Which MCU actors were replaced in What If...? Season 3? Explored

The third season of What If...? streamed its first episode on 22nd December 2024, and the remaining seven episodes were released daily till December 29th, 2024. The animated anthology series has actors from the MCU returning to voice their characters. However, actors like Jeff Bridges, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, Jeff Goldblum, and Lupita Nyong'o did not return in What If...? Season 3.

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Which MCU actors did not return to voice the animated version of their characters?

Here is the list of actors who did not return from the live-action MCU movies to voice their characters in What If...? Season 3:

• Rachel Weisz (replaced by Kari Wahlgren)

Melina Vostokoff sounded very different in the first episode of What If...? Season 3, What If... the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers? While Rachel Weisz played Melina in 2021's Black Widow and even voiced her in What If...? Season 2, she didn't return for the current third season. She was replaced probably because of scheduling issues.

While the recording sessions for What If...? seasons 1 and 2 probably took place around the same time, there was supposedly a gap between the recordings for the second and third seasons. The gap between seasons 2 and 3 may explain Kari Wahlgren voicing Melina instead of Rachel Weisz.

Also, Melina played only a minor role in What If...? season 3. Weisz may return in the live-action or even animation form in the future.

• Lupita Nyong'o (replaced by Brittany Adebumola)

Like Melina, Nakia played a minor role in the same episode of What If...? She is a part of the Mech Avengers team, perhaps succeeding T'Challa and Shuri's Black Panthers. Voiced by Brittany Adebumola, it's unclear whether we'll get this version of Nakia in the future. As Black Panther 3 was officially confirmed recently, Lupita Nyong'o will likely reprise her role as Nakia.

• Jeff Bridges (Replaced by Kiff VandenHeuvel)

We meet MCU villain, Obadiah Stane, in the third What If...? episode, "What If... the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Soldier?" However, he isn't voiced by Jeff Bridges despite playing the character in Iron Man in 2008. That could be chalked up to Stane being younger.

The character here is voiced by Kiff VandenHeuvel, who had also voiced Stane back in What If...? season 1 episode "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?"

• Mads Mikkelsen (Replaced by Jared Butler)

Fans have regarded 2016's Doctor Strange villain Kaecilius as one of the MCU's most wasted antagonists despite appreciating Mads Mikkelsen's portrayal. The character returns in the fourth episode of What If...?, but Mikkelsen is not voicing Kaecilius in "What If... Howard the Duck Got Hitched?". Instead, actor Jared Butler lends his voice to the character in this episode.

• Ray Winstone (Replaced by Piotr Michael)

We only meet General Dreykov during the solo Black Widow movie. Ray Winstone was replaced in What If...? Season 3 Episode 3, "What If... the Red Guardian Stopped the Winter Solder?" by actor Piotr Michael. Fans might not mind this one as the character has yet to play a major role across the MCU.

• Jeff Goldblum (Replaced by Matt Friend)

The enigmatic Grandmaster made his debut in Thor: Ragnarok. Actor Jeff Goldblum played the character in the first movie and even in What If...? Seasons 1 and 2. However, "What If... Howard the Duck Got Hitched?" has Matt Friend voice the Grandmaster instead of Goldblum. Friend is a talented voice actor known for his flawless Goldblum impersonation.

Apart from the ones above, numerous other actors like Colm Feore, Russell Crowe, Christopher Eccleston, Ophelia Lovibond, and many more did not return to voice their characters in What If...? Season 3.

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Which MCU actors returned to voice their characters in What If...?

Here are the actors from the MCU who returned to voice their characters in animation:

1. Anthony Mackie as Captain America or Sam Wilson
2. Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk or Bruce Banner
3. Sebastian Stan as the Winter Soldier or Bucky Barnes
4. Teyonah Parris as Spectrum or Monica Rambeau
5. David Harbour as the Red Guardian or Alexei Shostakov
6. Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight
7. Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness
8. Laurence Fishburne as Goliath or Bill Foster
9. Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
10. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
11. Tom Hiddleston as Loki

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All three seasons of What If...? are available to stream on Disney+, and that's not the end. Several other MCU-adjacent animated projects like Marvel Zombies, Eyes of Wakanda, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man exist.