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This past weekend marked the end of Marvel Studios' What If... ? - the first animated series set squarely in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, spelling out just what the 'multiverse' means in the MCU. Each episode is like a mini-movie (with even a crossover movie as the season finales!), giving us refreshing takes on some of our favorite MCU characters and introducing some new ones as well. But beneath it all, what I'm even more interested in is what Marvel Studios is secretly doing with it.

Sorry, Captain Carter.

But also, congratulations Captain Carter (we'll get to you in a moment).

What If... ? is in some ways a 'moonshot' for Marvel Studios - a single, specific project intended to rapidly accelerate innovation in an explored area that some people believe will become a key area to set up progress for years to come. If you've watched the What If...? ending and are saying they've failed, you've missed the point. The payoff for What If...? will take years, even a decade possibly, to begin paying off. 

What was Marvel's What If...?

Again, set aside the stories of What If...? and let's break down the innovations Marvel Studios accomplished with the series:

• The first animated project Marvel Studios itself directly oversaw
• The first non-live action project set directly in the MCU with full oversight by Marvel Studios
• The first non-live action project using identifiable actors from the MCU in an official MCU project
• The first project set primarily in the Marvel Multiverse and not the 'Sacred Timeline'
• The first MCU project actively recasting actors in its major roles as a matter of course

That's five major 'firsts', with more I could even mention if I wanted to bore you. With What If...?, Kevin Feige and his Marvel Studios crew were actively looking to branch out from one popular business it does (the theatrical release of live-action movies) into a dramatically different one - after decades of others doing it with their properties. 

Marvel Studios didn't set itself up to create the next Spongebob Squarepants or Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (although they would take it if it came); instead, it went about setting up a platform where those kinds of things could be done eventually in a sustainable way.

That being said, What If...? had several short-term successes. In addition to its viewership numbers for Disney+, I'd say the creation of the Captain Carter variant of Hayley Atwell's Agent Carter was a success as it has led to one live-action MCU appearance, with more looking to be in the making. It also prompted its own spinoff series in Marvel Zombies.

But again, those are short-term wins. By hitting those five 'firsts' mentioned above, What If...? is setting the stage for what's next. 

What Marvel Studios' next 50 years will be

In the next 50 years, Marvel Studios will go through unprecedented change. That's not unique to itself - as will any entertainment company; just look at what entertainment companies 1974 have gone through in the past 50 years. But for Marvel Studios, which was built on one central storyline and one central cast of actors that is dubbed 'Sacred Timeline,' those building blocks to its success in the long term could limit its future.

I'm sorry to say this, but actors age and actors die. The passing of William Hurt and the decision to continue his MCU role of Thunderbolt Ross with Harrison Ford is the canary in the coal mine of it all. Kevin Feige is aware of this - he has been aware of actor deaths and departures since 2008's Iron Man, and also with the possible departures of Robert Downey Jr. from the MCU on two occasions.

Eventually, Marvel Studios will need to recast more characters in the MCU. Although it has done it sparingly in live-action so far, with What If...? it's become almost routine and expected that the actors be re-cast - and that an actor reprising their live-action role is somehow seen as a bonus rather than expected.

While Marvel will continue to rely on the characters you know now, they will also need to continue to explore new characters and variant versions of existing characters to see if it works. We've already mentioned the Captain Carter variant, but there are also new characters like Storm, Kahhori, and Birdie - with loads more in the background.

And by Marvel Studios firmly getting into animation, it's able to control its own destiny now for the first time in decades. And as Disney itself was built on animation, the MCU having major animated efforts is key to its success. Just imagine what will happen if (and when) Marvel Studios finds its first Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse or Batman: The Animated Series level hit of its own.

And after the seemingly regrettable MCU spinoffs that were Agents of SHIELD and the Netflix shows (which weren't overseen by Kevin Feige's Marvel Studios), What If...? was a way it could, for the first time, fully understand, inform, and control the continuity of non-live action projects in a way that it didn't interrupt other plans while still setting it up for success. This is a skill Feige's team will need to learn and grow at over the next 50 years and things like What If...? are key to giving them the experience to do so.

Lastly, although the 'Multiverse Saga' is primarily seen as territory for the MCU movies, What If... ? (and Loki) quietly spelled it all out - setting up the rules, testing out the theories, and even creating a guiding character in that of the Watcher as they go into this deeper - and they'll need to in the next 50 years.

You have to think, for the MCU to survive then the 'Sacred Timeline' needs to be but one of many timelines they are to explore. And What If... ? did that first.

Keep up to date on Popverse's Marvel coverage, with these highlights:

• How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
• Marvel Studios has accidentally created a new Phase that predates Phases 1 - 6: the MCU Phase Zero
• Overgrown children of the atom: Marvel's X-Men can't evolve past their '90s commercial peak
• The biggest outstanding questions of the Marvel Studios' movies & TV shows
• Donald Trump is the landlord for Marvel's House of Ideas
• Marvel Studios swapping out Doctor Doom for Kang offers the chance to jettison the Multiverse Saga
• What Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is saying (and not saying) about the MCU X-Men franchise says a lot about the future of the Mutant Saga
• If Marvel is going to bring Loki back for Secret Wars, it's time to give him an upgrade
• With Daredevil, and spinoffs from Black Panther, What If, and more, Marvel Studios' 2025 Disney+ slate is bigger than ever, and that might be a big deal for the future
• If Kraven the Hunter flops, Sony's Spider-Man Universe could look for a Marvel-assisted reboot
• In 2021, Sony's boss said people won't miss Spider-Man in its Spider-adjacent movie. Turns out, they do.