Why Were These Characters “Off-Limits” for Marvel’s ‘What If…?’ Series?

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In my personal perspective as a movie reviewer, during a chat with Agents of Fandom, director Bryan Andrews of “What If…?” shared an intriguing tidbit: Marvel Studios refused to let him incorporate three specific characters into the animated series. These were characters that Andrews himself wanted to include in the show but found himself barred by higher authorities.

In previous live-action adaptations, we’ve seen two characters make an appearance: Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze) and another Spirit of Vengeance named Robbie Reyes. Johnny Blaze was portrayed by Nicolas Cage in two movies, while Robbie Reyes was brought to life by Gabriel Luna on the television series Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. Meanwhile, hints about a third character have been dropped within the MCU.

In the storyline, the second role was that of Iron Fist; however, Andrews had initially planned a large martial arts episode featuring Danny Rand. Instead, they opted for a younger depiction of Kwai Jun-Fah, who serves as a predecessor to Rand. The character of Iron Fist first appeared in his own Netflix series and was portrayed by Finn Jones.

The third character introduced is Beta Ray Bill, created by Walt Simonson. He took on Thor’s role as a powerful alien. So far, he has not appeared in live-action movies, but there was a hint of him in Thor: Ragnarok. The studios may be keeping these characters hidden because they have bigger plans for them and want to save their introductions for live action.

via The Direct

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2025-02-06 16:00