Marvel Studios' What If: New Trailer Highlights Tony Stark, Killmonger & More

By Richard Nebens Updated:
Tony Stark Killmonger What If

Marvel Studios is less than two weeks away from its glorious return to the streaming sphere, bringing the MCU’s first-ever animated adventure What If…? to Disney+.

With the show almost here, fans are starting to learn more intimate details about what to expect from this semi-retrospective on Marvel’s Infinity Saga. Anticipation is building to see what the MCU's revamped heroes will experience in this alternate universe, especially considering there are almost no signs pointing to where the story will specifically go.

The first two trailers and numerous TV spots have given a glimpse into just how wild this show will be, showing events like Erik Killmonger saving Tony Stark’s life and Doctor Strange taking a momentary turn to the dark side. Marvel Studios is even taking the chance in this show to put Seth Green’s Howard the Duck into the spotlight, which is certainly a twist almost nobody saw coming.

With August rapidly approaching, the show finds itself with a new teaser that hints at even more of the imminent insanity coming soon.

WHAT IF...? WILDNESS ON THE WAY

Killmonger, What If...?
Total Film

Marvel Studios released a new 30-second teaser on Twitter for What If...?, which will begin streaming on Disney+ on August 11, 2021.

The teaser features snippets of Tony Stark with Killmonger, Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter, and zombified versions of well-known MCU heroes:

 

NEW TAKES ON OLD MCU FACES

The premise of What If...? is taking everything that happened in Marvel Studios' first 23 movies and retelling the stories with key details changed for a new twist. This theme continues to shine through in the show's latest short trailer, giving fans more important details on how some of these events will play out.

Tony Stark, Erik Killmonger
Marvel Studios

The second full trailer from early July provided a new take on the MCU's first canonical scene, in which Erik Killmonger saved Tony Stark's life by throwing aside the missile that started Stark's path to becoming Iron Man. Killmonger rightfully gets his praise for this move in this trailer as he's seen in full military formal dress alongside Tony and getting a big photo op.

Adorned with more than a dozen medals instead on his self-induced kill count scars, What If...? is taking the opportunity to put the Black Panther villain on a different path alongside the MCU's original Avenger. With rumors of Gamora hunting Tony down for some reason, this partnership with Killmonger should play a key role in pushing this new narrative forward.

Vision/Ultron, What If...?
Marvel Studios

This new spot also featured what appeared to be the Vision/Ultron hybrid teased in the full trailer from July, showing just how potentially dangerous the overpowered villain will be in his new form.

Achieving his original goal of uploading his consciousness into Vision's body, Ultron is shown almost like Jeffrey Wright's Watcher as he looks down on an unknown environment. Whether this is in Ultron's own mind or the real world, the killer android has the chance to pose even more of a threat than he originally did to the Avengers as he tried to destroy the world with a Sokovia meteor.

Hayley Atwell's Captain Carter also gets a couple of seconds of action in this trailer as she dives headfirst into the tentacles of Shuma Gorath. The early moments also expand on her transformation into a superhero, which feel reminiscent of Steve Rogers' origin story from Captain America: The First Avenger.

Giving just a small glimpse at other heroes like Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Ancient One, and more, this trailer does its job in continuing to build hype for one of the MCU's craziest stories to date. More of these spots are sure to come in the next couple of weeks before Disney+ kicks things off with Peggy Carter's new journey in Episode 1.

What If...? will begin streaming on Disney+ on August 11, 2021.

- In This Article: What If...? (Season 2)
Release Date
December 22, 2023
Platform
Actors
Jeffrey Wright
- About The Author: Richard Nebens
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.