Thomas Storai 
A scene from Marvel Animation’s WHAT IF…? Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 MARVEL. All Rights Reserved.
“What If…? delivers a satisfying and fun final season. These episodes mostly give the spotlight to characters from Phase 4, which is exciting and refreshing to see! Every episode is a creative ride, offering new takes on these characters and sometimes paying beautiful tributes to other cinematic genres.”
The acclaimed Marvel animated series is back for one final batch of adventures set in the multiverse. What If…? season 3 follows the same release pattern as the previous season. The first episode is now streaming on Disney Plus, new episodes debut daily for eight nights from December 22 to December 30.
STORY
For its final season, What If…? has decided to give the spotlight mostly to characters from Phase 4, which is quite refreshing to see. These are characters the audience were introduced to recently. So, it’s actually exciting to see them again. It’s undeniable that Phase 4 has introduced a lot of characters but we haven’t got the chance to see many of them outside of the film or series they were introduced in. Fans have been waiting since 2021 for Shang-Chi’s return. By bringing back characters like Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Kingo and Red Guardian, it allows the MCU to give them some love and to explore a different side of them. Yes, not all projects from Phase 4 have been received well. However, many of these new characters are beloved.
Once again, each story feels like a fun and creative adventure, never afraid to go crazy. There’s a beautiful homage to Kaiju films and to Classical Hollywood Cinema. These two episodes are definitely standout this season with the Western episode as well. What If…? is at its best when it tells new stories like this season and not an alternate version of a story we know. There are less constraints and more creative freedom this way. This series is about infinite possibilities and this is exactly what it delivers. With a story like this, it could have continue for a lot more seasons. Nevertheless, it’s always appreciated when a series knows when to stop before running out of ideas. This series has been a genuine Marvel Studios standout.
A SATISFYING CONCLUSION
Of course, it wouldn’t be What If…? without Peggy Carter who once again returns this season. In many ways, she has been as much the lead of this series as the Watcher. It’s a character fans never get tired of seeing. The final episodes bring a satisfying conclusion to the overall story arc of the series. It’s at the same time action-packed and moving while tying everything together. A good conclusion is one that closes the door on the current story while leaving the door open. This is exactly what this one does.
CAST
Obviously, it’s always better when the original actor or actress returns to voice their character. Even though these are different iterations, there’s a certain continuity when you hear the same voice for the character. On top of that, it’s more enjoyable to actually hear Oscar Isaac voicing Moon Knight again rather than someone trying to impersonate him. Previous seasons have brought back characters and hired other actors to voice them. Honestly, some of these impersonations have been rather good. But, nothing beats hearing the original actor voicing their character. Josh Brolin doesn’t have a lot of lines as Thanos this season, but he made the effort of coming back. It makes all the difference. In fact, it’s a real joy to see so many of these cast members coming back. New additions include Natasha Lyonne and Jason Isaacs. Season 3 truly has an outstanding cast!
VISUALS
Finally, What If…? continues to be visually impressive with sharp details and bright colours. It’s a style of its own that has been able to make its mark in American animation. For its final season, it even pushes further the boundaries of what it can do. Indeed, there is a huge Hollywood dance sequence that is so brilliantly animated. But the cherry on the cake has to be the Dragon Ball inspired fight. It’s the biggest fight sequence of the whole series.
VERDICT
What If…? delivers a satisfying and fun final season. These episodes mostly give the spotlight to characters from Phase 4, which is exciting and refreshing to see! Every episode is a creative ride, offering new takes on these characters and sometimes paying beautiful tributes to other cinematic genres. Most of the outstanding cast playing these characters in live-action are back to voice them for the fans greatest pleasure. The animation continues to be sharp and impressive. This series has been a genuine Marvel Studios standout.
The first episode of Marvel’s What If…? season 3 is now streaming on Disney Plus, new episodes debut daily for eight nights.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
