Several MCU characters never before seen in What If...? will be appearing in the animated series' season 3, scheduled to premiere on December 22. What If...? season 3 will release as the final project in Marvel Studios' 2024 slate, and will mark the conclusion of the What If...? series, with Jeffrey Wright's Watcher returning to narrate only eight new adventures across the MCU's multiverse. Despite there being some confusion about why What If...? is actually ending, there is also a huge amount of excitement about the Marvel Animation series.

The Captain Carter and Kahhori will also be returning. However, a number of characters in What If...? season 3 have not been adapted into animation before, which proves just how new and exciting What If...? season 3 will be.

17 White Vision

Vision Debuted In The MCU In Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

Vision has appeared in previous episodes of What If...?, most notably "What If... Zombies?!" and "What If... Ultron Won?," but White Vision will make his What If...? debut in season 3. Vision has been a huge part of the MCU since his introduction in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, as he was the holder of the Mind Stone for some time and was involved in a romance with the Scarlet Witch. Vision acquired his sleek, white appearance in WandaVision after being rebuilt by SWORD, which is the iteration that will appear in What If...? season 3.

It seems that White Vision will be a villain in What If...? season 3. Ironheart can be seen fighting him, while he also seems to be commanding an army of the Iron Legion with a new red-eyed appearance. It's possible Vision has once again fallen under the control of Ultron, transforming him into a powerful villain in What If...? season 3, and this could set up a similar storyline for Paul Bettany's return as White Vision in the live-action Vision series. What If...? will mark the first time White Vision has been seen since his 2021 debut in WandaVision.

16 Monica Rambea

Monica Rambeau Debuted In The MCU In Captain Marvel (2019)

Monica Rambeau was first introduced to the MCU as a child in 2019's Captain Marvel, but returned as an adult, portrayed by Teyonah Parris, in WandaVision. Phase 4 saw Monica gain energy absorption abilities after being exposed to the power of the Scarlet Witch's Hex, allowing her to fight alongside Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan in The Marvels, which ended with her trapped in another reality. What If...? season 3 will introduce a new variant of Monica Rambeau, one who is a member of the Mech-suited Avengers alongside the likes of Sam Wilson's Captain America, Shang-Chi and Moon Knight.

Monica Rambeau met Kelsey Grammer's Beast and Lashana Lynch's Binary in The Marvels, and Charles Xavier was mentioned, confirming the X-Men exist in her new reality, but she hasn't been seen since.

It's unclear when the live-action iteration of Monica Rambeau will return to the MCU, given the fact that she is trapped in a new reality inhabited by X-Men Beast and Binary. However, What If...? season 3 will give Teyonah Parris the chance to show off new sides to her powerful MCU hero in an exciting storyline that will see the Avengers come together Avengers Mech Strike style. This will connect Monica Rambeau to even more Marvel heroes, and begin to establish her as a significant member of the Avengers in the MCU.

15 Ying-Nan

Ying-Nan Debuted In The MCU In Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

After making her first appearance as one of the protectors of Ta Lo in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Ying-Nan has been confirmed to be returning in What If...? season 3. As Ying-Li's sister, Michelle Yeoh's Ying-Nan is the aunt to Shang-Chi and Xialing, the children of the Mandarin, Xu Wenwu. Ying-Nan trained Shang-Chi in the martial arts specialties of Ta Lo, which his mother had previously used to best Wenwu in battle. In What If...?, Ying-Nan is expected to embark on an adventure with Wong, Okoye and Valkyrie.

Michelle Yeoh previously portrayed Aleta Ogord in 2017's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, but didn't reprise this role in Vol. 3.

It's unclear exactly what storyline Ying-Nan will embark on in What If...? season 3, and who will be voicing the character, as it doesn't seem as though Michelle Yeoh will be reprising the role. Shang-Chi is expected to appear in at least two episodes of What If...? season 3, so it's possible that Ta Lo could be revisited, allowing Ying-Nan to appear alongside her nephew. Hela previously trained with Jiayi in Ta Lo In What If...? season 2, so season 3 presents the perfect opportunity for the mystical dimension to be explored even further.

14 Alexei Shostakov's Red Guardian

Alexei Shostakov Debuted In The MCU In Black Widow (2021)

David Harbour's Red Guardian is quickly becoming one of the MCU's most consistent new characters, as he debuted in 2021's Black Widow, and is set to return in 2025's Thunderbolts* and the animated Marvel Zombies series, as well as What If...? season 3. Alexei Shostakov is the surrogate father to Black Widows Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova, having raised them in Ohio alongside Melina Vostokoff. Alexei and Melina will return as Mech-suited Avengers in What If...? season 3, while some of Red Guardian's history could also be explored.

An entire episode of What If...? season 3 is expected to be dedicated to expanding on the connection between Russian super-soldiers Alexei Shostakov and Bucky Barnes' Winter Soldier. This episode was originally intended to be released as part of What If...? season 2, but was delayed until season 3. It will also feature Laurence Fishburne's Bill Foster and an original MCU character voiced by America Ferrera, and is expected to develop the Red Guardian's legend in the MCU before Harbour returns in the live-action Thunderbolts* movie.

13 Agatha Harkness

Agatha Harkness Debuted In The MCU In WandaVision (2021)

Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness has recently become one of the most popular characters in the MCU, thanks to her starring role in the Agatha All Along series. The centuries-old witch gathered a coven and traveled the fabricated Witches' Road in Agatha All Along, but it seems she will curiously be partnering with the Eternals in What If...? season 3. Agatha Harkness' What If...? season 3 episode has been revealed to include at least one musical number, following on from the hits, "Agatha All Along" and "The Ballad of the Witches' Road."

What If...? season 3 will show off a version of Agatha Harkness who seems to have been empowered with new gifts, perhaps using her ability to absorb the energy and life force of others to steal power from the Eternals. This could explain how she is able to loom over the Earth in a gown embroidered with the same patterning of the Eternals' own costumes. Agatha Harkness ended Agatha All Along as a ghost on a mission with Billy Maximoff's Wiccan, but it's unclear when she'll be seen in live-action next, so What If...? season 3 can bridge this gap.

12 Kingo

Kingo Debuted In The MCU In Eternals (2021)

Speaking of Eternals, Kumail Nanjiani's Kingo can be seen alongside Agatha Harkness in What If...? season 3's trailer. It's unclear if the other of the Eternals team who were sent to Earth will also appear, but Kingo has been the most-mentioned member of this group in the years since Eternals' 2021 release, so it makes sense that he would be spotlighted in What If...? season 3. While the other Eternals tried to stay out of the public eye, Kingo became a Bollywood superstar, and reinvented himself as his own son every few decades, creating a powerful on-screen dynasty.

The appearance of at least one member of the Eternals in What If...? suggests that the Celestial emergence will play a role in the animated series. What part Agatha Harkness has to play in this storyline is another question, but with no sign of Eternals 2 being put into development, What If...? season 3 presents the perfect opportunity for the cosmic beings to be examined in much more detail. It's unclear whether Nanjiani will return to voice Kingo in What If...? season 3, but it would be great to see him reprise his role in the MCU.

11 Shang-Chi

Shang-Chi Debuted In The MCU In Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings (2021)

It's been a huge shame that Simu Liu's Shang-Chi hasn't been seen in the MCU since his debut in 2021's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Even though Shang-Chi 2 is in production, director Destin Daniel Cretton has been working on the Wonder Man series, and will soon be starting work on the MCU's Spider-Man 4, so the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel may still be a few years away. Luckily, however, Shang-Chi will be returning in What If...? season 3, with a Wild West-set episode focused entirely on him.

The ending of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings introduced Shang-Chi and Katy to the Avengers, but they have not been seen or heard from since.

Shang-Chi will be appearing alongside Kate Bishop in a Western What If...? episode, while he will also be featured as a member of the Avengers in What If...? season 3's Mech suit episode. The latter will also introduce a version of the ten rings which can be utilized by the Avengers' Megazord-style armor, which will be very exciting. Audiences are desperate for Shang-Chi to return to the live-action MCU, though it seems he won't be seen until 2026's Avengers: Doomsday, but What If...? season 3 will give Shang-Chi some development prior to the Phase 6 crossover.

10 Marc Spector's Moon Knight

Marc Spector Debuted In The MCU In Moon Knight (2022)

Similarly to Shang-Chi, Marc Spector's Moon Knight is also one of the recent MCU characters that audiences are desperate to see return. This is especially true after the Moon Knight series ended with a cliffhanger introducing Spector's third alter, Jake Lockley. There's no sign of Moon Knight returning to the MCU, but What If...? season 3 seems to have set him up to be a key member of the Mech-suit Avengers, perhaps even the team's leader, as he can be seen strategizing for the Avengers' team-up adventure, which is an exciting prospect.

It's a shame that Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight hasn't returned to the MCU since his 2022 debut, though there has been speculation that he'll play a huge role in the as-yet-unconfirmed Midnight Sons team-up event in the MCU's future. Moon Knight's return in What If...? season 3 could be huge for his live-action future, as his popularity will prove to Marvel Studios just how much audiences want to see him back on-screen. Oscar Isaac's Moon Knight should be crucial to the MCU's future, and What If...? season 3 can kick-start this new renaissance.

9 Kaecilius

Kaecilius Debuted In The MCU In Doctor Strange (2016)

As well as including new versions of some of the MCU's most notable heroes, What If...? season 3 is also expected to include a number of new supervillains. This includes Mads Mikkelsen's Kaecilius, who opposed the Ancient One and Doctor Strange in 2016's eponymous Doctor Strange, though was seemingly killed when he was taken by Dormammu into the Dark Dimension. Kaecilius' role in What If...? season 3 is uncertain, though it seems he will still be filling a villainous role, as he has the same scarring over his eyes as his live-action MCU counterpart.

Mads Mikkelsen previously auditioned for the role of Doctor Doom in 2015's Fantastic Four, a role which eventually went to Toby Kebbell.

Mads Mikkelsen had recently been fan-cast as the MCU's Doctor Doom, prior to Robert Downey Jr. being recast as Doom after playing Tony Stark's Iron Man for over a decade. Mikkelsen was arguably wasted in the role of Kaecilius, so it's great to see this character return to the MCU for at least one more adventure, though it's unclear whether Mikkelsen himself will be voicing the villain. It would be fantastic to have Mads Mikkelsen back in the MCU in some capacity, and, if not in live-action, the animated What If...? series may be the best bet.

8 Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye

Kate Bishop Debuted In The MCU In Hawkeye (2021)

Hailee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop debuted in 2021's Hawkeye series as the young protégé to Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton, but she'll take on a new role opposite Shang-Chi in What If...? season 3. Kate Bishop will be starring in the Wild West-set episode of What If...? season 3 with Shang-Chi, though it's unclear exactly what storyline this episode will feature. It will nevertheless be great to see Kate Bishop back in the MCU, as the tease of her ing the Young Avengers at the end of The Marvels has, so far, gone nowhere.

Kate Bishop has the chance to become a cornerstone of the MCU as one of the franchise's youngest and most exciting new characters. As the new Hawkeye, Kate Bishop will be key to the development of the Young Avengers, and could even the primary Avengers team in Phase 6's Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars or beyond. Until then, What If...? season 3 is the best place for Kate Bishop to be explored across the multiverse, giving Hailee Steinfeld new stories in the MCU before she reprises the role in live-action.