Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, TV | Tagged: A.C. Bradley, Marvel's What If, nick fury, samuel l jackson, what if

What If…? E03: Head Writer A.C. Bradley Breaks Down MCU's Dark Turn

Marvel's What If… has taken its cinematic universe in some pretty interesting directions from Peggy's turn as a super soldier in episode one, Chadwick Boseman's final performance as T'Challa in a twist asking if he became Starlord instead of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) even if it's all constrained within its animated format. The third episode takes the MCU's darkest turn probably since the events of Avengers: Infinity War (2018). Talking with Discussing Film, What If… A.C. Bradley opened up about how it came together and working with Nick Fury actor Samuel L. Jackson. There are some spoiler warnings.

Setting Scene for What If…Episode 3

"'Fury's Big Week' is a period of time in the Marvel Universe where Thor, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man 2 all take place during one week," Bradley said, "And a lot of fans aren't even aware of that! But everyone in the Marvel building on the Disney lot is very aware of that. So that was actually something that was stated very early on. We're like, 'Yeah, of course, we'll do something with that.'" The plot saw a conspiracy run amuck that's sabotaging Fury's recruiting efforts. "I think in the original pitch document, I pitched it very lightly as almost a French farce," Bradley explained. "We'll do a very heavy comedy episode, but when it came down to breaking it, we were like, 'This isn't lending itself to comedy, these movies, they're not comedies.' Then I kept looking at the character of Nick Fury, and he's a man that, you know, sees the bigger picture. Always has plans, always has secrets. Well, how do we find something new to say about him? What you do is you take all those secrets and all those plans, and you blow them up. Who would he be without the Avengers Initiative? Who would he be when his greatest life's work is threatened before it can even start?"

Bradley starting thinking about what would Fury do if things went horribly wrong. "So when I was writing the episode with Matt [Chauncey], it was all about getting to that diner scene, which I think was a solid page longer in the original script of this moment of Nick Fury having that long night of the soul, having that crisis of faith wondering, was he ever on the right track?" he continued. "And what does he do next now that his greatest plan has turned to ashes? I love when we challenge characters' beliefs when we ask them to take a step back and either reconfirm who they are or pivot and change. This was a story where Nick Fury realizes that no, he knows what he's doing. He's on the right track. The world needs the Avengers, and while he may have lost the first names on the list, there are other heroes out there."

For more on what Jackson thought of the script, if original Bruce Banner/Hulk Edward Norton was ever a real option, and his thoughts on previous episodes, you can go to Discussion Film. New episodes of What If… premiere Wednesdays on Disney+.

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