by A few important superheroes from Marvel Studios’ first animated series, What If…?, were not permitted to be used on Disney+ in seasons one and two.
In the two seasons of What If…?, several MCU actors transitioned from live-action roles to animated characters, showcasing other timelines for significant events that were first emphasized in the Infinity Saga.
Apart from the introduction of the new character Kahhori to the MCU in this series, What If…? hasn’t yet explored some of the most prominent superheroes in Marvel history, who are officially set to make their debut at a later time.
our Super Heroes Cannot Be Used in Marvel’s What If…?
How Would You Feel If…? A.C. Bradley and Bryan Andrews, executive producers of Phase Zero, visited the Phase Zero Podcast to discuss why some Marvel characters were not allowed to appear in the first two seasons of the program.
When asked about characters that haven’t yet been introduced to the MCU, Andrews and Bradley confirmed the following superheroes (and hero teams) were “pretty much off the table” although Seasons 1 and 2 featured dozens of Infinity Saga heroes. This is because Marvel reportedly wanted these heroes to be done “first in live-action” before moving into animation:
Captain America by Sam Wilson
What If…?’s first and second seasons omitted Anthony Mackie’s portrayal of Captain America, even though Sam Wilson played the zombie version of the Falcon in Season 1, Episode 5.
Bradley revealed that Season 2 of What If…? was in the works while The Falcon and the Winter Soldier “was shooting, paused shooting, the scripts were being re-written,” was being written, and the crew wasn’t permitted to touch the character at that point:
“It’s also why we couldn’t do Sam Wilson’s Captain America because we didn’t know when that would be coming out. We were writing Season 2, ‘Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ was shooting, paused shooting, the scripts were being re-written, because of other things, and we were like, ‘Well, we don’t know when anything’s airing, so we couldn’t touch it, because we’re not allowed to…’ It makes sense. Let the character live in live-action first and then come play in the Multiverse.”
In 2025, Mackie will play Captain America once more in the film Captain America: Brave New World. However, as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is already available on Disney+, the character could show up in What If? Third Season.
Ghost-Rider
Although Gabriel Luna played Ghost Rider as Robbie Reyes in Season 4 of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, the character hasn’t yet made an appearance in a Marvel-Studios film that will be released in theatres or onDisney+.
The character’s closest approach to a Marvel Studios appearance was a brief mention in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, episode 3 from 2022. However, no mention of Ghost Rider, Robbie Reyes, Johnny Blaze, or any other interpretation of the character is made.
Official intentions to include Ghost Rider in the MCU are nonexistent. Nevertheless, earlier rumors stated that the character’s sequences for Doctor Strange 2 were shot before they were cut.
The Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four solo film, which is scheduled for release on May 2, 2025, will finally bring Marvel’s First Family to the MCU after years of anticipation.
While it was only on screen for around ten minutes, John Krasinski‘s Multiversal cameo as Reed Richards in 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was the sole indication of the Fantastic Four in the MCU.
There have been no hints as to when the Fantastic Four will make their MCU debuts other than that appearance. Furthermore, Krasinski’s presence coincided with the scripting of What If…? Season 2, thus it’s probable that animation won’t begin until after the first film.
X-Men
The formal X-Men MCU debut, which is scheduled for July’s Deadpool 3 and the forthcoming X-Men ’97 (the latter of which has no set release date) in 2024, is still anticipated by fans.
It’s not surprising that the mutants haven’t appeared in What If…? yet, given that the MCU hasn’t included the X-Men in live-action since Patrick Stewart’s comeback as Professor Charles Xavier in Doctor Strange 2.
While there will undoubtedly be crossovers between X-Men ’97 and What If…? in upcoming seasons, it’s quite probable that the mutants won’t appear in What If…? until after Deadpool 3 is out, if not later.
Below is the complete discussion that Phase Zero had on these characters that were left out:
Phase Zero: “Are you guys allowed to use characters that aren’t introduced in the MCU yet, but became part of Marvel rights, like Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Ghost Rider? [It was] just shortly before you were writing Season 2 that those character rights came back to Disney, so were those off-the-table characters or is it you just wanted to do stories with characters we already knew?”
Andrews: “They’re pretty much off the table.”
Bradley: “We were given The Watcher.”
Andrews: “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 are limitations.”
Bradley: “It’s also why we couldn’t do Sam Wilson’s Captain America because we didn’t know when that would be coming out. We were writing Season 2, Falcon and the Winter Soldier was shooting, paused shooting, the scripts were being re-written, because of other things, and we were like, ’Well, we don’t know when anything’s airing, so we couldn’t touch it, because we’re not allowed to… It makes sense. Let the character live in live-action first and then come play in the Multiverse.”
Who was Marvel’s first superhero?
Marvel Comics #1, which debuted Carl Burgos’s android superhero, the Human Torch, and introduced Bill Everett’s Namor the Sub-Mariner—the first of many Marvel characters—was the inaugural Timely issue.
How many superheroes are there in Marvel?
An exhaustive catalog of every character available on the Marvel Database. This is the most comprehensive public list of the Marvel Multiverse’s more than 80,000 characters.
Which characters does Marvel not own?
Marvel sold the movie rights to a number of firms back when they were on the verge of bankruptcy. Spider-Man joined Sony, the Hulk joined Universal, and Fox acquired X-Men, Fantastic 4, Ghost Rider, and Blade.
Who owned Marvel before Disney?
Marvel Entertainment Group was acquired by Ronald Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings for $82.5 million from New World on January 6, 1989. Marvel Productions was absorbed into New World’s TV and film division and was not part of the agreement. Perelman described it as “a mini-Disney in terms of intellectual property.”
Who is the CEO of Marvel?
Key executives at Marvel Entertainment. At Marvel Entertainment, Isaac Perlmutter holds the positions of President and CEO. Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Business Development is Joshua Silverman.
Who was the first DC or Marvel?
Marvel was formed in the late 1930s, and DC was founded in the mid-1930s. Furthermore, Marvel was essentially a reaction against Superman. In 1938, Superman was released. Marvel Comics was one of the many rivals that emerged after that altered the rules of the game.
