One of Marvel Comics’ most iconic anthology series is What If…?, which has drastically expanded the company’s multiverse to new heights. The basic premise is taking familiar characters and storylines, and presenting a world where things just went a little bit differently. Oftentimes, this format is done to contrast it with the main Marvel Universe and show how impossible it is for such events to occur on Earth-616 or the drastic changes that would happen if some event just slightly changed. However, there have been many times over the years when stories in What If…? comics became canon in some form or another. What were once hypothetical one-shot stories eventually inspired some of Marvel Comics’ most impactful moments.
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We have already done a list going over What If…? stories that became part of the main Earth-616 continuity. However, they were just the tip of the iceberg, as many more storylines influenced future Marvel stories. Here are some more of the most impactful.
5) What if Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?
Spider-Man’s very first adventure in his first solo series saw him trying and failing to join the Fantastic Four. Subsequently, this adventure inspired Marvel’s very first issue of What If…?, which had the Wall-Crawler join Marvel’s First Family, who then rebranded themselves as the Fantastic Five. Unfortunately, things in that universe end in disaster as Invisible Woman quits the team out of jealousy of Spider-Man’s success. Although Spider-Man has always been a close friend of the Fantastic Four, it wouldn’t be until 2011 that he officially joined their ranks. When the Human Torch apparently died protecting his family from Annihilus and his army, the Fantastic Four rebranded themselves as the Future Foundation and offered Spider-Man a membership. Spider-Man took the role, received an awesome new white suit, and helped the team out on several adventures. However, Human Torch returned by the end of the year, and Spider-Man happily relinquished his spot in Marvel’s First Family.
4) What if Doctor Doom Became a Hero?
Doctor Doom is the smartest and most iconic villain in Marvel Comics, so the idea of him becoming a hero in any reality, much less the main canon, seems absurd. Yet, that’s exactly what happened in What If…? #22, where Doom avoids having his face scarred, causing him never to develop his hatred for Reed. Despite using his technological and mystical genius to be a hero, Doom’s pride and selfishness ultimately led to his wife being sent to Hell by Mephisto. In 2012, not only did Doctor Doom become a hero in the main Marvel Universe, but he even took on the mantle of Iron Man! This decision, seen in the Infamous Iron Man series, was made after Tony was left comatose after the events of Civil War II. To redeem himself, Doom became the new Iron Man and started acting as a hero. Of course, this redemption arc didn’t last long, and Doom was back to his evil ways within a year.
3) What if the World Knew Daredevil Was Blind?
Few heroes know the perils of having their secret identity made public like Daredevil. Thanks to his heightened senses, most people don’t even know that Daredevil is blind, which makes it much easier to hide his civilian identity of lawyer Matt Murdock. However, What If…? #8 showed what would happen if everyone found out about Daredevil’s disability. After Electro leaks the information to the press, every villain in New York tries to exploit Daredevil’s weakness. When a surgery to restore his sight inadvertently strips him of his superhuman senses, Matt permanently retires from the superhero business. He also reveals his secret identity to the world. The plot of someone learning Daredevil’s disability and secret identity has been used many times. The most iconic example is when Kingpin found out in the iconic “Born Again” storyline and used it to destroy Daredevil’s life. Since then, Daredevil’s secret identity has been leaked to the press, and he has unmasked himself to the public. However, the telepathic Purple Children have since made the world forget that Daredevil is Matt Murdock.
2) What if the Hulk Had the Brain of Bruce Banner?
A huge part of the Hulk’s characterization is his dissociative identity disorder and the relationship between Bruce Banner and the Jolly Green Giant. However, What If…? #2 asked what would have happened if Bruce had never developed a split personality and instead retained his mind even in his Hulk form. This alteration led to many unforeseen consequences, including having neither the Avengers nor the X-Men ever formed and the disbanding of the Fantastic Four. Instead, Bruce, Mr. Fantastic, and Professor X joined forces to push the limits of scientific advancement. Additionally, the trio temporarily merged to become the cosmic hero X-Man to defeat Galactus. Meanwhile, in the main Marvel Universe, there have been several times when Bruce has regained control of the Hulk’s body and became the perfect combination of brains and brawn. This even led to the development of a new split personality, the Professor Hulk, who believed himself to be the original Bruce with the Hulk’s body. And, of course, this concept would inspire the Hulk’s depiction in the MCU, beginning with Avengers: Endgame.
1) What if Doctor Doom became the Sorcerer Supreme?
Doctor Doom is well-known for being a master of sorcery as well as technology, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Marvel had several storylines where the ruler of Latveria achieved the title of Sorcerer Supreme. In What If…? #52, Doctor Doom is trained by the Ancient One and becomes the Sorcerer Supreme instead of Doctor Strange. Initially acting more as a hero, Doom defends the Earth from Dormammu. However, after suffering life-threatening injuries, Doom forcefully takes over Strange’s body. Years later, Marvel’s big event of 2025 was One World Under Doom, in which, after being granted the title of Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom used his newfound power to take over the world. Similar to the What If…? story, Doom had to fight Dormammu to save the world. Unlike in the original comic, where Doom refused to die, the main universe’s Doctor Doom willingly gave his life to resurrect his goddaughter, Valeria.
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