Marvel Studios’ What If…? series has come to an end before the Multiverse Saga show had a chance to adapt some of Marvel Comics’ What If…? stories, many of which would have worked perfectly in the MCU. Spanning three seasons between 2021 and 2024, What If…? explored a variety of alternate universes across the MCU’s multiverse, putting interesting spins on the classic adventures of the MCU and introducing variants of some of Marvel’s most beloved characters. However, the MCU’s What If…? could have done so much more.
Marvel Comics began to explore alternate storylines back in the 1977, and while many of the comics’ What If…? adventures have been far too wild to get live-action adaptations, others would have been great to see adapted for the MCU. Some of the What If…? stories in Marvel Comics, featuring variants of Spider-Man, Shang-Chi, Daredevil, Thor and more, would have fit into the MCU’s Multiverse Saga perfectly. This would have also paid homage to the decades of imaginative What If…? stories from Marvel Comics, but the MCU completely ignored these exciting new universes.
10
What If Captain America Hadn’t Vanished During World War Two?
What If? #5 (1977)
In the MCU, Steve Rogers’ Captain America sacrificed his own life in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger to save many others, and woke up several decades later in the modern era. The story featured in What If? #5 in Marvel Comics explores what might have happened if Captain America had been able to successfully disable the plane and return home safely, which would have been interesting to also explore in the MCU’s What If…? series. In the comics, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes continue to fight crime into the 1960s, before Rogers becomes the Director of SHIELD.
In this reality, Nick Fury died during the Korean War, so after Rogers became SHIELD’s Director, “Buck” Barnes became the new Captain America, with Rick Jones as his sidekick and Sharon Carter as his lover. In a battle against Baron Heinrich Zemo, both him and Barnes’ Captain America are killed, and the Captain America costume is retired. This would have been a solemn story to explore in the MCU’s What If…?, but could have better explored the dynamic between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, and would have shown what the world would be had Captain America survived the war.
9
What If Shang-Chi, Master Of Kung Fu, Had Remained Loyal To Fu Manchu?
What If? #16 (1979)
Shang-Chi’s lineage was changed for the MCU, so the title of this What If…? storyline would have been altered, too, replacing Fu Manchu with Xu Wenwu, who was portrayed by Tony Leung in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. In the MCU, Shang-Chi ran away from his father and the Ten Rings after committing murder for Wenwu as a teenager, building a life in San Francisco instead. In Marvel Comics’ What If…? #16, however, Shang-Chi remained loyal to his father and the Five Weapons Society, becoming his villainous henchman.
Two versions of Shang-Chi appeared in What If…? season 3, the first was a member of the Mech Avengers, and the second was an outlaw in an alternate 1872 fighting alongside Kate Bishop’s Hawkeye to track down his missing sister, Xu Xialing.
This would have been the perfect story to explore in the MCU’s What If…?, as Shang-Chi’s decision to leave his father was a huge turning point in his life that led him down the path to becoming a hero. Had he chosen differently, everything would have changed. This storyline could have also expanded on the more mystical side of Shang-Chi’s story in the MCU, as his father reanimates corpses in the comic story, while the Ten Rings could have been explored in more detail in the MCU’s What If…? series.
8
What If Wolverine Had Killed The Hulk?
What If? #31 (1982)
2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine introduced Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to the MCU, which could have opened the door for What If…? to include the clawed mutant in one of its stories. This could have adapted 1982’s What If? #31, which diverged from Wolverine’s battle against the Hulk in his first full appearance in Marvel Comics from 1974’s The Incredible Hulk #181. Instead of capturing the Hulk as he was tasked, Wolverine killed Bruce Banner in this story, which would have been brutal to see unfold in the MCU’s What If…? series.
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Following the Hulk’s murder, Wolverine killed a civilian during a bar fight before escaping, not wanting to face the judicial system. This led him into the clutches of Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants, who got Wolverine to infiltrate the X-Men to destroy Cerebro and allow Magneto’s forces to attack. When Magneto threatened Jean Grey, however, Wolverine turned on him, but was ultimately killed by the Master of Magnetism. After Deadpool & Wolverine and X-Men ’97, this would have been a fantastic story to see in What If…?, further establishing the X-Men as a part of the MCU’s multiverse.
7
What If The Skrulls Succeeded In Their Secret Invasion?
What If? Secret Invasion #1 (2010)
Marvel Studios’ live-action adaptation of Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion did not have the impact that was hoped, as the stripped-back storyline was a massive divergence from the wide-reaching, epic narrative of 2008’s Secret Invasion. In the comics, the villainous Skrulls waged war on Earth and its heroes, hoping to claim the planet for themselves, while many notable characters were revealed to already have been replaced by Skrulls. They were eventually defeated, however, with the Skrull Queen Veranke being killed by Norman Osborn, but What If? Secret Invasion #1 saw this go very differently.
This What If…? story in Marvel Comics presented another option, “What If the Secret Invasion Remained Secret?,” which saw Norman Osborn and the Thunderbolts find out about the superhuman duplicates rather than the Avengers, leading to a much quieter invasion of Earth.
The Marvel Comics What If…? story picked up a year after the Skrulls’ successful invasion, during which time many humans had been replaced by Skrulls, though the Avengers Alliance for Freedom fought back. The heroes try to create a virus capable of stopping the Skrulls from shapeshifting and reversing conversion, but this virus actually kills every Skrull and converted human, presenting an incredibly dark alternate history. Exploring this story in the MCU’s What If…? could have actually redeemed the disappointing live-action Secret Invasion series, which Marvel Studios seems to be continuing to ignore.
6
What If Daredevil Had Killed The Kingpin?
What If? (Vol. 2) #2 (1989)
In Marvel Comics, a drug-addicted Karen Page sold Daredevil’s real identity to get her next fix, and this information found its way to Wilson Fisk. Kingpin used it to dismantle Matt Murdock’s life, but Murdock beat Kingpin up and began to move on. In What If? (Vol. 2) #2, however, Daredevil lifts a gun from a guard on his way to confront Fisk and shoots Kingpin dead, breaking his most crucial rule not to kill. Kingpin’s death creates the opportunity for the gangs of New York to rampage, causing problems for street-level heroes such as Daredevil, whose mind began to unravel, the Punisher and Spider-Man.
Daredevil was tracked down by Wilson Fisk’s son, Richard, for vengeance, but Richard Fisk actually forgave Murdock and decided to continue Daredevil’s heroic legacy to make up for his past crimes. This story would have been interesting to explore in the MCU in the lead-up to Daredevil: Born Again’s premiere in March, and this could have perhaps diverged from Daredevil and Kingpin’s battle in Daredevil season 1’s finale or even Daredevil season 3. Charlie Cox’s Daredevil has always been conflicted with right and wrong, and exploring this story would have finally shown him in the wrong.
5
What If Namor Grew Up On Land?
What If: Sub-Mariner #1 (2006)
In Marvel Comics, Namor is the hybrid son of a human sea Captain and a princess of the underwater city of Atlantis, and it’s possible Tenoch Huerta’s live-action Namor has a similar lineage. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever did not reveal who Namor’s father is, but he could easily be a human living on land who wasn’t around when Namor’s tribe changed their physiology and went to live underwater in Talokan. This could have played into an adaptation of 2006’s What If: Sub-Mariner #1, which explored what would have happened had Namor been raised on land rather than underwater.
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Namor’s backstory was vastly different in the MCU to his Marvel Comics counterpart. He never fought in World War II, has nothing to do with Professor X, and hasn’t come into contact with the Fantastic Four. Marvel Studios would have had to have taken many liberties when adapting this story, but it would have been great to see Namor developed further, as it’s now been over two years since he made his only appearance in the MCU. Seeing Namor side with the surface in a war against the Talokanil would have also been a great twist to unpack.
4
What If Loki Found Thor’s Hammer First?
What If? #47 (1984)
Thor’s backstory in Marvel Comics and in the MCU are wildly different from each other, as Marvel Studios removed any element of Thor’s human persona, Donald Blake, aside from an ex-boyfriend joke in 2011’s Thor. In Marvel Comics, Donald Blake found Mjolnir and realized his true persona of Thor, but What If? #47 explored what would have happened had his brother, Loki, found the mystical hammer first. Loki’s intervention leads to the human Blake’s death at the hands of Kronans, angering Odin over the death of his favorite son.
Thor did not turn into the human Donald Blake without his hammer in 2011’s Thor, but was instead powerless until he learned how to be worthy enough to wield the enchanted hammer, making him a better soldier and superhero.
This leads to all-out war in Asgard between the forces of Odin, Hela and Loki, while Balder the Brave arrives in Valhalla and informs Thor of his true identity, leading to him returning to join the fight. The dynamic between Thor and Loki in the live-action MCU has always been fun to investigate, and several of their variants appeared in What If…?, so it would have been great to see this story explored. This could have confirmed characters can return from Valhalla, posing a bright future for Heimdall and Jane Foster after 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder.
3
What If Storm Stayed A Thief?
What If? (Vol. 2) #40 (1992)
Following X-Men ’97, What If…? season 3 finally brought a variant of Storm, the Mistress of the Elements, into contact with other variants of notable MCU heroes as a member of the Exiles team, the last remaining members of the Guardians of the Multiverse. This version of Storm was her universe’s Goddess of Thunder, but it would have been great to see other versions of Storm, too. This could have opened the door for a master thief iteration of Storm, like the one in 1992’s What If? (Vol. 2) #40, who never joined the X-Men, to appear in What If…?.
Storm was voiced by Alison Sealy-Smith in What If…?, reprising her voice role from X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men ’97.
This version of Storm trained with master thief Herman Hassel in New York instead of working alongside Achmed el-Gibar in Cairo, which would have led her into the path of Professor X. The morally-corrupt Hassel taught Storm how to be an “honorable thief,” and their path eventually led them into battle with the X-Men, but Storm later rejected their request for her to join them. Exploring this story would have debuted a new X-Men line-up in a new reality in the MCU, perhaps laying the foundations for the MCU’s official X-Men debut.
2
What If Thor Was A Herald Of Galactus?
What If: Thor #1 (2006)
What If…?’s creators previously suggested that they could only use characters in the animated series who had already been introduced to the MCU. However, the introductions of Kahhori, the Hood and Byrdie to What If…? implies there are exceptions to this rule, which suggests Galactus could have debuted in the animated series before his live-action appearance in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. This may have created the opportunity for What If: Thor #1 from 2006 to be adapted, making the God of Thunder a Herald of the iconic planet-eating supervillain.
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Thor became Galactus’ Herald so that the cosmic being would spare Asgard from his hunger. Thor continues his heroism in this form, however, seeking only worlds inhabited by immoral individuals, who Galactus then eradicates. In Thor’s absence, Loki takes over Asgard and sends the realm into disarray, so Thor allows Galactus to devour his home and vows to stay by the Devourer’s side, leading him to worlds worthy of destruction. Exploring this story in the MCU’s What If…? series would have shown new sides to Thor, and established Galactus as a complex character before his live-action debut in July.
1
What If Spider-Man Had Joined The Fantastic Four?
What If? #1 (1977)
The first ever issue of What If…? in Marvel Comics featured an alternate universe where the Fantastic Four accept the young Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man, as their new member, becoming the Fantastic Five. While his mainstream counterpart is labeled a menace by the Daily Bugle, Spider-Man enjoys acceptance as a member of the FF, though his role in the team sidelined Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman. Alone in the Baxter Building, Sue Storm is manipulated into meeting Namor and, after freeing him from the Puppet Master’s control, she decides she wants to leave the Fantastic Five to stay with him.
MCU Fantastic Four Member | Actor |
|---|---|
Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic | Pedro Pascal |
Sue Storm’s Invisible Woman | Vanessa Kirby |
Johnny Storm’s Human Torch | Joseph Quinn |
Ben Grimm’s Thing | Ebon Moss-Bachrach |
Namor accepts and conditions Sue Storm’s body, allowing her to survive underwater, and they leave together. This causes huge regret in Spider-Man, as it was his inclusion in the team that shunned the Invisible Woman. Marvel Studios teased a version of the Fantastic Four in the MCU with John Krasinski’s debut as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, so could have introduced another version of the team in What If…? prior to The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Spider-Man in the Fantastic Four team would create an interesting dynamic for the MCU to explore.
What If…?
- Release Date
-
2021 – 2024
- Showrunner
-
Ashley Bradley
- Directors
-
Bryan Andrews
- Writers
-
Ashley Bradley, Matthew Chauncey