What If? is celebrating a milestone this year, as the first issue of the groundbreaking Marvel series went on sale 50 years ago, hitting newsstands on November 11, 1976, with a cover date of February 1977. If Marvel wanted to, the company could go back and revisit some of its most popular tales in the multiverse, where core canon events had one variable that changed, and that one thing altered the entire Marvel Universe, often in tragic ways. The original run had 47 issues, and there were more volumes over the next five decades, all culminating in a Disney+ series that celebrated these alt-universe stories.
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If Marvel wants to celebrate the best of What If?, here are five stories that the company should revisit on the title’s 50th anniversary.
5) “What If Conan the Barbarian Walked the Earth Today?”
Not all What If? comics took core Marvel events and showed how tragedy could have befallen the heroes if one thing changed. What If? #13 (1979) by Roy Thomas and John Buscema brought a classic fantasy character into modern times. The title was “What If Conan the Barbarian Walked the Earth Today?” Thomas was the definitive architect of Conan when Marvel got the rights to the classic character, so he was the one who brought this story toย What If?
The premise is simple. Conan is pulled out of the Hyborian Age and stranded in 1970s New York City, a fish-out-of-water adventure rather than a continuity-branch story about how things changed based on a decision. However, the story did spin out of a specific moment, which was Savage Sword of Conan #7 by Thomas and Buscema. “The Citadel at the Center of Time” contained a time-displacement event that carried over to this issue. This stands out as a fun, fan-favorite adventure in a comic book series usually built on tragedy.
4) What If…? Secret Wars
What If…? Secret Wars by Karl Bollers and Jorge Molina is a modern comic book compared to the first volume of issues. This came in 2009 as part of Marvel’s reboot of the title, and the story was based on the original 1985 Secret Wars miniseries. That original series saw Doctor Doom steal the Beyonder’s power before losing it, and this issue’s lead story was “What If… Doctor Doom Kept the Beyonder’s Power.” The change in history sees Doctor Doom realize his miscalculation before it was too late, and he kept the powers for himself, which allowed him to defeat all of Earth’s heroes.
Doom then remade the world into his idealized monarchy under his rule, then expanded outward, conquering alien races and even claiming the Infinity Gems. The Celestials come for Doom, and their battle knocks Earth out of its orbit, triggering a planet-killing global winter that wipes out most of humanity. Doom, shockingly, saves the world in the end. Interestingly, the 2015 “Secret Wars” event saw Doom seal the Beyonder’s power and recreate Earth, but without the cosmic aspect. With Avengers: Secret Wars coming in 2027, it is a perfect time to revisit this story.
3) “What If Wolverine Had Killed the Hulk?”
What If? #31 (1982) by Rich Margopoulos and Bob Budiansky changed the ending of The Incredible Hulk #181, which is best known for the introduction of Wolverine into the Marvel Comics world. In that story, the Canadian government sent Wolverine, who was an agent working for them at the time, to stop Hulk, who had crossed the border. He ended up fighting Hulk and the Wendigo before Hulk escaped, and Wolverine contemplated his new enemy. However, this What If? issue had a very different ending.
Wolverine disobeyed direct orders and used his adamantium claws to slit Hulk’s throat, killing him before Hulk’s healing factor could kick in. The murder sends Logan on a downward spiral, where he later kills a civilian in a bar fight, goes on the run, and is recruited by Magneto as a spy to infiltrate the X-Men, an inversion of his classic redemption arc. It ended with Wolverine attempting to save Jean Grey, but killing himself and Magneto in the process, a very dark, downbeat ending.
2) “What If Phoenix Had Not Died?”
Easily, the most horrific What If? storyline from the first volume of the series was titled “What If Phoenix Had Not Died?” This was What If? #27 by Mary Jo Duffy and Jerry Bingham, with a cover drawn by Frank Miller. This kicks off during The Uncanny X-Men #137 and “The Dark Phoenix Saga.” Here, the X-Men convince the Shi’ar not to kill her after she risks her life to save Cyclops from the blast rather than sacrificing herself.
As a result, the Shi’ar agree to depower her with a psychic lobotomizer to strip her of her telepathic powers, and she returns to Earth as a depowered member of the X-Men. However, as most Marvel fans know, her telepathic powers have nothing to do with her Phoenix Force powers, and she goes dark again when the Force regains control. This specific issue has one of the darkest and most terrifying endings of any What If? story, as Jean murders every member of the X-Men, from her lover Cyclops to the beloved Nightcrawler to Wolverine, who simply gave up, before destroying the Earth.
1) “What If Spider-Man Had Joined the Fantastic Four?”
If Marvel wants to celebrate What If?’s 50th anniversary, it needs to revisit the first What If? issue ever released. The first story followed the events from The Amazing Spider-Man #1 when he tried to join the Fantastic Four. In the real issue, when he learned the team didn’t pay the heroes, he left angry and frustrated because he needed the money to help his Aunt May. However, in this issue, he doesn’t leave, and he agrees to join the team, and they become the Fantastic Five.
What is great is that What If? #1 by Roy Thomas and Jim Craig tracks the team through their early comic book adventures, but it shows how different things went since Spider-Man was also a member of the team. However, there was also the familiar emotional twist that comes in these What If? stories when something tragic happens. Because Reed Richards keeps sidelining Susan Storm to protect her, she leaves him and ends up becoming the bride of Namor the Sub-Mariner. Spider-Man joined the team, but it destroyed Reed and Sue’s marriage.
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