‘What If…?’ Head Writer AC Bradley Leaving Marvel Animated Series Ahead of Season 3

December 31, 2023 @ 1:04 PM

“What If…?” head writer A.C. Bradley announced that Season 2 of the Marvel animated series, which just concluded, will be her last as head writer — though she has another episode on the way in Season 3.

“After season two, I made the decision to move on from Marvel,” Bradley said on X over the weekend following the Season 2 finale dropping on Disney+. “It’s been a fun ride, but it’s time for new adventures and mediums. All my love to the cast, crew, & fans!”

She shared a Season 3 preview clip of Black Widow patriarch Red Guardian teaming with the Winter Soldier, saying it is her “absolute favorite” and “marks my final What If script.”

Last #WhatIf tweet! This ep is my absolute FAVORITE and marks my final What If script. 🥲

After season two, I made the decision to move on from Marvel. It’s been a fun ride, but it’s time for new adventures and mediums.

All my love to the cast, crew, & fans! #WhatIfS2 https://t.co/WcA4iS5f48

— A.C. Bradley (@TheAshBradley) December 30, 2023

It remains to be seen what the other mediums Bradley teased exploring end up being.

During the WGA strike, Bradley called out Marvel for underpaying her for her work on another Disney+ series, “Ms. Marvel.”

In July, she tweeted, “Hey, @WGAWest let’s make sure @DisneyStudios & @MarvelStudios pays the writers network residuals! Despite significantly rewriting all episodes, & the WGA mandating I receive writing credit on 3 eps… I was only paid a weekly rate & never paid script fees.”

On Saturday, Bradley explained why Season 2 of “What If…?” wasn’t as dark as fans may have expected. “Since it’s been asked, wondering why the world doesn’t end in #WhatIf S2? We penned #WhatIf S2 between Jan-Oct 2020 amidst the onset of Covid, BLM protests, and a US presidential election. When it felt like OUR world was on the brink… “

She continued, “#WhatIf became our sanctuary, a retreat where heroes rise against the darkness, and the most unexpected ones shine the brightest: Nebula, Hela, and a young woman wanting to see a cool lake. Sometimes, it’s just more fun to save the world.”

“What If…?” is based on the classic 1977 comic series, which offered explorations of what would happen if key moments in the Marvel universe were changed. The show reimagined events from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a multitude of alternate realities. The series’ episodes include what might have happened if zombies popped up in the MCU, Peggy Carter became Captain America or Killmonger rescued Tony Stark.

Bradley won a 2018 Daytime Emmy for cowriting “Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia” and was nominated for a 2022 Primetime Emmy for the episode “What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?” She has also written for “Arrow” and “3Below: Tales of Arcadia.”