There’s perhaps no greater question in the multiverse than what if? Since 1977, that question has been the driving force of the titular What If…? anthology series of Marvel Comics. The premise of this comic series is to revisit classic storylines and, through the eyes of Uatu the Watcher, show what would have happened if events had gone down just a bit differently, with often momentous consequences. As one can expect, such a series is meant to show storylines that could never occur within the Marvel canon. However, there have been numerous instances when What If…? predicted future concepts and storylines in the main Marvel Universe that proved incredibly impactful.
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These are the What If…? storylines that inspired canon events that changed the Marvel Universe forever.
5) What if the Hulk Had Become a Barbarian?
Whether it be in a microscopic dimension or on an alien planet, the Hulk seems destined to become a barbarian warrior. In one of the Hulk’s earlier adventures, he had found himself shrunken down to the Microverse and the kingdom of K’ai, where he fell in love with a princess named Jarella. Whereas in the main universe, Jarella died and the Hulk returned to his home dimension, What If…? #23 featured a world where Jarella lived. In the story, the Hulk never returns home. Instead, he becomes a mighty alien warrior and eventually royalty when he marries Jarella. Years later, a similar storyline unfolded in Planet Hulk, in which the Jolly Green Giant was banished to the planet Sakaar, where he was forced to become a gladiator. He would eventually inspire a revolution, marry an alien warrior named Cairera, and become the new king of Sakaar. Planet Hulk is one of the best Hulk stories of all time and directly led to the devastating World War Hulk storyline, in which the Jolly Green Giant declared war on Earth.
4) What if Jane Foster Found the Hammer of Thor?
Thor’s former love interest, Jane Foster, becoming the Goddess of Thunder is among the most significant narrative shifts in modern Thor comics. This development even served as a core part of the plot of Thor: Love and Thunder. Despite the initial controversy around this plotline, its origins date back to What If…? #5. In this alternate universe, it was Jane, not Dr. Donald Blake, who first came across Thor’s hammer and was found to be worthy of its power. As the heroine Thordis, Jane battles all manner of aliens, supervillains, and gods before eventually relinquishing Mjolnir to become a true goddess and the wife of Odin. In the main Marvel Universe, when Thor is found to be no longer worthy of Mjolnir, the hammer is inherited by Jane, who becomes the new Thor. Like in the original What If…? comic, Jane would eventually give up the Thor mantle and become a goddess in the form of the new Valkyrie. Luckily, Jane didn’t need to marry her ex-boyfriend’s dad to do so.
3) What if Spider-Man’s Clone Lived?
Spider-Man has a long history with clones. One of his first encounters with a genetically engineered doppelganger occurred in Amazing Spider-Man #149. That story ended with the clone seemingly dying, prompting What If…? to create a storyline in which it lived. In this alternate universe, the clone believed himself to be the real Peter Parker, unaware that the original Web-Head was being held captive by the Jackal. Once the clone discovers that he’s not the real Peter, he frees Spider-Man, and they agree to work together as co-crimefighters. This plot is almost exactly what unfolded in the main Marvel Universe years later. The Spider-Man clone never died in the first place and still believed himself to be the real Peter Parker. This all led to the infamous “Clone Saga,” in which the clone took on the new name Ben Reilly and donned the superhero identity of Scarlet Spider. Ben Reilly is one of the most important supporting characters in the Spider-Man mythos, and his origin was derived from this What If…? comic.
2) What If Phoenix Didn’t Die?
The death of Jean Grey at the end of the “Dark Phoenix Saga” is among the most tragic and iconic deaths in comic book history. With such a memorable death, it was only natural that What If…? would present a world where Jean didn’t die. Unfortunately, the result was disastrous as the Phoenix Force continued to drive Jean mad until she ultimately eradicated the entire universe. Luckily, nothing this horrific occurred in the Marvel Universe when they replicated the basic plot. Just as with Ben Reilly, it turns out that Jean Grey never died in the first place. Instead, the “Jean” who had died during the “Dark Phoenix Saga” was the Phoenix Force, having taken human form and absorbed Jean’s memories. The real Jean was safe in suspended animation. Jean soon returned to action and properly merged with the Phoenix Force, gaining much more control as she was uncorrupted by its limitless power. Essentially, Marvel canon gave us the happy ending version of the original What If…? storyline.
1) What if the Amazing Spider-Man Had Not Married Mary Jane?
This is one What If…? story everyone wished was never made canon. The marriage between Spider-Man and Mary Jane saw some of the most groundbreaking storylines in the Web-Head’s history, so What If…? Vol. 2 #20 depicted a world where they were never wed. The story sees Peter saying “no” at the altar to keep MJ safe. What follows is Peter dating both Black Cat and Silver Sable, before the former is accidentally killed by the anti-hero Paladin. Ultimately, Peter ends up with Silver Sable. And despite Peter and MJ being wed for 20 years, Marvel made one of its most controversial decisions by retconning their entire marriage out of existence. This event occurred when Peter traded his marriage to Mephisto to save his dying Aunt May. And with that, history was rewritten so that Peter never made it to the altar, and with it, two decades of character development were erased, and paved the way for countless new stories. “One More Day” is still one of the worst storylines in comic book history and has done irreparable damage to the Spider-Man brand.
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