The possibilities may be endless, but all things must come to an end. Marvel recently released the What If…? season 3 trailer and poster, advertising that the series will end with the upcoming eight-episode season. One episode per day will be released on Disney+ beginning on December 22.
While the news of the series’s end is disappointing, the trailer revealed plenty of action, thrills and familiar faces to look forward to.
Here are some of the storylines from What If…? season 3 we’re most excited for:
In the Wild, Wild West of the Multiverse
Cowgirl Kate Bishop and cowboy Shang-Chi? Yes, please!
Two characters introduced in Phase 4, neither has had a significant role in an MCU project since their debuts in 2021’s Hawkeye and Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings, respectively. Kate was in The Marvels during a post-credits scene, teasing the Young Avengers, but that wasn’t enough and just a cameo. So it will be great to see the two heroes again (even if it’s in animation and not live action).
Whether other heroes will be joining them in the Wild West remains to be known as the trailer shows only Kate and Shang-Chi in western attire. They’re seemingly teaming up, as Shang-Chi asks Kate, “Up for an adventure?” She answers “Always” before the scene cuts to them riding off into the sunset on their horses — literally.
The What If…? season 3 trailer also offers a snippet of Shang-Chi using his kung fu skills to fight people off, which sounds as awesome as it looked. Let’s hope that also means Kate shows off her archery skills during an epic fight.
Darcy Lewis and Howard the Duck in Space
Darcy Lewis and Howard the Duck sound like a weird duo, but this isn’t the first time they’ve interacted.
In What If…? Episode 1×07: “What If… Thor Were an Only Child?” Darcy and Howard meet during Thor’s party and end up getting married. Whether that marriage is legitimate or relevant depends on if the pairing in the What If…? Season 3 trailer are the same ones from that season 1 episode and not individuals from a different timeline. But What If…? follows a more serialized show format and has used recurring characters before. So it wouldn’t be shocking to find out these are the same iterations of those characters.
Either way, those two are sure to offer some chaotic fun. In the trailer, Darcy and Howard, sporting a Hawaiian shirt, are in a spacecraft — the latter of whom will be flying it. Darcy voices her hesitation and seemingly takes over piloting the ship after Howard initially backs it up and crashes it.
Avengers, Assemble!
If you were ever a Power Rangers, Gundam, Voltron or Transformers kid, then this is for you.
The What If…? season 3 trailer revealed that one episode will seemingly adapt the Mech Strike concept. The idea features giant robots that resemble the respective heroes. That alone sounds ridiculously cool, but it gets even better.
In the preview, Captain America (Sam Wilson) is the leader of the Avengers, who each have their own Mech Strike robot. The individual robots expand and combine to form an even more gigantic robot like a Power Rangers Megazord. An especially awesome part of that transformation? Shang-Chi using the Ten Rings to join his robot with the others.
How does this get even better? Sam saying the classic line (albeit tweaked to suit the occasion): “Avenger, assemble.”
Another Look at Arishem
Say what you want about Eternals, but we thoroughly enjoyed the film and would love to see more of the superpowered group in the MCU. Based on the What If…? season 3 trailer, expect to see them in one of the eight episodes. After all, what else would Arishem be doing in the show?
In Eternals, Arishem is the Prime Celestial who takes Sersi, Kingo and Phastos after defying their purpose of allowing Tiamut to feed on the Earth. In the What If…? trailer, Arishem’s appearance is brief, shown with two figures floating before him. Given the minimal amount that the Eternals have been used in MCU projects, there are plenty of ways they could be used to add to their stories. They could be the subjects of their own Eternals-focused episode, or they could be part of an overarching story. Whatever the case, it’ll be great to see them again!
More Marvel Musical Fun with Agatha Harkness
Nothing in the What If…? season 3 trailer indicates one of its eight episodes will be a musical episode. However, in an interview with Screen Rant, Brad Winderbaum — Marvel Studios’ Head of Streaming, Television, and Animation — said the final season includes one centered around the one and only Agatha Harkness.
As much as we love musicals, not all musical episodes are a success. But Agatha All Along proved that musicals and Agatha, who’s featured in the trailer a few times, is a fun combination that fans love. So we’re sure her musical episode will be great. The question will be whether any of the songs or numbers are better than “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road.”
Storm, the Goddess of Thunder
Best is for last.
At the end of the What If…? season 3 trailer, Kahhori, the original character introduced in What If…? Episode 2×06: “What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?”, tells Captain Carter, “Maybe it’s time that we called in some help.” Then, amidst the clouds and thunder is Storm. As she descends from the sky, Storm wields Mjolnir, using it to summon lightning and says, “I am Storm, Goddess of Thunder.”
Talk about an electrifying moment (pun intended).
Watch the What If…? season 3 trailer:
Check out the What If…? season 3 poster:
