Many fans have argued that What If...?'s best episode was the second instalment that took us to a reality where T'Challa was abducted from Earth by the Ravagers and became Star-Lord. Chadwick Boseman's performance was nothing short of perfection, though Karen Gillan, Michael Rooker, and Josh Brolin were all part of a stellar supporting cast that knocked it out of the park.
Tragically, Boseman passed away last year after a lengthy battle with cancer. He recorded his lines a few months before he died, and director Bryan Andrews has now told Variety that he didn't tape any dialogue for season 2. That means the animated series serves as the actor's final MCU performance.
The filmmaker also confirmed that, had things gone differently, we'd have got a Star-Lord spinoff.
"Chadwick had recorded his Star Lord T’Challa stuff early. But we had those later episodes that he appeared in sporadically, and it was a long stretch before we got him [again]. And it was not long after the final recording that he passed," Andrews explains. "I think it was maybe just a few months, or a month. None of us knew, obviously. But, um, we got him in time to have everything."
"I think he was also trying to make an effort because T’Challa was so important to him — and also this new version of Star Lord T’Challa was so important to him. He dug it."
"I don’t know if he knew this, but there was planning to have Star Lord T’Challa spin off into his own show with that universe and that crew and that whole thing," the director added, revealing what might have been "We were all very excited. We know he would have loved it, too. And then, you know, he passed, and so all that’s in limbo. So, who knows? Maybe one day."
As enjoyable as it would be to catch up with this version of Star-Lord and that amazing cast of supporting characters, it simply wouldn't be the same without Boseman. With that in mind, shelving it might be the best possible idea for now, though as Andrews notes, it could one day be revisited.
What If...? season 2 is currently in the works, but doesn't have a premiere date yet.