There are many paths to MCU canonization, but the most common is also the simplest: the cameo. It doesn’t matter if it’s Howard the Duck in Guardians of the Galaxy or Kelsey Grammer at the end of The Marvels; as long as you appear somewhere in the main MCU timeline, you’re good to go. But lots of MCU stories, like much of Loki and Deadpool & Wolverine, exist outside the main timeline. Seeing Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was cool, but calling it canonical isn’t accurate.
Now, however, the Marvel show that thumbs its nose at canon is poised to introduce two characters that will be at least somewhat canonical; one pulled from elsewhere in the Marvel universe, and another who’s brand new.
According to Laughing Place, Matt Chauncey, Head of Story for What If Season 3 and X-Men ‘97 Season 3, discussed both series during a panel at the animation convention LightBox Expo. He kept his cards close to his chest about X-Men ‘97, which is understandable considering Season 2 hasn’t even aired yet, but he did have a lot to say about What If Season 3, which is set to premiere on December 22.
According to the report, Chauncey revealed the season will introduce an original character, and the voice actor attached to the role is apparently a “dream casting.” What’s more, the season will also reveal “a long-anticipated MCU debut” from a pre-existing character. Just who could that be?
The most likely options lie amid unused X-Men and Fantastic Four characters. These super teams have been slowly teased in the MCU, like John Krasinski’s one-off appearance as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Wolverine’s major role in Deadpool and Wolverine. But other characters, like Storm and Sue Storm (no relation on the Storm family trees), still haven’t swung by. Both would be strong choices; they’re popular characters, and introducing them in What If would be great cross-promotion for their own projects, X-Men ‘97 and Fantastic Four: First Steps.
What If Season 3 is already racking up a big list of appearances, including the recently departed Agatha Harkness, but these two new characters will add more intrigue. In Season 2, Kahhori delivered a gripping episode told entirely in Mohawk before making her comic book debut, so Marvel presumably has broader plans for its next original character too.
As for the MCU debut of a pre-existing character, while What If episodes are canonical only to their own little corner of the multiverse, they’re bound to be an omen of what’s to come in live-action Marvel. You’ve got to play the smaller venues before you become the headline act, and we’ll find out which comic book hero is on the rise soon.
