Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Marvel’s What If…? Episode 3
The third episode ofMarvel’s What If…?hit Disney+ today, and it’s arguably the most exciting installment yet. The animated Marvel Studios series dives into the multiverse to tell stories about certain MCU characters with slight changes – like what if Peggy Carter took the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers? – and we delight in watching how differently things play out. InWhat If?Episode 3, however, a brand new story is told involving nearly all of the original Avengers. A story in which they get killed off one by one.
Indeed, the central mystery of “What If… The World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?” finds Black Widow investigating the deaths of the Avengers lineup, around the time of the events ofIron Man 2. First we see Tony Stark die, then Thor, then Hawkeye, and so on and so forth. Black Widow is the one trying to figure out who’s behind this, but you may or may not have noticed that while folks likeSamuel L. JacksonandJeremy Rennerreturned to voice their animated counterparts,Scarlett Johanssondoes not voice Black Widow inWhat If?
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So who voices Black Widow inWhat IfEpisode 3? That would beLake Bell, a talented and well-known actress and filmmaker in her own right. Bell’s live-action credits range fromIt’s ComplicatedtoChildren’s Hospitalto her 2013 featureIn a World…(about the world of voiceover acting, ironically), but she’s also an in-demand voice actress with roles in shows likeBojack HorsemanandHarley Quinn, the latter of which finds her voicing Poison Ivy. Bell does a terrific job bringing Black Widow to life here inWhat If, to the point that you quickly forget that Johansson isn’t present.
Speaking of, why didn’t Scarlett Johansson voice Black Widow inWhat If?She’s not the only MCU performer to not return for this animated series.Chris Evanswas replacedin the show’s first episode, andChris Prattwas replaced for the show’ssecond episode. Similarly, Tony Stark is not voiced byRobert Downey Jr.in Episode 3 – that role is instead filled by voice performerMick Wingert.
While the show’s executive producers have blamed scheduling for why certain MCU actors aren’t inWhat If, it’s also entirely possible that they didn’t return due to contract issues. Evans and Downey Jr. fulfilled their contractual obligations withAvengers: Endgame, and similarly one imagines Johansson’s contract concluded withBlack Widow. And while the actress is currently ina very public legal battlewith Disney over the Disney+ release ofBlack Widow, the voice lines forWhat Ifwere recorded well before that standalone was given a hybrid release, so that specific litigation is almost certainly not a reason why Johansson didn’t return forWhat If.
Regardless, Bell does a swell job playing Black Widow, and I certainly wouldn’t mind watching more animated stories with her at the helm.
KEEP READING:‘What If…?’ Episode 2 Easter Eggs: Everything You May Have Missed
