Marvel’s ingenuine approach to exploring the possibilities of the key moments of the MCU transpired with the animated series, What If…? With a 7.1 rating on IMDb, the show has grown increasingly popular and is set to host its second season. Likewise, all the notable characters reprised their roles in the animated spin-off, and so was Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan from Iron Man.
However, it was revealed that the notable director had put forth one condition before he would reprise his character in Season 2 of What If…? Showrunner A.C. Bradley confirmed the news at a press conference on Wednesday.
Jon Favreau sets his demand straight
Following his appearance in Season 1, Jon Favreau left the set having made an interesting pact with the A.C. Bradley. Talking to Jenna Busch-Henderson of SlashFilm, Bradley recently unraveled about the instance at a press conference. She said,
“And then Jon Favreau, I’m allowed to tell this story. First of all, he’s amazing. He’s one of the absolute nicest human beings and most talented human beings…and so when he came in to do season 1, he kind of jokingly made a deal. He’s like, ‘I’ll do season 1, but season 2, I get to headline. And I want to be The Freak.'”
The creator had planned to incorporate a Darcy Lewis bit in the second season but after the Iron Man director made his demand, although jokingly, Bradley had to give in. Therefore, with Season 2’s debut today, Hulk Hogan got his own headlined episode, What If…Happy Hogan Saved Christmas.
The synopsis of the episode is stated as,
“Iron Man’s errand boy is the only thing standing between Tony Stark’s old nemesis Justin Hammer and his siege on Avengers Tower during the heroes’ annual holiday party.”
This is how What If…? is special, as it allows for the creativity of writers to take precedence, adding or killing characters as and when the plot necessitates them.
Why did the creators agree to Jon Favreau’s demand?
Head security of Stark Industries, Happy Hogan, got his nickname ‘Happy’ from his former boxing days when he hardly smiled. He turns into a Hulk-like beast after getting exposed to a medical instrument, Enervator, invented by Tony Stark, per the comics. This alter-ego of Happy Hogan appeared in Tales of Suspense Vol.1 #74, created by Stan Lee in 1965.
Surprisingly, Bradley and the executive producers were strangers to the plot and instantly contemplated the agreement with Favreau, per the conference. Finally, they stumbled on the conclusion of simply making the episode a token of appreciation for the man who put Marvel on the map. Therefore, the episode unfolds into little mentions of former Favreau movies like The Chef Show. The trailer of Season 2 itself presents a glimpse of Favreau’s episode, as he alerts Darcy Lewis of impending danger while making a Die Hard reference.
Released on 22nd December, What If…? Season 2 is available to stream on Disney+.
