X-Men '97 Creator Bo DeMajo Announces Marvel's What If…? Season 3

Marvel's “What if…?” premiered in 2021, and its groundbreaking remixes of the status quo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe became consistent bright spots for the franchise during an otherwise difficult time. While Season 1 of the Disney+ animated Marvel multiverse show combined its stylish animation with a fast-paced story, Season 2 was a nice, refreshing addition to the MCUand both seasons received very good reviews overall.

“What if…?” Season 3 began airing daily episodes on December 22, 2024 and concluded a week later on December 29, and while it hasn't been as warmly received by critics as its predecessors, it's still an entertaining watch … that is, unless you asks Beau DeMayo. The former “X-Men '97” showrunner took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his gripes about the “What If…?” Season 3 and his brief review made it clear he wasn't exactly a fan:

“#whatif season 3 yikes just yikes”

In another to tweetDeMayo took more time to develop. While by no means an essay, this post highlighted what he sees as clear problems with the episode's writing and basic setup:

“(It) has no substance and feels like fiction. The dialogue is flat and so obvious, and some of the rooms are just weird.”

DeMayo's problems appear to be based on the “What If…?” for the early parts. Season 3. Not only did he publish his critique on December 27th, that is, before the final two episodes dropped, but tweeted on his lack of interest in completing the series:

“I'd watch more to make notes on how it could easily have been done better, but I've got some water to watch boil.”

This suggests that he hasn't seen the season after episode 6 of “What If… 1872,” a 19th-century adventure starring Shang-Chi (Sim Liu) and Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld). Of course, at this point the show has already introduced some pretty wild stuff even after the “What if…?” standards, from the battles between the Seagull-sized Hulk monster (Mark Ruffalo) and giant mechs to the peculiar interspecies marriage between Howard. Duck (Seth Green) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings), resulting in a powerful hybrid daughter named Birdie (Natasha Lyonne). recommended that season three's quality issues may be due to Matthew Chauncey taking over as head writer from series creator AC Bradley:

“This is also the season AC Bradley stepped down completely for Chauncey to take over.”

Of course, it's worth keeping in mind that DeMayo has a very personal bone to pick with the MCU. Drama between “X-Men '97” creator and Marvel has been ongoing since March 2024, when DeMejo was fired shortly before the show premiered. Marvel's allegations of creator behavior issues and DeMayo's vocal outbursts against his former employer have made this one of the MCU's high-profile behind-the-scenes shakeups. As DeMayo's “What If…?” comments show that he's more than willing to criticize MCU products, so expect this particular rift to continue making headlines.

“What if…?” now streaming on Disney+.