Series Phase 4 — The Blip & New Beginnings (2023)

What If...? (Season 1)

Name: What If...? (Season 1)
Released: 2021-08-11
Duration: 270 min
Cast: Jeffrey Wright

"One question changes everything."

Released August 11, 2021 4h 30m ★ Essential

Taking inspiration from the comic books of the same name, each episode of this animated anthology series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments.

Watch note

Anthology of alternate universes. Ultron gets all six Stones in one universe and goes multiverse-conquering — a preview of the multiversal chaos Doomsday brings.

Why It Matters in the MCU

The animated anthology format allows Marvel's first animated Disney+ series to explore the franchise's own mythology with a freedom that live-action constraints prevent — from a Nazi-defeating Peggy Carter to a T'Challa who became Star-Lord to a Doctor Strange who destroyed his own timeline out of grief. The series is strongest when it uses the premise to deepen understanding of established characters rather than simply to produce spectacle, and Strange Supreme is the most emotionally effective story across all three seasons. Its interconnected finale structure demonstrates how the What If format can generate genuine dramatic stakes from apparently standalone episodes.

Where It Fits in the MCU

What If...? (Season 1) sits at position 86 of 133 in the MCU's story-chronological order, placing it within the Phase 4 — The Blip & New Beginnings (2023) era. It is rated Essential — must-watch for following the main MCU narrative. Watching in story-chronological order provides the most coherent character development experience — individual arcs build naturally toward the franchise's major crossover events, with each film's post-credits scenes carrying forward into what follows.