MCU’s What If…? premiered on Disney+ on August 11, 2021, and aired for three seasons before drawing to a close on December 29, 2024. It allowed the writers to explore the Marvel multiverse through variants of popular characters and introduce fun and unique concepts to the franchise. What If…? is also the first-ever animated series produced by Marvel Studios Animation. In a new interview, Brad Winderbaum, the head of Marvel Studios’ TV, animation and streaming, spoke about the show’s legacy and why the Season 3 ending was “extremely satisfying” but “heartbreaking.”
Brad Winderbaum explains why What If…? Season 3’s ending is ‘heartbreaking’
Season 3 Episode 8, the very last episode of What If…?, began streaming on Disney+ on December 29, 2024. The series already has had a significant impact on the MCU franchise. Besides being the first-ever animated series from Marvel Studios, it’s also the first show produced by Marvel Studios Animation, which has since released several other projects. Winderbaum reflected on the show’s ending in a recent interview with ComicBook.com, underscoring how several other projects would have never happened without What If…?.
“I feel like the ending makes me feel very happy and very sad at the same time. It’s extremely satisfying. And it’s heartbreaking,” Winderbaum explained. “It’s heartbreaking just for the characters, but also from the behind-the-scenes perspective.”
The What If…? executive producer continued, “You know, this is the show that launched it all.” He added that there would be no Marvel Studios Animation without What If…? nor the animated shows that have come out since 2021. These include X-Men ’97, I Am Groot, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Marvel Zombies. The last one takes place in the same alternate universe introduced in the What If…? episode “What If… Zombies?!” (Season 1 Episode 5)
Winderbaum noted that it was “a heavy weight to see it ride off into the sunset,” before describing the ending of the show “a beautiful culmination to these characters, for these characters, especially the Watcher.”
What If…? ends with Captain Peggy Carter sacrificing herself to save her friends. The Watcher helps the others of his kind understand that they must learn while observing infinite realities. As the series ends, Kahhori, Byrdie, and Storm begin serving as the Waterchers of the multiverse.
