The third season of Disney+'s What If...? is expected to premiere on December 22 (though this has yet to be made official), and we now have some exciting updates courtesy of Marvel Animation's Matt Chauncey, who serves as Head of Story for the third seasons of What If...? and X-Men '97.
Chauncey, who appeared at a panel during LightBox Expo (via LaughingPlace.com), confirmed that season 3 of the animated anthology series will not only introduce another new character created just for the show (following season 2's Kahhori), but will also feature the "long-anticipated" MCU debut of a "well-known Marvel character."
No names were mentioned, but Chauncey did reveal that he "scored a dream casting" for the brand-new character. As for the other mysterious hero or villain, a recent rumor claimed that Storm will be a part of season 3.
Though the fan-favorite mutant has previously made numerous live-action and animated appearances (most recently in X-Men '97), this would technically mark Ororo Munroe's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut.
Storm has not been confirmed, but a recent rumor claimed that the weather witch will become "worthy" and wield Thor's mighty hammer, Mjölnir.
Chauncey also revealed that season 3 will include a musical episode inspired by the screwball comedies of 1930s Hollywood. “It’s a massive feat for animation,” he noted, “especially with the challenges of coordinating dance and movement. But Marvel went all in, and it’s going to be spectacular.”
One character that has been confirmed to appear is Sam Wilson's take on Captain America, who we haven't seen since the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Former head writer A.C. Bradley recently revealed that the show was initially unable to utilize Wilson since he had not yet been established as Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier at the time the scripts were being written.
"We also couldn't do Sam Wilson's Captain America because, we didn't know when that would be coming out," Bradley explained. "Again, we were writing Season 2 as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier paused shooting and the scripts were being re-written because of other things. We don't know when anything is airing. So, we couldn't touch it because we're not allowed to introduce… It makes sense, you let the character live in live-action first and then go play in the multiverse."
"Season two of 'What If...?' continues the journey as The Watcher guides viewers through the vast multiverse, introducing brand new and familiar faces throughout the MCU," reads the season 2 synopsis. "The series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles."