TV Review: ‘What If…?’ Season 3

Jeffrey Wright’s Watcher faces the consequences of his actions in a season that, while not as consistent as the second, still has its pleasures.

The Watcher (voiced by Jeffrey Wright) in Marvel Animation Television's 'What If...?' Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Landing on What If…?’ wraps up the show’s run –– at least for now –– with another set of episodes where several build to a grand, multiverse-hopping finale.

Disney’s Marvel arm has seen something of a renewal this year, between the success of ‘Jeffrey Wright’s powerful The Watcher. Who, it turns out, will have to answer for meddling in the affairs of different universes.

Does ‘What If…?’ Season 3 still provide multiversal fun?

A scene from Marvel Animation’s 'What If...?' Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

In keeping with the previous two seasons, the new run of ‘What If…?’ offers a blend of intriguing possibilities and an overarching spine that only starts to reveal itself towards the end of this final eight episodes. Those who have seen the previous seasons won’t be surprised at what it is building to, though it’s mostly satisfying.

But the pleasure in this show is usually more in the individual episodes, which here run the gamut between the hilarious (one focused on Howard the Duck and his unlikely, but somehow perfect relationship) and the heartbreaking (an epic, dystopian story of what happens with a ‘Eternals’ than in the movie itself.

Another welcome element, near prescient, given the runaway success of her solo show, is the presence of Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha Harkness.

And that’s probably about all we can say on that front, given the extensive embargoes in place on this!

Script and Direction

(L to R) Byrdie (voiced by Natasha Lyonne), Captain Carter/Peggy Carter (voiced by Hayley Atwell), and Kahhori (voiced by Devery Jacobs) in Marvel Animation Television's 'What If...?' Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

The regular writing team of Matthew Chauncey, Ryan Little and A.C. Bradley are back for the season, and the scripts run the usual gamut of superb to solid. While there isn’t perhaps the knockout winner of, say, last year’s festive episode, there remains a good balance of character interaction and fascinating peeks into unusual corners of the MCU while also blending in some more comics-faithful moments for fans of the printed pages.

Jeff Bridges) might take a moment.

Performances

Storm (voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith) in Marvel Animation Television's 'What If...?' Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

As with the past seasons, the new batch of episodes has a blend of original MCU performers (the likes of Ross Marquand the MVP here).

There are the occasionally jarring replacements, but on the whole, it’s a satisfying set of voices. Seth Green is great as usual as Howard the Duck, playing perfectly off the energy of Kat Dennings as Darcy. And kudos to Wright who, when given more to do as the Watcher than simply observe and narrate.

Oh, and you won’t tire of hearing Jackson emote the phrase “Mr. and Mrs.… The Duck.”

It’s also fun to hear the likes of Star Wars’ and the DC animated appearances he’s put in –– as a powerful cosmic entity whose voice fairly drips with withering sarcasm.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Kate Bishop (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) and Shang-Chi (voiced by Simu Liu) in Marvel Animation Television's 'What If...?' Season 3. Photo courtesy of Marvel Animation. © 2024 Marvel. All Rights Reserved.

Though it may not quite hit the highs of last year’s festive season run, Season 3 of ‘What If…?’ certainly has enough pleasures to keep fans happy. And though the big finale feels a little predictable at times, it is definitely enough to leave you wishing the company would commission future seasons, especially given how effective the creative team has been in making compelling narratives fit in sub-30-minute episodes.

‘What If…?’ Season 3 receives 8 out of 10 stars.

What If...?

"One question changes everything."

TV-143 Seasons August 11th, 2021

Watch What If...? Online

What’s the plot of ‘What If…?’ Season 3?

“What If...?” returns in Season 3 for its culminating adventure through the multiverse.

Watch as classic characters make unexpected choices that will mutate their worlds into spectacular alternate versions of the MCU. The Watcher (Jeffrey Wright) will guide viewers as the series traverses new genres, bigger spectacles, and incredible new characters.