WHAT IF...? Writer Says One Storyline Was Tossed Out Because it Ended Up Being Half the Plot of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
The writer for the upcoming MCU series What If…? on Disney+ has a big job, writing for so many different characters. Writing for them means knowing them pretty well, and A.C. Bradley must know them as well as the MCU writers who came before her, as one idea for the show was tossed out purely because it happened to be a good portion of the plot of the upcoming sequel Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3.
In a recent interview with games website Kakucho Purei (via /Film) about the development of the series, Bradley explained her methodology behind creating each episode, and what she wanted to get out of the series:
“When it came to creating the first 10 episodes of season one, ironically the first question was not What If…? The first question was let’s take all these heroes and figure out what makes them tick. Let’s find the heart behind the hero. The hero behind the shield, so to speak, and explore that, because, at the end of the day, the reason we love these movies is that we feel a connection to these characters.”
She went on to explain what happened when she pitched her Guardians of the Galaxy story idea to series director Bryan Andrews, and asked if he thought the head of Marvel, Kevin Feige, would approve.
“He went, oh, yeah, Kevin would love that, that’s half the plot of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3.”
The report added that this was not the first overlapping idea. Bradley explained in an interview with The Direct that she had repeated experiences pitching something that was already secretly in the works:
“My first week, I wanted to do Jane Foster Thor and I was told no… I went into a whole feminist rant of why characters are important and why they’re necessary and why a woman needs to be able to wield the hammer and then they were like, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna do it in live-action…’ I also pitched old-man Steve and Professor Hulk… this was before they let me see Endgame.”
At least she is definitely on the same wavelength as the rest of the MCU creators! Tune in to Disney+ next week on August 11th to see what Bradley ended up making of the series What If…?.
Thor: Love and Thunder will arrive in theaters on May 6, 2022, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will debut in theaters on May 5, 2023.