Content & Trigger Warnings for What If...? (2021)
12 content warnings identified across 3 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, What If...? (2021) contains 12 content warnings : Death of a parent, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Genocide / ethnic cleansing, Kidnapping / abduction, Natural disasters, War / combat, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Alcohol abuse (depicted), Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence.
The most severe warnings are for Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Genocide / ethnic cleansing (severity 4/5), Body horror (severity 4/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
3 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a parent | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Killmonger's backstory and T'Challa's family separation are explored in alternate contexts |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Doctor Strange's grief over Christine's death drives him to destructive obsession; T'Challa deals with displacement |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters confront loss and alternate versions of deceased loved ones across timelines |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters reflect on loss and sacrifice as the multiverse saga concludes |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters face deception about the nature of their realities and identities |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Ultron destroys entire civilizations and planets with the Infinity Stones in the finale arc |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S2 | 2/5 | Referenced | References to universe-level destruction from previous season events |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Universe-level threats and mass destruction feature in the final storyline |
| Genocide / ethnic cleansing | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Some episodes depict or reference mass destruction and extinction-level events across alternate timelines. |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Characters are captured and held prisoner in alternate timelines across several episodes |
| Natural disasters | All | 2/5 | Depicted | Some episodes feature catastrophic environmental or cosmic events. |
| War / combat | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple episodes feature large-scale battles across different alternate realities |
| War / combat | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple episodes feature battles and combat across different alternate realities |
| War / combat | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Large-scale battles across alternate realities in the series conclusion |
| War / combat | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Several episodes depict large-scale battles and military conflicts in alternate realities. |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Animated blood shown in combat and zombie sequences throughout several episodes |
| Blood / medical gore | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Animated blood in combat scenes throughout the season |
| Blood / medical gore | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Animated blood present in combat sequences |
| Body horror | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Zombie transformations shown in detail; characters decay and mutate; Strange Supreme absorbs creatures into himself |
| Body horror | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Supernatural transformations and alien body horror appear in several episodes |
| Body horror | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Supernatural and alien transformations depicted in animated form |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Party Thor episode features excessive drinking as a comedic element |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | Zombie episode features animated gore with characters being eaten and dismembered; other episodes include graphic violence |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Animated combat violence with some graphic moments though generally less intense than season one |
| Gore / graphic violence | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Animated combat violence continues with graphic moments in action sequences |
| Gun violence | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Gunfights in multiple episodes including the Killmonger and Nick Fury episodes |
| Gun violence | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Firearms used in several episodes during action sequences |
| Gun violence | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Firearms and ranged weapons used in action sequences |
Mental Health & Emotional
Killmonger's backstory and T'Challa's family separation are explored in alternate contexts
Doctor Strange's grief over Christine's death drives him to destructive obsession; T'Challa deals with displacement
Characters confront loss and alternate versions of deceased loved ones across timelines
Characters reflect on loss and sacrifice as the multiverse saga concludes
Other
Characters face deception about the nature of their realities and identities
Ultron destroys entire civilizations and planets with the Infinity Stones in the finale arc
References to universe-level destruction from previous season events
Universe-level threats and mass destruction feature in the final storyline
Some episodes depict or reference mass destruction and extinction-level events across alternate timelines.
Characters are captured and held prisoner in alternate timelines across several episodes
Some episodes feature catastrophic environmental or cosmic events.
Multiple episodes feature large-scale battles across different alternate realities
Multiple episodes feature battles and combat across different alternate realities
Large-scale battles across alternate realities in the series conclusion
Several episodes depict large-scale battles and military conflicts in alternate realities.
Phobias & Sensory
Animated blood shown in combat and zombie sequences throughout several episodes
Zombie transformations shown in detail; characters decay and mutate; Strange Supreme absorbs creatures into himself
Supernatural transformations and alien body horror appear in several episodes
Substance Use
Party Thor episode features excessive drinking as a comedic element
Violence & Physical Harm
Zombie episode features animated gore with characters being eaten and dismembered; other episodes include graphic violence
Animated combat violence with some graphic moments though generally less intense than season one
Animated combat violence continues with graphic moments in action sequences
Gunfights in multiple episodes including the Killmonger and Nick Fury episodes
