“There’s limitations”: What If…? Producers were Barred from Using Some Superheroes Because of 1 Condition

As the What If…? season 2 has already arrived and engaged the fans enough to eagerly anticipate the next season, one of the show’s producers reveals some exciting characters we almost got a chance to witness in season 2.

Director of What If…? season 2 Bryan Andrews says Marvel didn’t want some characters like the Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Ghost Rider, to be introduced in the series before they appear in the live-action projects. Considering the plan, the creators chose not to include these exciting figures in the latest season.

Director Reveals The Superheroes Who Were Suppose To Appear in What If…? Season 2

Considering how incredible the latest season of What If…? was, fans would have gone crazy if superheroes like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Ghost Rider had appeared. What’s even more intriguing is that this isn’t a fan theory or something we desired, but the initial plan of the makers, who had to abandon the idea of introducing these figures as Marvel has a different plan for them.

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While speaking on the Phase Zero podcast, director Bryan Andrews revealed that Marvel Studios set limits to the use of characters in the animated series due to which they couldn’t proceed with the beloved mutants and other exciting characters. He said:

“They’re pretty much off the table. Yeah, they were like, ‘No… we gotta do it first in live-action and then you get to do it.’ And we were like, ‘Aw man.’ ‘Cause we would’ve loved to play with all kinds of toys, but there’s limitations.”

So according to Marvel’s plan, we likely won’t see these superheroes in the next What If…? season, until they debut in a live-action project. The creators had significant challenges while crafting the animated series, and due to the limitations set by Marvel Studios, they couldn’t explore many narratives for What If…? season 2.

Uncertainties Surrounded Sam Wilson’s Captain America and His Appeace in What If…?

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The limitations not only affected the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Ghost Rider’s appearance in What If…? but the show’s writer/creator A. C. Bradley also revealed a similar situation as to why Sam Wilson was never introduced as Captain America. The rule was implied to this superhero as well, as the makers while writing the series weren’t aware of when Wilson’s Captain America would debut in live-action. Bradley said:

“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.”

Explaining the uncertainty that surrounded the live-action debut of Captain America, the creator added:

“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.”

However, despite the challenges and limits to using characters in the animated series, the makers also considered it a logical approach. Currently, there are no exact details on the release of What If…? season 3, but reports suggest that it might hit the streamer before the end of 2024.

What If…? season 2 is streaming on Disney+