What If...? Season 3 (Disney+) review: Marvel is playing it safer here than in previous seasons

Disney+ is capping off the popular ‘What If…?’, the animated Marvel anthology, with a final Season 3 this holiday. Premiering as an eight-day event, the latest batch of episodes leans heavily into the emotional and existential stakes, shedding some of the playfulness of its earlier seasons. It’s a finale that feels both ambitious and restrained – a collection of stories that dare to dream but sometimes hesitate to leap.

From the get-go, Season 3 makes it clear that this isn’t your typical MCU jaunt. The anthology format, which allowed for wild experimentation with the earlier two seasons, now shifted towards crafting an interconnected narrative. Yet, the essence of What If… remains intact for the most part – its willingness and ability to explore alternative takes on our favourite superheroes/villains and stories. The season deftly balances standalone episodes with threads that weave into a larger tapestry, offering a mix of self-contained tales and overarching arcs. It’s a structure that’s both a strength and a limitation, depending on how much you value cohesion in a series designed to thrive on chaos.

The tone of the latest season is unmistakably sombre, as it reflects the broader cultural mood and the inherent bleakness of multiversal storytelling. For instance, I thought episode 6’s "What If…1872" was a great but heavy take on systemic issues, using the superhero lens to critique injustice with an unflinching eye. Themes of greed, prejudice, and oppression are front and centre, making for a weightier viewing experience. The relentless gravity can feel oppressive at times, especially when juxtaposed against the lighter fare that earlier seasons delivered. Gone are the cheeky hijinks of "What If T'Challa Became Star-Lord" or the festive absurdity of "What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas". Instead, we’re treated to moments of despair that push the boundaries of how much hopelessness a viewer can stomach.

That said, the show’s commitment to its darker tone isn’t without merit. The stakes feel more real this time, and the emotional beats hit harder. The Watcher, narrated by the excellent Jeffrey Wright, remains our enigmatic guide, but his detached commentary takes on a more sombre note in season 3. While some episodes feel crushingly bleak, others are noticeably lighter – such as episode 4’s “What If…Howard the Duck got hitched”.

Of course, season 3 isn’t without its stumbles. The decision to intertwine the episodes with a larger narrative arc has its pros and cons. While it provides closure for fans invested in the ongoing storyline, it also limits the scope for the kind of bold, experimental storytelling that defined the series’ earlier seasons, especially its season premiere. Episodes tied to the overarching plot sometimes feel constrained, as though they’re ticking boxes rather than fully embracing the “what if” premise. Conversely, the standalone episodes, when they appear, remind us how and why this series captured our imagination and hearts in the first place.

The new season also wrestles with balancing fan service and originality. For example, Captain Carter, a huge fan favourite now, continues to play a central role here but her prominence sometimes overshadows other characters who could have benefited from more screen time.  It’s choices like this that highlight the series’ internal tug-of-war between exploring fresh ideas and revisiting fan favourites.

But despite its imperfections, I thought What If…? Season 3 delivers a satisfying, if bittersweet, conclusion to the anthology. The final episodes embrace a sense of closure while leaving the door a little bit ajar for future explorations in the MCU’s animated series.

As the MCU navigates its post-Endgame identity, What If...? has proven to be a unique and fun experiment for Marvel. The series’ willingness to push boundaries – to ask the unanswerable questions and embrace the absurd – has made it a standout in an MCU franchise often criticised for playing it safe. Season 3 may not have recaptured the unbridled creativity of its earlier episodes, but it still manages to leave a mark in me, reminding me of the limitless potential of storytelling in a multiverse.

What If…? Season 3 is now streaming on Disney+ (click here to sign up), with an episode dropping each day until 29 December

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