Marvel Studios has been brining characters from page to screen for nearly 15 years. On Thursday, Marvel surprised many by announcing a brand-new original character for season two of What If…? Kahhori.
From Marvel, this story asks, “what would happen if the Tesseract fell to Earth and landed in the sovereign Haudenosaunee Confederacy before the colonization of America?” The episode’s writer, Ryan Little, worked directly with members of the Mohawk Nation to bring this to life.
“It tells a remarkable story from a Native-Mohawk perspective which is truly unique and historical, and will give the viewers a new, challenging and entertaining perspective on this land’s first peoples. The story is dramatic, the characters fully realized, and the action sequences are breathtaking.”
Doug George, Mohawk Nation Historian (Marvel.com)
The Tesseract has taken on a life of its own in many ways throughout the MCU. It’s been in the form of the Cosmic Cube, a battery for Project Pegasus, and broken open to reveal the space stone. In this reality, the Tesseract opens the door for a young Mohawk woman named Kahhari, as she sets on a quest to find her power.
There currently is not an official release date for What If…? season two, but Kahhori’s Funko Vinyl Soda Collectible will be available for purchase on March 29 at Walmart.
Marvel Studios’ first original hero
Marvel Studios has certainly taken creative liberties on many of their comic book characters. It’s hard to forget that the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 is not the full-fledged villain that fans are used to from the comics. Nor is Namor’s backstory a direct one-for-one in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Though they are different, those characters are not completely original. However, Marvel has introduced us to several characters that only existed in the MCU before making their way to comics.
Darcy Lewis, from the original Thor, is an MCU creation who recently made her comic debut in Scarlet Witch #1 (2023). Harley Keener is also a Marvel Studios’ original, who, fairly recently, made his comic debut in W.E.B. of Spider-Man #1 (2021). Even Phil Coulson, the man who helps create the Avengers, is an MCU creation.
Here’s makes Kahhori interesting: this is a rare occasion where Marvel Studios is creating their own hero—not just a side character. The MCU is clearly building out their multiverse through animated projects like What If…? and the upcoming Spider-Man: Freshman Year.
Is it possible that we could see Kahhori come to live action in the highly anticipated Avengers: Secret Wars? Sure, anything is possible for that movie right now. What is most intriguing now, is that Marvel Studios is finally taking a big leap and creating their own characters for completely original stories. Like the multiverse itself, the possibilities are endless.
Twitter Reacts to Kahhori
New hero? Big win.
Representation matters
What If… Season 2 hype surges for Kahhori
Stay updated by following the Agents of Fandom socials!
