diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 3ef0bb53eaf..37e0a9dd33f 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ Features added
 * #9195: autodoc: The arguments of ``typing.Literal`` are wrongly rendered
 * #9185: autodoc: :confval:`autodoc_typehints` allows ``'both'`` setting to
   allow typehints to be included both in the signature and description
+* #3014: autodoc: Add :event:`autodoc-process-bases` to modify the base classes
+  of the class definitions
 * #3257: autosummary: Support instance attributes for classes
 * #9129: html search: Show search summaries when html_copy_source = False
 * #9120: html theme: Eliminate prompt characters of code-block from copyable
diff --git a/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst b/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst
index e547e698b11..645bfb0bbb4 100644
--- a/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst
+++ b/doc/usage/extensions/autodoc.rst
@@ -749,6 +749,21 @@ needed docstring processing in event :event:`autodoc-process-docstring`:
 .. autofunction:: cut_lines
 .. autofunction:: between
 
+.. event:: autodoc-process-bases (app, name, obj, options, bases)
+
+   .. versionadded:: 4.1
+
+   Emitted when autodoc has read and processed a class to determine the base-classes.
+   *bases* is a list of classes that the event handler can modify **in place** to
+   change what Sphinx puts into the output.  It's emitted only if ``show-inheritance``
+   option given.
+
+   :param app: the Sphinx application object
+   :param name: the fully qualified name of the object
+   :param obj: the object itself
+   :param options: the options given to the class directive
+   :param bases: the list of base classes signature. see above.
+
 
 Skipping members
 ----------------
diff --git a/sphinx/ext/autodoc/__init__.py b/sphinx/ext/autodoc/__init__.py
index c6449613992..312901c7c61 100644
--- a/sphinx/ext/autodoc/__init__.py
+++ b/sphinx/ext/autodoc/__init__.py
@@ -1626,18 +1626,23 @@ def add_directive_header(self, sig: str) -> None:
 
         # add inheritance info, if wanted
         if not self.doc_as_attr and self.options.show_inheritance:
-            sourcename = self.get_sourcename()
-            self.add_line('', sourcename)
-
             if hasattr(self.object, '__orig_bases__') and len(self.object.__orig_bases__):
                 # A subclass of generic types
                 # refs: PEP-560 <https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0560/>
-                bases = [restify(cls) for cls in self.object.__orig_bases__]
-                self.add_line('   ' + _('Bases: %s') % ', '.join(bases), sourcename)
+                bases = list(self.object.__orig_bases__)
             elif hasattr(self.object, '__bases__') and len(self.object.__bases__):
                 # A normal class
-                bases = [restify(cls) for cls in self.object.__bases__]
-                self.add_line('   ' + _('Bases: %s') % ', '.join(bases), sourcename)
+                bases = list(self.object.__bases__)
+            else:
+                bases = []
+
+            self.env.events.emit('autodoc-process-bases',
+                                 self.fullname, self.object, self.options, bases)
+
+            base_classes = [restify(cls) for cls in bases]
+            sourcename = self.get_sourcename()
+            self.add_line('', sourcename)
+            self.add_line('   ' + _('Bases: %s') % ', '.join(base_classes), sourcename)
 
     def get_object_members(self, want_all: bool) -> Tuple[bool, ObjectMembers]:
         members = get_class_members(self.object, self.objpath, self.get_attr)
@@ -2676,6 +2681,7 @@ def setup(app: Sphinx) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     app.add_event('autodoc-process-docstring')
     app.add_event('autodoc-process-signature')
     app.add_event('autodoc-skip-member')
+    app.add_event('autodoc-process-bases')
 
     app.connect('config-inited', migrate_autodoc_member_order, priority=800)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_ext_autodoc_autoclass.py b/tests/test_ext_autodoc_autoclass.py
index 096dc939738..8128bd8c99d 100644
--- a/tests/test_ext_autodoc_autoclass.py
+++ b/tests/test_ext_autodoc_autoclass.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 """
 
 import sys
+from typing import List, Union
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -264,6 +265,35 @@ def test_show_inheritance_for_subclass_of_generic_type(app):
     ]
 
 
+@pytest.mark.sphinx('html', testroot='ext-autodoc')
+def test_autodoc_process_bases(app):
+    def autodoc_process_bases(app, name, obj, options, bases):
+        assert name == 'target.classes.Quux'
+        assert obj.__module__ == 'target.classes'
+        assert obj.__name__ == 'Quux'
+        assert options == {'show-inheritance': True,
+                           'members': []}
+        assert bases == [List[Union[int, float]]]
+
+        bases.pop()
+        bases.extend([int, str])
+
+    app.connect('autodoc-process-bases', autodoc_process_bases)
+
+    options = {'show-inheritance': None}
+    actual = do_autodoc(app, 'class', 'target.classes.Quux', options)
+    assert list(actual) == [
+        '',
+        '.. py:class:: Quux(iterable=(), /)',
+        '   :module: target.classes',
+        '',
+        '   Bases: :class:`int`, :class:`str`',
+        '',
+        '   A subclass of List[Union[int, float]]',
+        '',
+    ]
+
+
 @pytest.mark.sphinx('html', testroot='ext-autodoc')
 def test_class_doc_from_class(app):
     options = {"members": None,