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Marvel Executive Steps Down and Leaves the Studio for Good

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Posted on by Thomas Hitchen
Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige presenting at Comic-Con with various cast members of the MCU

Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr

What a turbulent year Marvel Studios has had. 2023 proved that not even the sacred and impenetrable Marvel Cinematic Universe was untouchable. In fact, this year the MCU hit its rock bottom with two of the poorest-performing feature films in franchise history. Outside of the movie theater, though, the MCU has been faring slightly better on the small screen, but a surprise exit from a Marvel executive may leave the studio’s quiet TV hit at risk.

Title card for 'What If...?' season 2 with Uatu
Credit: Marvel Studios

On December 30, 2023, Marvel Studios aired the final episode of its surprise animated hit, What If…? After a consecutive nine-day release schedule, a first for both the superhero giant and Disney+, A.C. Bradley’s What If…? wrapped up its second season with more Multiverse than ever before.

The same day, a first look at the third season was released online, with a clip from an episode involving Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). But in a surprise and somewhat shocking announcement, creator of What If…?, A.C. Bradley, revealed she was stepping away from Marvel and leaving What If…? behind. Posting to X (formerly Twitter), the executive said:

Last #WhatIf tweet! This ep is my absolute FAVORITE and marks my final What If script.

After season two, I made the decision to move on from Marvel. It’s been a fun ride, but it’s time for new adventures and mediums.

All my love to the cast, crew, & fans!

Bradley created the series for Marvel and served as head writer for both the first and second seasons, as well as executive producer. The show has been widely well-received and lived up to the expectations revived by Loki just a month previous. Both What If…? and Loki can be credited with exploring the Multiverse long before the likes of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022).

Unlike Loki‘s more linear structure, with all six episodes of each season acting as one story, What If…? fully leans into the anthology-style framework; each episode asks an individual “what if” question that reimagines classic cinematic moments from the live-action universe. In doing so, many of the beloved characters and the actors who play them, returned for this canon event.

A young Peter Quill with his eyes glowing and fire behind him
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: More Updates To Be Given After Marvel Removes Actor From the MCU

The second season was no different. From Cate Blanchett as Hela to Karen Gillan as Nebula and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, AKA the fan-favorite Scarlet Witch, big Hollywood names returned to recreate new Variants of their characters for What If…? There were some absences, like the first season, though, such as Fred Tatasciore as Galactic guardian Groot, Mace Montgomery Miskel as Peter Quill, and Julianne Grossman as Nova Prime Irani Rael, replacing Glenn Close. The show also featured the original character Kahhori, a Native American hero played by Devery Jacobs who gained powers after coming into contact with the Tesseract.

What If…? Season 1 and 2 can now be aired in full on The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service, Disney+. The animated series was created by A.C. Bradley, with the directing team led by Bryan Andrews. A third season is on the way.

Jonathan Majors as Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Marvel Confirms the Next Full Avengers Team in the MCU

Looking ahead to the future of the MCU, after last year’s turbulence (only James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 really did anything of note), the studio is set to release only one feature film, Deadpool 3 (2024), in the summer window. This came after Marvel Studios bumped the likes of Blade, Captain America: Brave New World, and Thunderbolts into 2025.

Still looming, too, are the next two Avengers franchise movies, which, following the arrest of Kang actor Jonathan Majors–who was later found guilty during the trial in New York City–leaves the films without its Big Bad. Chances are the franchise will rid themselves of Kang, despite concrete appearances in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023), and replace the villain with an even bigger antagonist for Secret Wars (2027).

What are your thoughts on this Marvel executive leaving the studio behind? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!

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Thomas Hitchen

When he’s not thinking about the Magic Kingdom, Thomas is usually reading a book, becoming desperately obsessed with fictional characters, or baking something delicious (his favorite is chocolate cake -- to bake and to eat). He's a dreamer and grew up on Mulan saving the world, Jim Hawkins soaring through the stars, and Padmé Amidala fighting a Nexu. At the Parks, he loves to ride Everest, stroll down Main Street with an overstuffed pin lanyard around his neck, and eat as many Mickey-shaped ice creams as possible. His favorite character is Han Solo (yes, he did shoot first), and his favorite TV show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer except when it's One Tree Hill. He loves sandy beach walks, forest hikes, and foodie days out in the Big City. Thomas lives in England, UK, with his fiancée, baby, and their dog, a Border Collie called Luna.

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