What If writer reveals the two things that were "off limits" in the upcoming Marvel series

Doctor Strange in What If...?
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)

If you’ve seen the trailer for What If…?, the upcoming Marvel Studios animated anthology series, then you might expect anything and everything to be on the table. But that’s not quite true.

Head writer A.C. Bradley tells GamesRadar+ that two things – one serious, one slightly less so – were "off limits" for the creative team.

"One was we couldn’t do anything that the movies or TV shows were already doing. So that let us go to weirder and stranger places," Bradley says.

That, seemingly, extends to what Kevin Feige and company have in store for Marvel Phase 4. Bradley has already revealed one her scrapped ideas was eerily close to what will eventually become the plot for Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in 2023.

The second is a little more out there. And by out there, we mean in a galaxy far, far away.

"Despite my damndest, I was not allowed to use Star Wars characters. I tried many times; they kept reminding me that Luke Skywalker is not an Avenger," Bradley says, with tongue firmly placed in cheek. Having said that, the desire to at least try and throw in some mind-blowing crossovers appeared sincere on the writer’s part.

One thing that certainly isn’t off limits is Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter. The alternate universe Super Soldier is "going to be the character we would revisit in every season," according to a CBR interview with executive producer Brad Winderbaum.

For more on the MCU’s future on the small screen, check out our guide to new Marvel TV shows.

 

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.