Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Producer Says Season 2 Avoided Ending Universes Because Audiences Needed A Break From 2020 Real-World Events Like “COVID, BLM Protests, And A US Presidential Election”
Spencer Baculi
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According to producer A.C. Bradley, the second season of Marvel’s What If…? intentionally shied away from destroying any of its featured universes because, at the time of its production in 2020, the series’ crew felt audiences needed a spark of optimism amidst such real-world events as “COVID, BLM protests, and a US presidential election”.
As seen in the recently-concluded season, in every instance which could have potentially ended in absolute doom for a given universe, in true Marvel fashion, each of their respective protectors – or, in the case of Earth-1602 and Strange Supreme’s world, a universe-hopping Captain Carter, who the studio can’t seem to trying to make a thing – managed to find a way to stave off their absolute obliteration.
In the face of an attack by a celestial-powered, adolescent-aged Peter Quill, the Avengers of 1988 manage to convince him to not only join their cause, but also fight back against his father’s plans for universal conquest.
Though she was initially cast out of Asgard and stripped of her power-source-providing-crown by Odin due to her violent tendencies, after studying martial arts in Ta Lo, Hela eventually teams up with Wenwu to take down her father – but upon her ascension to the throne, rather than set out on a campaign of wanton death and destruction, the Asgardian royal instead takes it upon herself to lead the Ten Rings organization in a campaign to ensure freedom across all of existence.
In 1602, despite the Watcher’s insistence that the New World-inspired universe was doomed for destruction and thanks to her refusal to accept this outcome, Captain Carter manages to successfully identify and send back a time-displaced Captain America, his presence the ultimate cause of the aforementioned incursion.
And finally, upon Strange Supreme’s defeat by Captain Carter and original-MCU-character Khaori within his Sanctum Infinitum, rather than his world being left to non-existence with the stopping of his plans, the once-good doctor instead sacrifices himself to bring it – or more specifically his former love interest Christine – back to life.
Conversely, in the series’ first season, not only did its tale of a Zombie-infested MCU end with a tease of a near-impossible fight between Spider-Man, Ant-Man, Black Panther, and an undead, four-Infinity-stone wielding Thanos, but its ‘final boss’, Infinity Ultron, was also successful in wiping out everything in his own home dimension save for the actual universe itself.
Though only having two more ‘confirmed kills’ than its successor, the first season of What If…? was made all the more impactful, especially in terms of The Watcher’s pain towards his inability to act, thanks to the fact that any given episode could end with such a definitive universal collapse.
However, rather than Season 2’s elevated survivability rate being a ‘happy accident’ of parallel screenwriting, it appears it was an intentional choice made by the series’ production crew.
Speaking to the topic via a December 30th thread posted to her personal Twitter account, the aforementioned Bradley explained, “Since it’s been asked, wondering why the world doesn’t end in #WhatIfS2? We penned #WhatIf S2 between Jan-Oct 2020 amidst the onset of Covid, BLM protests, and a US presidential election. When it felt like OUR world was on the brink.”
“#WhatIf became our sanctuary, a retreat where heroes rise against the darkness, and the most unexpected ones shine the brightest: Nebula, Hela, and a young woman wanting to see a cool lake,” added the Ms. Marvel series writer. “Sometimes, it’s just more fun to save the world.”
All nine episodes of Marvel’s What If…? Season 2 is now available to stream via Disney Plus.
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