Marvel's "What If...?" - Who's returning to voice their character, and who isn't
The MCU's What If...? series that will debut and air on Disney+ next Wednesday (August 11th) is based on the Marvel Comics series of the same name. The comic book run debuted in February of 1977 and had a total of 13 volumes by March of 2019. Even with it's on and off publication streak, fans still have a lot of fun with these stories. The main premise of What If...? is simply asking that question. What if certain events in Marvel history happened differently? What if these titular moments had not occurred in mainstream continuity? With an endless possibility of outcomes, and the multiverse officially canon, the What If...? series can be a fun addition to the MCU.
With the series being animated it would be easy for Marvel to create multiple seasons. In fact, a second season has been unofficially confirmed. This season, we will see a lot of our favorite MCU characters in very unlikely situations. Because of that, there are a lot of our favorite MCU actors/actresses returning to lend their voice to their Marvel animated counterpart. But unfortunately, there are just as many who have decided not to return - or according to Guardian of the Galaxy, Dave Bautista, some actors may have never been asked at all. With that being said, let's dive into the cast of Marvel's What If...? on Disney+.
The cast that is returning
Buck Barnes / Sebastian Stan
Killmonger / Michael B. Jordan
Thanos / Josh Brolin
Hulk / Mark Ruffalo
Nick Fury / Samuel L. Jackson
Peggy Carter / Hayley Atwell
Loki / Tom Hiddleston
Thor / Chris Hemsworth
Hawkeye / Jeremy Renner
Nebula / Karen Gillan
Scott Lang / Paul Rudd
Dum Dum Dugan / Neal McDonough
Kraglin / Sean Gunn
Hank Pym / Michael Douglas
Howard Stark / Dominic Cooper
Kurt / David Dastmalchian
Abraham Erskine / Stanley Tucci
Jane Foster / Natalie Portman
Korath / Djimon Hounsou
Korg / Taika Waititi
Arnim Zola / Toby Jones
Grandmaster / Jeff Goldblum
Taserface / Chris Sullivan
Crossbones / Frank Grillo
Yondu / Michael Rooker
Phil Coulson / Clark Gregg
T'Challa / Chadwick Boseman (his last performance as Black Panther)
The cast that is not returning
Stever Rodgers / Chris Evans
Pepper Potts / Gwyneth Paltrow
Captain Marvel / Brie Larson
Howard The Duck / Seth Green
The Collector / Benicio del Toro
Gamora / Zoe Saldana
Doctor Strange / Benedict Cumberbatch
Black Widow / Scarlett Johansson
The Ancient One / Tilda Swinton
Shuri / Letitia Wright
Drax / Dave Bautista
Ego / Kurt Russell
Spider-Man / Tom Holland
Queen Ramonda / Angela Bassett
Tony Stark / Robert Downey Jr.
It's unclear why only a number amount of MCU talent is returning to their roles for the animated series, but it can be assumed it was all due to contractual obligation/un-obligation. Some actors may have also simply decided not to return, or according to Dave Bautista, not even asked. If what Bautista says is true, it could just be that Marvel did not want to create a new contract for actors who already have plans to fulfill their appearance amount they already signed for. Drumming up a new contract, which can be very expensive depending on the talent, can just be inefficient in more ways than one. Although not all of the true MCU cast is returning, we still get just as many who are. Keep in mind that all of these characters listed are only just the confirmed cast. If we know Marvel, we know that there are many surprises to come.
Check out the other MCU characters featured in the trailer!
Marvel's What If...? premieres Wednesday, August 11 only on Disney+
