Marvel Was Planning A T’Challa “What If…?” Spin-Off

Marvel’s What If…? animated series is one of the most unique offerings so for from the slate of Disney+ series. The show reimagines what would happen in the MCU if certain details played out differently, like if the Peggy Carter got the Super Soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers, or The Wasp returned from the Quantum Realm with Scott Lang Ant-Man, only to infect the world with a zombie plague.

And while the show has been more of a mixed bag than projects like Loki and WandaVision, it has still received a lot of praise, and one episode that was lauded the most was the one where T’Challa became Star-Lord instead of Peter Quill.

Hot on the heels of the first season finale, head writer A.C. Bradley and director Bryan Andrews sat down with Variety to discuss the show and the possibilities for a second season. Of particular note, it was revealed that a spin-off of the Star-Lord T’Challa character was in the works, with the pair specifically commenting:

Chadwick [Boseman] had recorded his Star-Lord T’Challa stuff early. But we had those later episodes that he appeared in sporadically, and it was a long stretch before we got him [again]. And it was not long after the final recording that he passed. I think it was maybe just a few months or a month. None of us knew, obviously. But, um, we got him in time to have everything [for Season 1]. I think he was also trying to make an effort because T’Challa was so important to him – and also this new version of Star-Lord T’Challa was so important to him. He dug it. I don’t know if he knew this, but there was planning to have Star-Lord T’Challa spin off into his own show with that universe and that crew and that whole thing. We were all very excited. We know he would have loved it, too. And then, you know, he passed, and so all that’s in limbo. So, who knows? Maybe one day.

Sadly, Chadwick Boseman passed away shortly after completing his voice work for the series, so it’s unlikely this show will see the light of day, though there is always a possibility, especially as it’s been announced that the live-action counterparts, by and large, aren’t returning to voice the animated versions for the second season.

Marvel’s What if…? has completed its first season, with plans for a second to debut sometime in 2022, with the sophomore effort set to incorporate newer Marvel content, such as Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.