Marvel producer on why What If…? won’t feature X-Men or the Fantastic Four

Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in X-Men
(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

What If…? has an infinite number of possibilities – so could the X-Men or Fantastic Four show up in one of its many, many multiverses?

Short answer: no – at least not yet. Long answer? Marvel executive producer Brad Winderbaum has explained exactly why mutants and Marvel’s First Family won’t be showing up in What If…? anytime soon.

"We had very few parameters… but [no X-Men or Fantastic Four] was certainly one of them," Winderbaum told Collider.

"We wanted to make sure the characters were firmly rooted in the MCU. It had nothing to do with rights, nothing to do with the future stories we wanted to tell. It had everything to do with what What If…? is, which is a spin on an established storyline. We looked primarily at the Infinity Saga," Winderbaum said. "Once it’s there [in the MCU], we get to make it."

That wasn’t the only thing off-limits in What If…? Head writer A.C. Bradley recently told GamesRadar+ that two things were off the table when developing stories: swerving current MCU stories and a Star Wars crossover. Naturally.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.