Spider-Man & Black Widow Have Also Been Recast in Marvel’s What If…?

Marvel’s next Disney+ show, What If…?, an animated look at alternate timelines within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has recast some classic roles including Spider-Man and Black Widow. Based on the comic series of the same name, What If..?, is narrated by Uatu the Watcher (Jeffrey Wright), a seemingly impartial being who watches over the Multiverse. In the wake of Loki, What If…? will explore its titular question in relation to characters and stories from the Scared Timeline. For example, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) becoming a super soldier instead of Steve Rogers and T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) going to space and becoming Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill.

Marvel Studios has managed to sign on an impressive number of MCU actors to reprise/voice their respective roles for the series. This includes Chris Hemsworth, Paul Rudd, Mark Ruffalo, Samuel L. Jackson, and the late Boseman. However, due to its animated nature and the fact that it’s a TV show, it was difficult (and not overtly necessary) to get every A-list performer in the series. That said, expensive names like Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), and will not be featured in the series.

According to Comicbook, Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Tom Holland (Spider-Man) have not lent their voices to the project. This news comes days after it was announced Johansson was suing Disney over a breach of contract regarding the recent release of Black Widow. That said, What If…? was in production long before the release of Black Widow and there are a plethora of other reasons that could explain Johansson’s absence, including being busy with other projects and/or moving on from the role entirely. So far, it’s unclear how much Black Widow will even be in the series.

Some of the first footage from What If…? showcased the fact that zombies were going to be a part of the show. That particular episode will adapt a popular Marvel Zombies storyline and feature Iron Man and Captain America as members of the undead. It’s also been revealed that Peter Parker/Spider-Man will be a zombie hunter on this timeline, the latest trailer appears to show Spider-Man fighting a zombified Scarlet Witch. The reasons behind Holland’s exclusion from the series could be related to his busy schedule and/or the actor’s contract with Sony. While What If…? was originally thought to be an anthology series separate from the rest of the MCU, the narrative is rumored to play into the MCU’s overarching Multiverse storyline and the Spider-Man films.

Loki liberated the Scared Timeline, introduced the MCU’s Multiverse, and seemingly teased its next big bad. Upcoming films like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness are not only poised to explore this further but will presumably connect to What If…?—which will also feature multiple versions of Doctor Strange. Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige said that the goal of the series was to both turn classic MCU moments on their heads and feature the majority of characters from all 23 movies. Even if they’re not voiced by the actors we’ve come to know (although most are), What If…? should be quite the ride.

Source: Comicbook

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Josh Plainse
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Josh Plainse is a writer, movie, and television fanatic based out of Wisconsin. Josh works for Screen Rant covering the latest in entertainment while simultaneously pursuing the never-ending dream of becoming an established novelist, screenwriter, and/or decent human being. Josh would accredit characters such as Goku, Han Solo, Simba, and Maximus Decimus Meridius for instilling within him an affinity for storytelling. It is this incessant obsession which has propelled him to seek opportunities that inform, entertain, and inspire others.

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