Marvel’s Multiverse Saga made the MCU’s narrative possibilities as infinite as the multiverse itself, but it’s difficult to keep the big picture straight when dealing with all sorts of variants. Enter What If...?, the Marvel animated series that gives us half-hour glimpses into other universes, without all the fuss of canon and lore.
Over the past two seasons, the series has introduced new heroes, brought back fallen villains, and even presaged Hayley Atwell appearing in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as Captain Carter. Now, the series is back for one more ride. Eight episodes will be released daily over the holiday season, culminating in an epic series finale. Here’s everything you need to know about the final chapters, from when to tune in to what sort of stories to expect.
What is the What If Season 3 Release Date?
What If Season 3 premieres December 22, 2024, on Disney+, with new episodes arriving daily until December 29 to fill in that strange week between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s a much different schedule than other Marvel series, but nothing new for What If, as Season 2 was released at the same pace in December 2023.
What is the What If Season 3 Release Time?
While What If’s daily release structure differs from other MCU Disney+ shows, the release time is exactly the same: 6:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET. Disney+ started releasing its flagship series in prime time with Ahsoka and Loki Season 2, and that approach has since become standard, setting the streamer apart from the many others that tend to use a midnight PT/3:00 a.m. release.
How Many Episodes Are In What If Season 3?
What If Season 3 has eight episodes, which makes it the shortest season; Seasons 1 and 2 each had nine. Furthermore, there may only be seven stories, as the titles and synopses seem to suggest an epic two-part finale.
Is There A Trailer For What If Season 3?
Yes! You can get a sneak peek at what’s to come in this trailer:
What Is The Plot Of What If Season 3?
Because What If uses an anthology structure, there likely won’t be an overarching plot to the season. However, we do know quite a bit about the plots of the individual episodes thanks to Marvel teasing their titles on social media:
- Episode 1: What If…The Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers? The Avengers meet Gundams in this epic battle between Bruce Banner and meched-up heroes.
- Episode 2: What If…Agatha Went to Hollywood? Howard Stark meets Howard Hughes in this tribute to Old Hollywood, featuring Agatha Harkness and Kingo from Eternals.
- Episode 3: What If…The Red Guardian Stopped The Winter Soldier? The Red Guardian and Bucky may be on the same team in next year’s Thunderbolts, but this episode puts them head to head.
- Episode 4: What If…Howard the Duck Got Hitched? In what may be the most fanfiction-y episode yet, Howard the Duck and Darcy Lewis get married and develop superpowers.
- Episode 5: What If…The Emergence Destroyed the Earth? In a world where the Eternals couldn’t stop the birth of a Celestial, a tyrannical leader emerges: Quentin Beck from Spider-Man: Far From Home.
- Episode 6: What If…1872? It’s the Wild West, and Shang-Chi and Kate Bishop are essentially Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
- Episode 7: What If…The Watcher Disappeared? The synopsis for this episode is vague: “The Watcher must stand trial for his many interventions.”
- Episode 8: What If…What If? This synopsis is even vaguer: “The end of the beginning…”
Will There Be A What If Season 4?
Unfortunately not. As the MCU transitions from Phase Five to Phase Six next year, the 2025 holiday season will not include a new batch of What If episodes. At least the show will end as it began: very speculative, and very meta.
