There are countless alternate realities that have emerged due to the universe-shattering events from the Loki finale, and a good chunk of them will be explored in the much-talked-about What If...? Disney+ series.
The upcoming MCU show is the first of many animated series under the Marvel brand, and it will explore different scenarios of familiar heroes and villains shifting into new roles. One of the confirmed storylines that the show's marketing already revealed revolves around the late Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa.
In What If...?, T'Challa will assume the role of Peter Quill's Star-Lord. Marketing showed that T'Challa is the one who was kidnapped by Yondu instead of Quill to ultimately become a full-fledged member of the Ravagers.
Exact details of how this will all play out are still being kept under wraps, but a new interview may shed some light on which other characters will T'Challa interact with in the series.
T'CHALLA MEETS HOWARD THE DUCK
Seth Green sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about his MCU return in What If...? as Howard the Duck.
Green confirmed that Howard will interact with T'Challa in the series, describing it as a "really cool" moment.
The veteran actor then noted his take on Howard as a "punk rock noir detective" while also admitting that he likes the character in the comics because he likes "subversive stuff:"
“I like the character in the comics, and I like subversive stuff. He’s a punk rock noir detective, at least that’s the way I play it.”
As for the future of Howard the Duck in the MCU, Green said that everyone "can all rest assured" that Marvel Studios has "good plans" for all of its characters "that are going to make sense."
WHAT IF...? AND ITS MCU CROSSOVERS
Marvel Studios already confirmed that the late Chadwick Boseman will appear in multiple episodes of What If...? as T'Challa, and this latest confirmation that his MCU character will interact with Seth Green's Howard the Duck could hint that his final portrayal will be a memorable one.
Aside from Yondu and Howard, it's reasonable to assume that more characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise will also encounter the King of Wakanda. From Rocket Racoon all the way to the Collector, the possibilities are endless for T'Challa's potential interactions in the series.
On a plot level, it makes narrative sense for T'Challa to have a standoff with the Collector, considering that Howard the Duck was last seen in Knowhere in the MCU canon. It's possible that the interaction between Howard and T'Challa will only be minimal, especially after the fact that the character really didn't encounter the original Star-Lord from the Guardians films.
Meanwhile, this isn't the first time that Green has addressed the future of Howard the Duck in the MCU. In a previous interview, the actor played coy about the character's future, admitting that he can't talk about the matter.
Based on his latest comments, Green appears to be pretty positive about Howard's MCU potential, and this could be a good sign that the character will still appear in projects down the line. The next plausible projects would be James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and even the already-confirmed second season of the What If...? Disney+ series.
What If...? will premiere on Disney+ on August 11, 2021.
