Disney Plus is about to launch What If…?, the very first animated series from Marvel Studios. An anthology show inspired by the classic comics of the same name, it’ll explore a different alternate reality every episode. It’s a terrific idea, and it looks like DC is looking to get their own version of it off the ground. As per a new report, an Elseworlds animated series is in the works over at HBO Max.
According to Geekosity, DC is discussing doing a What If…?-like animated show based around the iconic Elseworlds label. Though the What If comics pre-date Elseworlds, the DC label is arguably even more iconic, having produced many acclaimed non-canon, standalone stories over the years e.g. Kingdom Come and Superman: Red Son. The name was previously used for The CW’s 2018 Arrowverse crossover event as well.
Geekosity notes that this project is only in the earliest stages and so there are no creative names or potential voice actors linked to it as yet. What If…? is being connected to the MCU through the use of a ton of familiar Marvel actors. Elseworlds would presumably be more self-contained, but it would be a smart idea to maybe get some old favorites back to voice these alt-heroes. The Arrowverse leads, for instance, or maybe even some movie stars if the studio can get them. Alternatively, fans would love to have the cast of the classic Justice League animated series return in any form. And maybe there could be some crossover with the Smallville animation. The possibilities are endless.
Whether this one properly gets the greenlight or not likely depends on how successful What If…? turns out to be for Marvel, which we’ll find out very soon. It premieres on Disney Plus on Wednesday, August 11th. If it ends up being just as popular as the likes of WandaVision and Loki, maybe we should expect HBO Max to get the ball rolling on an Elseworlds show.