What If Happy Hogan Saved Christmas Soundtrack: “What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” is the third episode of Season 2 (the 12th episode overall) of Marvel Studios’ Emmy-winning animated anthology series What If…? on Disney+. Like every episode of the series, it’s narrated by Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher and imagines how the Marvel Cinematic Universe would change if one key event went differently — this time, built around a Die Hard-style siege at Avengers Tower during the annual holiday party. It premiered on Disney+ on December 24, 2023.
Quick Facts
| Title | What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas? |
| Series | What If…? – Season 2, Episode 3 |
| Genre | Animation, Action-Comedy, Holiday Special |
| Director | Bryan Andrews |
| Writers | A. C. Bradley, Matthew Chauncey |
| Composers | Laura Karpman, Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum |
| Release Date | December 24, 2023 (Disney+) |
| Starring | Jon Favreau, Kat Dennings, Cobie Smulders, Sam Rockwell |
On Christmas Eve, Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) is put in charge of security at Avengers Tower during the annual holiday party, until Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) and his henchmen break out of prison and lay siege to the building to steal Tony Stark’s technology. Accidentally injected with a sample of Bruce Banner’s Hulk blood, Hogan transforms into a purple, Hulk-like “Freak” — but keeps his personality and wit — and has to save the party himself while the actual Avengers are busy celebrating.
Score and Composer
Laura Karpman is one of the most decorated composers working in film and television. She holds a doctorate from the Juilliard School, where she studied under 20th-century composer Milton Babbitt while also singing jazz in New York clubs by night. Karpman has won five Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award (for the multimedia opera “Ask Your Mama,” a Carnegie Hall commission based on Langston Hughes’ poetry), and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. She founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers and became the first female governor of the Music Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her other scores include The Marvels, American Fiction, and HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum is a Grammy Award-winning, Juilliard-trained composer who co-founded the New York non-profit VisionIntoArt. She and Karpman, who are also spouses, regularly co-score projects together, including What If…? as a whole and Marvel Zombies. Kroll-Rosenbaum’s other credits include Bird Karma for DreamWorks Animation, Stockholm Pennsylvania, and score-producing the first season of Insecure.
Soundtrack: Full Track List
Marvel Music and Hollywood Records released a five-track digital EP of Karpman and Kroll-Rosenbaum’s score on December 15, 2023:
| # | Track | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Snow Days | 0:45 |
| 2 | Sugar Cookies | 1:20 |
| 3 | Fa La La | 1:11 |
| 4 | All Is Bright | 0:46 |
| 5 | Merrily On | 0:49 |
The episode’s end credits also feature a cover of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by the Craig Gilder Sextet and Tony Liberto.
Where to Stream
“What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?” is streaming now on Disney+. The soundtrack EP is available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Cast
- Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher (narrator)
- Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan / “The Freak”
- Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis
- Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
- Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
- Chris Hemsworth as Thor
- Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
- Mick Wingert as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Lake Bell as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
- Josh Keaton as Steve Rogers / Captain America
- Ross Marquand as W.E.R.N.E.R.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas score?
Laura Karpman and Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum, who are spouses and frequent collaborators, co-composed the score. Karpman is a five-time Emmy winner and Grammy winner with an Academy Award nomination; Kroll-Rosenbaum is a Grammy-winning, Juilliard-trained composer in her own right.
Which season and episode of What If…? is this?
It’s the third episode of Season 2, and the 12th episode of the series overall.
What genre is What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?
It’s an animated superhero action-comedy with a Christmas theme, part of Marvel’s What If…? anthology — not a drama.
Is there an official soundtrack for this episode?
Yes. Marvel Music and Hollywood Records released a five-track EP of the score on December 15, 2023, on all major digital platforms.
Who voices Happy Hogan in this episode?
Jon Favreau, who has played Happy Hogan across the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s live-action films, voices him here too — and specifically requested this episode after voicing the character in What If…? Season 1.
Related reading: Disney+ soundtracks | TV Soundtracks hub | Streaming hub
