Marvel confirms a certain well-known character will be making their long-awaited MCU debut before the year is out

The MCU’s 2024 isn’t out for the count just yet. Even though Agatha All Along has now wrapped up, we’ve still got Deadpool & Wolverine hitting Disney Plus later this November, allowing fans another chance to see this summer’s biggest live-action blockbuster. Plus, we have a whole other season of Marvel TV to come before the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.

Namely, What If…? season 3, the latest — and possibly final — chapter in Marvel’s animated anthology series. While the quality may vary episode to episode, the fan-pleasing part of What If…? is that we truly never know which heroes or villains are going to appear each week, as every vast, new reality can feature any possible combination of characters from the Sacred Timeline. Typically, the show simply borrows from pre-existing projects, but occasionally it will blaze its own path. See season 2’s Kahhori, an original creation for the series.

What If…?‘s third season might be going further than ever before, however, in introducing a major character into the MCU for the very first time. One we’ve been waiting to see forever…

What If…? producer promises a “well-known” Marvel character is about to make their “long-anticipated” MCU debut

What If…?‘s head writer Matthew Chauncey was on hand to tease what’s to come in season 3 while making an appearance at the recent Lightbox Expo (via Laughing Place). And that includes promising a major MCU debut is coming… The only problem is he wouldn’t tell us who this debuting character is. All we can say is that they are a “well-known” Marvel character and their MCU arrival has been “long-anticipated.”

Doing what they do best, Marvel fans have responded to this mystery by dropping their wildest possible theories that are bound to leave them disappointed. Could Ghost Rider be coming at long last? No, no, he couldn’t, but it’s fun to imagine.

If Doctor Doom first turns up in What If…? ahead of Avengers: Doomsday, and even The Fantastic Four, then the MCU fandom might just spontaneously combust.

Yes, the secret’s out. It’s Z-list Spider-Man villain Big Wheel!

Many in the comments took a more cynical stance, voicing their belief that it’s “just Blade” and this is yet another sign that Marvel is taking forever to make the Mahershala Ali movie.

The fans who think this seem to have their wires crossed, however. Blade will be making an animated appearance soon, but that will come in 2025’s Marvel Zombies series, not What If…? season 3. He could, theoretically, turn up in this show as well, but this has yet to be confirmed.

In the same expo appearance, Chauncey teased another original superhero following in Kahhori’s footsteps and an episode based on 1930s screwball comedies filled with “extensive dance sequences. Chauncey promised, “It’s a massive feat for animation, especially with the challenges of coordinating dance and movement. But Marvel went all in, and it’s going to be spectacular.” What If…? season 3 premieres on Disney Plus this Dec. 22.