrates alternate versions of classic MCU stories. What If...? was an instant hit for Marvel Studios, and its popularity increased with 2023's season 2, but the series is disappointingly ending after What If...? season 3.

What If...?'s three seasons have delivered some brilliant twists on well-known MCU stories, and have introduced a plethora of exciting variants to the MCU. Audiences have seen Peggy Carter become a super soldier, Doctor Strange become a villain, Ultron acquire the Infinity Stones, Happy Hogan become a Hulk and the Tesseract empower a new Native American hero, among many other stories. What If...? season 3 will explore more alternate worlds, but there are many other narrative pitches that were never included in the Disney+ series.

16 Jane Foster Becomes The Mighty Thor

Jane Foster Became The Mighty Thor In Thor: Love & Thunder

Shortly after Marvel's D23 presentation in 2019, former What If...? showrunner A. C. Bradley spoke to Discussing Film and revealed that there had been plans to include Jane Foster's Mighty Thor in What If...? season 1. Bradley notes that she was told that "that was never going to happen," with the explanation that What If...? couldn't have the Mighty Thor because she was set to make her live-action debut in 2022's Thor: Love and Thunder. Now that she has appeared in live-action, however, she could be revisited in What If...?.

We’re all big fans of the comics, and we do use those to a degree. Our first weeks there, I very strongly pitched doing the Mighty Thor/Jane Foster Thor. Jane wielding the hammer, I believe, first happened in a What If comic. I was very poignantly told that was never going to happen. I got a little angry and thought, 'Why? Because they don’t want a woman holding the hammer?' I was very politely told, 'No we’re doing it.' I was like, 'What?' 'We’re doing it in the movies. You can’t do it.' I was like, 'Seriously?' They responded with, 'Please don’t tell anyone. We’re with you on it. It’s an amazing idea. Taika Waititi wants to write it.' At that point, you just go, 'Then Taika Waiti can write it!'

It's unclear what story would have been told for Jane Foster's Mighty Thor in What If...?, though it's possible this could have been similar to her evolution in the MCU's Phase 4. This took notes from her Marvel Comics storyline, which saw her wield Mjolnir while also battling with cancer, so this surely would have been an emotional What If...? reality. What If...? season 3 is set to introduce another Mjolnir-wielding hero in the form of X-Men member Storm, so she could take on some of the ideas originally pitched for Jane Foster in season 1.

15 Professor Hulk & Old Man Steve Rogers

Smart Hulk & Old Man Steve Rogers Already Debuted In Avengers: Endgame

Similarly to Jane Foster's Mighty Thor, the creators of What If...? also hoped to introduce Professor Hulk and an elderly version of Steve Rogers' Captain America in season 1, both of whom then appeared in 2019's Avengers: Endgame. Speaking to Total Film Magazine (via The Direct), A. C. Bradley reiterated her comments about the Mighty Thor before expressing her early hopes for these other characters to appear. Old Man Steve Rogers had only a very minor role in Endgame, however, while Smart Hulk's emergence is still a mystery.

The next day, I had a call and they said, 'If you can guess what we're doing in the big MCU, you can definitely handle the weird MCU.' And that was back in October 2018... My first week, I wanted to do Jane Foster Thor and I was told no... I went into a whole feminist rant of why characters are important and why they're necessary and why a woman needs to be able to wield the hammer and then they were like, 'Yeah, we're gonna do it in live-action...' I also pitched old-man Steve and Professor Hulk... this was before they let me see Endgame.

This could have provided What If...? with the opportunity to fill in some of the gaps in the MCU's main narrative. The animated series could have shown audiences exactly how Bruce Banner combined his human and Hulk personas during the five-year-long Blip in Endgame, and could have been used to detail Steve Rogers' mission to return the Infinity Stones to their respective timelines, eventually retiring into old age with Peggy Carter. This is still a possibility for the MCU's future.

14 Iron Man & Pepper Potts’ Space Romance

Pepper Potts Made Her First Appearance As Rescue In Avengers: Endgame

During a conversation with SyFy in August 2021, A. C. Bradley revealed that she had also pitched a "romantic Odyssey idea" that would have seen Tony Stark and Pepper Potts in an epic space-faring romance story. Stark and Potts' romance was at the core of the MCU's Iron Man franchise, but perhaps never saw the development it really deserved. Bradley wanted Pepper to finally suit up in the Rescue suit, which she did in Marvel Comics in 2009, not knowing that Pepper received this blue Iron Man-esque armor in Avengers: Endgame.

I've since learned how to read Kevin [Feige]'s smirk, because in my original pitch, I had this whole romantic Odyssey idea. And I was like, 'And then Pepper's in the rescue suit,' and there was a smirk. And I went, 'Come on! Pepper Potts deserves an Iron Man suit.' And he went, 'I'm sure she does.' And I was like, 'What does that mean?' And then, of course, Endgame comes out, and I'm like, 'Oh, the girl got one. Good. Good!'

It's unclear which MCU story this space romance story for Iron Man and Pepper Potts' Rescue would have followed on from, as Potts never found herself in space, while the only time Stark did prior to Avengers: Infinity War was very briefly in The Avengers. What If...? season 2 explored an alternate aftermath of Iron Man finding himself in space in The Avengers, but perhaps Stark and Pepper Potts' space-faring romance could have detailed an alternate Infinity War. Pepper Potts may have suited up as Rescue to join Iron Man and Spider-Man in the battle against Thanos.

13 Steve Rogers Becomes Captain HYDRA

Twisting Steve Rogers' Captain America Story Would Have Been Fun

Amid the release of What If...? season 1, A. C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrews sat down with Vanity Fair to reveal more unused pitch ideas from the series. Among them was a story that would have seen Steve Rogers' Captain America fall from the fated train and be taken captive by HYDRA instead of Bucky Barnes. While Barnes became the obedient Winter Soldier, Rogers would have been a version of the Winter Soldier who would "aggressively and openly pursue the cause of his new evil overlords."

My idea was, if Steve fell off the train, we would jump forward in time. Steve Rogers is the kind of man that when he believes something is right, he goes to the ends of the Earth to do it​​​​​​​. But he actually is not a very good soldier. He doesn’t follow orders.​​​​​​​ So if he’s brainwashed by Hydra to believe that Hydra is right, he’s going to go full throttle​​​​​​​. The fun twist is that [one hero] would have been Red Skull, who has now been replaced by Captain Hydra. They would have had to stop [Rogers] and then make him remember who he really is.

There have been calls for a dark version of Captain America to be seen in the MCU's Multiverse Saga, and this episode of What If...? would have showcased exactly that. However, with there already being a core story thread coming off of Captain America: The First Avenger's plot - the emergence of Captain Carter - this may have been unnecessary. Bradley explains that this was the story she pitched to get the job of head writer on What If...?, so as great as it would have been to see in animation, it fulfilled its purpose nonetheless.

12 Young Tony Stark

Tony & Howard Stark's Relationship Would Have Been Explored

Inspired by The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series from the 1990s, Bradley also revealed to Vanity Fair that an early episode pitch explored the dynamic between a young Tony Stark and his father, Howard. The relationship between Tony and Howard has seldom been explored in the MCU, with it only really being alluded to in Iron Man 2 and Avengers: Endgame. Since this relationship between father and son was almost never seen to be stable and entirely loving, it is a gold mine that What If...? could have done some brilliant things with.

I always wanted to do a story looking at the relationship between Tony and Howard Stark​​​​​​​. I’ve always been fascinated by the notion of the sins of the father playing out in the son, and also that age or that moment when a child sees their parent as an actual person, flaws and all, for the first time.​​​​​​​ At the end of the day, Tony Stark is the guy who was never supposed to be the hero, becoming the hero.

This storyline could have shown audiences much more of who Tony Stark was before becoming Iron Man, and perhaps before even assuming a role at Stark Industries. His playboy history has been touched on in the MCU, but it would have been great to see this privileged, hedonistic and unabashed version of Tony Stark in What If...?, though this perhaps would have come too close to the Party Thor storyline in season 1. Even so, it would have been wonderful to see Tony and Howard's bond examined more closely.

11 Loki Becomes A Hero

Loki Became A Bona Fide Hero In Loki Season 2

The creators of What If...? seem to be adept at guessing what is set to occur in the live-action MCU, as not only were the Mighty Thor, Professor Hulk, an elderly Steve Rogers and Pepper Potts' Rescue predicted, but so was a heroic Loki. In a pitch delivered by Bryan Andrews, Loki was seen to be worthy of wielding Mjolnir, perhaps reimagining that now-iconic deleted scene from 2013's Thor: The Dark World. This would have raised huge questions for Loki in the MCU, but was removed because of the developing story of the Loki Disney+ series.

We had Loki with Thor’s hammer, like, Loki was worthy.​​​​​​​ At first it seems superficial, but how do you get to that point without changing who he is?​​​​​​​ You’re given a thousand questions to answer. It’s like, 'Oh, did he stay a Frost Giant? Was Odin not a dick and taught him better?' You know what I mean? There are so many aspects of that life you can explore. They didn’t want us to go there because basically they were doing that in the Loki series.

Marvel Television's Loki series caught up with the variant that escaped during the Time Heist in Avengers: Endgame, though he was rushed through a redemption arc and set to work getting to the bottom of the Time Variance Authority. In 2023's Loki season 2, Tom Hiddleston's God of Mischief became a bona fide hero, taking it upon himself to protect the infinite branches of the ever-growing multiverse. This story was surely far more impactful than any What If...? would have produced, as Loki has now arguably surpassed every other MCU character.

10 Spider-Man Inspired By Kafka

Peter Parker's Spider Transformation May Have Been Too Gruesome

During the 1980s, a visit to the Savage Land ended with Marvel Comics' Peter Parker being transformed into a giant spider-like creature, with his abilities manifesting physically. Man-Spider was almost the focus of a very dark What If...? storyline, as explained by A. C. Bradley to Vanity Fair, with this story taking inspiration from Franz Kafka's 1915 novella, The Metamorphosis, in which an ordinary man wakes up in the form of a giant insect, playing with the uncanny valley. This would have been a shocking MCU story, culminating in a hard "No" from Marvel Studios.

When you’re given the entire toy store to play with, you start thinking, What do I actually want to write?​​​​​​​ I would love to write something that was darker, that’s a little bit more angsty and horror-based. So I was like, 'Ooh, what if there was a *Metamorphosis–*meets–Spider-Man story that’s really dark body horror?' It would have been hard-R for a show that probably your kids will end up watching. It was a little too dark. So I was like, 'Okay, that’s fine. Can I do zombies?' And they said, 'Yes, you can do zombies.' It was definitely Cronenberg. It was definitely me wanting to go real dark​​​​​​​. I wanted to strip that apart. Like, what if the gift you’re given is more of a burden that actually is tearing you apart? How do you cope? How do you survive? How do you still stay a 16-year-old kid when you’re dealing with something far bigger and darker than yourself?​​​​​​​ I wanted to take Peter Parker and put him through the ringer.

Bradley referred to David Cronenberg, who directed MCU veteran Jeff Golblum in 1986's The Fly, which explored a similar body horror story of a man splicing his DNA with a fly and inadvertently becoming a monstrous creature. This story would have been incredibly dark, so perhaps not appropriate for the younger audience of the animated What If...? series. The MCU's Spider-Man hadn't yet experienced the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, too, so What If...? would have delivered his first tragic story in the MCU.

9 Half The Plot Of Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

What If...? Creators Predicted Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3's Storyline

A. C. Bradley opened up about another unused pitch for What If...? season 1 to Kakuchopurei in August 2021, too, which also accurately predicted a following live-action MCU project. While she doesn't reveal exactly what she pitched to Marvel Studios, it seems Bradley managed to unearth "half the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3." James Gunn's final MCU movie examined Rocket Raccoon's history with the High Evolutionary, and explored the variant of Gamora's new relationship to the team and Adam Warlock's arrival in the MCU.

I pitched an entire episode. It took me a couple of days to break it. I was very excited about it. I went to Bryan and was like, 'Here we go, this is what happens, do you think Kevin Feige would approve?' He went, 'Oh, yeah, Kevin would love that, that’s half the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.'

It seems likely that Bradley's pitch for What If...? included the High Evolutionary, as he is one of Marvel Comics' most significant and powerful villains who hadn't yet appeared in the MCU. Chukwudi Iwuji's High Evolutionary was a formidable threat in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and now that he's been seen in live-action, the opportunity is there for him to make an impact in What If...? season 3, though he hasn't been confirmed. It would be fantastic to see more Guardians of the Galaxy stories explored in the MCU's future, whether in animation or live-action.

8 Avengers Vs. Dinosaurs

What If...? Almost Included A Jurassic Park-Inspired Episode

Marvel Studios' Head of Streaming Brad Winderbaum has been outspoken about his passion for What If...?, and has also revealed some unused stories for the animated series. In 2021, Winderbaum explained to Yahoo! Entertainment that the series always tried to examine "philosophical discussions over how far [they] could push" stories, with A. C. Bradley noting that they almost included "Dino-vengers."Inspired by Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, this would have certainly been one of What If...?'s weirder, but most entertaining, episodes.

Dino-vengers​​​​​​​. This is what happens you’re in a room for 12 hours and there’s no windows. I think after a while you start pulling [from] classic movies. And be like, ‘What if we did Jurassic Park?’

Shockingly, there is precedent for this to happen in the pages of Marvel Comics, as the Fantastic Four traveled to an alternate dimension in a recent comic storyline where they found the Avengers to be prehistoric animals rather than superpowered humans. What If...? could have introduced Brachiosaurus Iron Man, Lambeosaurus Captain Marvel and Quetzalcoatlus Black Widow, all of whom appear in Marvel Comics. This may have followed on from a dinosaur's appearance in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but still would have been remarkably strange and very unexpected.

7 Luke Skywalker Becomes An Avenger

Marvel Could Have Crossed Over With Star Wars

There has been speculation of a possible MCU and Star Wars crossover for years, given the fact that both franchises are owned by Disney. In 2021, Bryan Andrews and A. C. Bradley confirmed to Collider that there had been discussions about possibly integrating Luke Skywalker, the Jedi character made famous by Mark Hamill, into What If...?Marvel Studios blocked this, however, noting that What If...? needed some guidelines, and should stay firmly within the bounds of the MCU itself, rather than branching out too far.

Luke Skywalker being introduced as a multiversal member of an Avengers team would surely make many fans of both the MCU and Star Wars franchise very happy. With his access to the Force, Skywalker's power matches that of many superheroes in the MCU, so this would have been interesting to see. Even so, Marvel Studios likely made the right choice when not allowing Skywalker to appear in What If...?, since this would have confused many viewers who may not be familiar with Star Wars, while also unnecessarily combining two vastly different franchises and raising too many questions.

6 Children Of Men With Spider-Man

What If...? Darkest Spider-Man Story May Never Be Told

What If...? season 2 was A. C. Bradley's last, as she has now relinquished control for the final season to Matthew Chauncey, who was a writer on seasons 1 and 2. Nevertheless, Bradley was still fully invested in the series right to the end, and revealed to IGN in December 2023 that she had planned a down-to-Earth, grounded and gritty Children of Men-style storyline featuring Spider-Man for What If...? season 2. Unfortunately, this was "very, very dark," so wasn't included, but many fans of Children of Men will be desperate to know more.

It felt like the world was already ending and we didn't need to add to it​​​​​​​. And so it became kind of an escape and a fun release. However, I did write an episode, which is forever going in a drawer, that was very, very dark. I was calling it ‘Children of Men with Spider Man.’

Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men, released in 2006, explored a world where no new children had been born for almost two decades, until Clive Owen's Theo is tasked with getting a pregnant refugee to safety. It's unclear exactly what story What If...?'s Children of Men-style episode would have explored with Spider-Man at the center, though this could have been reminiscent of 2017's Logan, where no new mutants had been born in 25 years. It's a shame this dark story may never been seen in animation, as it could be a wonderful, mature adventure for a growing Peter Parker.

5 Musicals

Four Musicals Were Plotted For What If...? Season 2

On a lighter note, director Bryan Andrews spoke to Marvel.com in January 2024 and revealed even more unused ideas for What If...? episodes, with the first he brought up being, simply, "Musical."Music has been a crucial part of many MCU stories, particularly Guardians of the Galaxy, Hawkeye, WandaVision and Agatha All Along, so it would have been great to see this in What If...?Andrews confirms "four different" musical ideas, and one of these may be about to be used in the MCU's upcoming What If...? season 3.

There was a musical we wanted to do at one point. We're like, musical! I think we had four different ones that could have gone musical one way or another.

Brad Winderbaum revealed to Screen Rant in August 2024 that one episode of What If...? season 3 would bring Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness back to the MCU after her recent successful run in Agatha All Along. This episode is expected to feature a "giant musical number," which may be inspired by some of Andrews' ideas for What If...? season 2. What If...? season 3's trailer has shown Agatha alongside Eternals member Kingo, so this musical number could be Bollywood inspired, or even another twist on her iconic "Ballad of the Witches' Road."

4 Pet Avengers

The Avengers' Pets Almost Took Center-Stage

With a simple, "We wanted to do Pet Avengers," Bryan Andrews explained everything we needed to know about another pitched idea for What If...? season 2. Marvel Comics' Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers ran for four issues between July and October 2009, and saw the Inhuman pet Lockjaw's intelligence increased, leading to him setting out on a mission to collect the six Infinity Gems with other animal companions to notable heroes. The Pet Avengers would have been great to see in What If...?, especially since a number of pets have already debuted in the MCU.

The only canon appearance of the Inhumans in the MCU has been Anson Mount's cameo as Earth-838's Black Bolt, the Inhuman King and Illuminati member, in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. What If...? season 2 could have introduced more Inhumans to the MCU's multiverse, establishing them as a team who could appear in the MCU's live-action future while giving Lockjaw a brilliant singular storyline of his own. Seeing the Pet Avengers in action would have been amazing, so hopefully this storyline can be brought to life some other way in the future.

3 Crossbones As A Pirate

What If...? Season 2's Swashbuckling Adventure Gave Crossbones A Bigger Role

Andrews went into even more detail about a possible swashbuckling adventure that would have put Brock Rumlow's Crossbones front-and-center. Mirroring his name, Rumlow would have been depicted as a pirate in this What If...? episode, where he wants to hang up the swashbuckle and settle down, much to the dismay of his crewmates. Frank Grillo played Brock Rumlow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War, but has recently been outspoken on his disappointment in Marvel Studios' treatment of his minor villain.

There was a pirate one. I want to do this pirate one. Like, all pirates. Like, it's like Marvel pirates! I really wanted to focus on Crossbones, where he's kind of thinking, 'Why not hang up the swashbuckle and maybe settle down.' And [everyone is like], 'Come out and party!' He’s like, 'No, I don't feel like that anymore.' Applying that to a swashbuckling world and a swashbuckling thing.

After Crossbones was killed off in Captain America: Civil War, Frank Grillo made the move to James Gunn and Peter Safran's rebooted DC Universe, where he will play Rick Flag Sr. in live-action and animation. Grillo seems to be having a better time with DC Studios, but he could have returned for What If...? season 2 had this pirate-style Crossbones-centric episode gone ahead. This would have created some great crossover potential with the live-action MCU, as the pirate Crossbones could have joined live-action similarly to Captain Carter.

2 Galactic Battle Of The Bands

KISS Almost Appeared In What If...? Season 2

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Somewhat surprisingly, it seems the creators of What If...? desperately wanted to get the band, KISS, involved in the animated series somehow, even going so far as to pitch four episodes for What If...? season 3 featuring the band. Andrews notes that "this is ridiculous," but that an idea was pitched for a What If...? episode to focus on a galactic Battle of the Bands, with villains and heroes competing and KISS judging the competition. This would have played into the musical idea yet again, though weirdly including the American rock band.

Pitching for Season 3, we had four different episodes that we wanted to try and get KISS involved. This is ridiculous. We had this one that was like a galactic Battle of the Bands, where villains and heroes are all competing, and they're all trying to do the best most awesome rock. The judges of the competition at the very end of this, it was going to be KISS. So, we had so many different episodes with getting KISS involved.

This makes little sense, and would have been jarring to see the real-world KISS as judges of an intergalactic rock band competition. Luckily, this didn't go ahead, though there is obviously still the potential for KISS to appear in What If...? season 3 for some reason. Several real world people have appeared as fictionalized versions of themselves in the MCU, including Kevin Bacon, Bill O'Reilly, Elon Musk and Joan Rivers, among others, so perhaps KISS' appearance wouldn't be so out-of-the-ordinary, and the galactic Battle of the Bands concept certainly sounds entertaining.

1 Samurai Romeo & Juliet

What If...? Season 3 Won't Include A Historical Love Story For The Ages

Since Bryan Andrews wanted to go "full, hardcore, mega genre" in What If...? since the beginning, season 3 presents his last chance as the series' final chapter. One of the ideas pitched along this vein was "a crazy samurai one," which would have also been inspired by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the iconic tragedy first presented in 1597. This would have told a doomed love story in What If...? season 3. It's unclear which characters were spotlighted, though there are many notable MCU romances that the series could have chosen from, but it seems we won't see this episode.

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What If...?

Superhero

Animation

Action

Adventure

What If… ? is an animated anthology series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe which features fan-favorite characters, including Peggy Carter, T’Challa, Doctor Strange, Killmonger, Thor, and more. The new series, directed by Bryan Andrews with AC Bradley as head writer, features signature MCU action with a curious twist. The show sees Uatu the Watcher, an omnipotent being that observes the events of multiple universes from afar as they unfold, unable to interfere. However, things shift when an entity peers beyond the veil, jeopardizing the multiverse.

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Release Date

August 11, 2021

Seasons

1

Writers

Ashley Bradley , Matthew Chauncey

Directors

Bryan Andrews

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