The MCU will make history when What If...? Season 3 is released on Disney+ with the introduction of a brand new superhero.
What If...? Season 3 was recently announced by Marvel Studios and will premiere on Disney+ on December 22. Similar to Season 2, the upcoming installment will unveil one episode each day until all eight of the third and final season's episodes have aired.
Fans will get to witness a historic moment in the upcoming season, which is seemingly a trend that What If...? continues to innovate. For reference, Season 2 unveiled the first-ever MCU original superhero, Kahhori.
What If...? Season 3's Historic Superhero
In the recently released trailer for What If...? Season 3, it was revealed that a brand new MCU original superhero will grace the screen in at least one episode of the upcoming installment.
This hero is named Byrdie and will be played by actress Natasha Lyonne (Orange is the New Black).
However, this character (and Lyonne) will make history when she debuts in What If...? Season 3 as the first-ever original MCU superhero to be played by an actor who had already been cast in an MCU movie.
To clarify, Natasha Lyonne has already been confirmed to be cast in The Fantastic Four: The First Steps.
It is worth noting that Marvel Studios has not yet announced who Lyonne will play in Fantastic Four, but she will definitely have some sort of role in the upcoming movie.
As for Byrdie, little is known about her since she is an MCU original hero, but, based on the What If...? Season 3 trailer, she can fly and seemingly has the power to shoot some sort of energy beams from her eyes similar to Richard Madden's Ikaris from Eternals.
Will Byrdie Appear in More MCU Projects?
With the debuts of multiple original heroes, fans have to assume that it is only a matter of time before they cross over into live-action and appear in a canon project.
Kahhori was a major character in What If...? Season 2 who was also marketed extremely heavily, so it is clear that Marvel Studios wants the spotlight on these original characters.
Since it is a non-canon project, What If...? seems like the perfect place for the MCU to unveil these original characters and get fans accustomed to them.
Just because the show isn't a part of the technical canon, that doesn't mean that the heroes seen in What If...? would be a lot different if they were to appear in live-action one day.
However, it does allow Marvel Studios to see the fans' response to the characters and re-evaluate them, meaning that they could make a few adjustments as needed before debuting them in live-action.
Once What If...? Season 3 premieres, fans will get the chance to learn more about Byrdie, but it won't be a surprise if, like Kahhori, some more information is revealed about her prior to her introduction.
What If...? is available to stream on Disney+, and Season 3 will premiere on the streaming service on December 22.
