What if you could experience the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) multiverse through your own eyes? Well, that’s the plan as Marvel has teamed up with Apple Vision Pro to bring their What If…? series to virtual reality.
Marvel and Industrial Light & Magic have announced a new hour-long “interactive story” based on the popular animated Disney+ show which takes the comic book franchises’ favorite superheroes and reimagines them in alternate universes all under the gaze of the mysterious Watcher.
It is the first-ever interactive Disney+ story and is set to be released exclusively on Apple’s $3,499 Vision Pro headset, allowing viewers to jump straight into familiar MCU locations as well as engage with the characters within.
Announcing the collaboration on Wednesday (May 9) on X, Marvel Studios promised fans they would: “Experience breathtaking environments featuring new and iconic MCU locations, with stunning visuals and spatial audio.”
Adding cryptically, “Time, space, and reality are more than a linear path…”
Step inside the Multiverse like never before…
‘What If…? – An Immersive Story’ is the first-ever interactive @DisneyPlus Original story, coming soon to Apple Vision Pro from Marvel Studios and @ILMImmersive. ???? pic.twitter.com/jg5UKnfHDC
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) May 8, 2024
No story details have emerged yet but we can perhaps glean some insight from Marvel saying, ” learn the mystic arts, and be tasked with harnessing the power of the Infinity Stones.” It’s safe to assume sorcery is going to be involved and maybe even Master of the Mystic Arts, Dr Strange will feature. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to do those cool circular hand movements to create portals in a virtual world? Already, in promotional screenshots, we’ve seen Wong standing by as the user conjures up a spell.
When will ‘What If…? – An Immersive Story’ be released on Apple Vision Pro?
Dave Bushore, Marvel’s VP for Marketing, and Immersive Development took to LinkedIn to share his excitement.
Bushore wrote: “We’ve created something with this experience that is a first step, the beginning of the merging all of those things I love into much bigger universes…
“And for someone who was always asking What If, there couldn’t have been a better fit. So proud to share this and more to come very soon!!!”
Bushore has previously worked on several MCU films and is joined by writers David Dong and Phil McCarty, as well as executive producers who have been involved with projects like The Marvels and X-Men ’97.
While no specific release date has been announced, Marvel has stated that the What If…? An Interactive Experience will be ready “soon.” The news has sparked speculation about the potential for similar experiences based on other popular franchises, with some fans already expressing their desire to “play” episodes of shows like The Mandalorian.
Featured image: Marvel
