A LEGO set for Marvel's What If...? animated series confirmed Iron Man will play a role in the show's Thor: Ragnarok-inspired storyline.
As seen in these photos posted to Instagram, the set features a modified version of the Hulkbuster armor that's identified as "Tony Stark's Sakaarian Iron Man," along with Tony Stark, Valkyrie and Uatu The Watcher mini-figures. The Hulkbuster armor can also be transformed into a race car designed for navigating the garbage-strewn Sakaar landscape featured in 2017's Ragnarok.
When interviewed in Nov. 2019, Jeff Goldblum confirmed he would return as Sakaar's ruler The Grandmaster during an episode of What If..?, stating "It's an animated version of all the characters we know and love from Marvel and this episode included the Grandmaster and Iron Man, so Robert Downey [Jr.] will do a voice for that, and Korg. Taika Waititi had already recorded his voice for that, so yeah, for a couple hours I enjoyed doing that." However, a week after Goldblum made his comments, it was reported that Downey Jr. would not be voicing Tony on the animated series.
Inspired by the Marvel comic book series that launched in 1977, What If...? will explore what would have happened if major moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has played out differently. In addition to Tony's adventure on Sakaar, the show will include an episode where Peggy Carter receives the Super Soldier Serum instead of Steve Rogers, transforming her into a superhero. Another plot centers on the Wakandan prince and future Black Panther T'Challa becoming the Guardians of the Galaxy's Star-Lord after the Ravagers pick him up in place of Peter Jason Quill.
Westworld's Jeffrey Wright is voicing What If...?'s Uatu, who will serve as the series' narrator. "In the comics, [Uatu]'s an observer -- and then some. Here, in the first season, he starts off as an observer, but he gradually becomes more compelled by what he watches," teased Wright, when asked about his role in a previous interview.
Created by A.C. Bradley and directed by Bryan Andrews, What If...? stars Jeffrey Wright, Samuel L. Jackson, Hayley Atwell, Chadwick Boseman, Tom Hiddleston, Michael Rooker, Chris Hemsworth, Dominic Cooper, Jeremy Renner and more. The series premieres in August on Disney+.
Source: Instagram