Why is What If…? season 4 not happening? Reasons explored

MCU fans will be disheartened to know that What If…? season 4 is not happening. Season 3 of the series aired on Disney+ from December 22, 2024, to December 29, 2024, with its eight episodes being released on a daily basis.

An animated anthology series based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name, What If…? delves into the various alternate timelines in the multiverse to explore what would happen if certain pivotal moments from the films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) transpired differently.

Thus, the premise of the show technically allows it to explore a huge number of stories. However, What If…? season 4 is not on the cards yet. The show has been capped thanks to the demands of the overall Marvel Cinematic Universe at the moment. Read on to learn Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum's justification for the same.

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Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum reveals why What If…? season 4 is not happening

Brad Winderbaum, Head of Marvel Television and Animation, spoke to Entertainment Weekly on December 20, 2024, and highlighted that What If…? has always been intricately linked with the other MCU narratives.

"If you're a fan of the overall MCU, you'll notice that the first season premiered after Loki season 1, when the Sacred Timeline blossomed into a multiverse and all of a sudden all these new stories emerged. That was when we started telling those stories in What If…?" he stated.

Similarly, the end of What If…? season 2 tied in with the end of Loki season 2. Thus, the show has always tried to ‘fit in to the overall MCU tapestry,’ and with the end of season 3, the creative team associated with the series felt that now was a good time to end the show.

On December 17, 2024, Brad revealed some more information while talking to The Hollywood Reporter.

“And for reasons that will become clear in the next couple of years, this was the right time to culminate the series from a story perspective,” he said.

Thus, as per Brad’s statement, the upcoming projects of the MCU will clarify why What If…? season 4 is not happening at the moment. It is likely that the series had to be discontinued now because some MCU project being released in the near future might show the complete dissolution of the multiverse, in which case the very premise of What If…? will be rendered meaningless.

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There might be What If…? season 4 in the distant future, however

While it is true that What If…? season 4 will not see the light of day anytime soon, it is not completely out of the picture. Brad Winderbaum told ScreenRant the following on December 20, 2024:

“I think this is the last season of What If...? for the foreseeable future. You can't count anything out in the Marvel universe, as you know, and there are infinite stories to tell. There are probably a hundred episodes that didn't make it to the screen for every one that did.”

Thus, while season 4 is a distant possibility right now, its arrival is not altogether impossible in the future. Further, Marvel Zombies, the animated miniseries scheduled to be released on Disney+ on October 3, 2025, will tie up with an episode of What If…?

The series' season 1 episode 5, titled What If... Zombies?!, will serve as the launching pad for the upcoming series. Plus, Brad highlighted in the Entertainment Weekly interview that Bryan Andrews, the creator and director of What If…?, ‘is continuing in Marvel Zombies.’

Thus, instead of getting What If…? season 4 right away, fans will get some essence of the series in Marvel Zombies.

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What If...? season 3 is currently streaming on Disney+.