Earlier today, reports surfaced that Marvel Studios had pushed a What If… series into development, drawing inspiration from the long-running comic of the same name.
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The idea of the premise is simple. You take a major Marvel character, story arc, or MacGuffin and change a major plot point to it and you an all-new “What If…” story. Throughout the history of Marvel Comics, they published dozens of the one-shot titles throughout the years so we thought to compile a few of the choices that could translate well to a television show.
It should be stated that as of now, this new What If… series won’t be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the anthology animated series will be overseen by Kevin Feige, it will not affect the ongoing story arcs that currently reside in the shared cinematic universe.
While the options are virtually endless with this — such as Marvel Studios pulling scenarios from the MCU, which they’ll likely do — we kept this list simple. Every idea in here will be a story that was published a comic one-shot that features an existing MCU character.
It should be noted quick that there are Captain Marvel spoilers towards the end of the list. Proceed with caution if you haven’t had a chance to see the blockbuster.
Keep scrolling to see some of the “What If…” stores Marvel Studios could end up adapting for their new series!
What if the Hulk had the brain of Bruce Banner?
Let’s get this one out of the way right off the bat. If there’s a story on this list that ever has a shot of actually making it into the live-action MCU, it’s this tale that follows the Hulk if he had the intelligence of his human alter ego.
In fact, it’s more likely than not we’ll see some version of this story played out in Avengers: Endgame as it has been long speculated we’ll finally be introduced the Professor Hulk. If we’re surprised and Marvel Studios forgoes that story arc, it’s a must-have for What If…
What if Jane Foster had found the hammer of Thor?
Some of the best Thor comics have featured Jane Foster as the God of Thunder. Jason Aaron’s illustrious run on the character has been astonishing and before he made the change to have Foster be Thor in-canon, there was a “What If…” one-shot dedicated to the fact she’s the one to wield Mjolnir.
Since it’s unlikely we’ll ever see Natalie Portman in the MCU again — let alone as Thor — this is another story that’d make a great episode on What If…
What if Dr. Strange were a disciple of Dormammu?
When it comes to the other-worldly being Dormammu, Marvel Studios hasn’t even scratched the surfaced with the character. We have yet to see Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) break bad fully — withholding the Doctor Strange post-credits scene, that is — and the other side of the equation could be explored in this non-canon animated series.
With the attitude and temperament of Dr. Strange, it’s an astonishing fact that he wasn’t the one to become the disciple of the Dark Dimension-dwelling villain, so let’s see it in Disney+’s What If…
What if Captain America had been elected president?
Imagine a world where Captain Marvel aligned himself with the Sokovia Accords, was the continued poster boy of America, and eventually turned that into a successful presidential campaign. While the shield-donning super soldier is likely done come Avengers: Endgame — we’re sorry, Cap stans — a world where Cap lives and goes on to serve his country politically could certainly make an interesting episode of What If…, especially with the political climate we live in today.
What if Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) had not died?
Alright, here’s where the Captain Marvel spoilers come in.
Imagine if Mar-Vell (Annette Bening) hadn’t died in Captain Marvel. That’d likely mean Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) wouldn’t have gotten her mind wiped and the two could go on to much larger projects with both heroes on Earth.
The What If… episode could feature Mar-Vell and Danvers on their star fighting adventures across the cosmos.
What if Vision of the Avengers conquered the world?
The Avengers should consider themselves lucky that Vision just so happened managed to side with them after being created in Avengers: Age of Ultron. With an Infinity Stone embedded in his forehead, he’s one of the strongest powered-beings in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so could you imagine if he wasn’t good?
What if Uncle Ben had lived instead of Aunt May?
It’s a tale as old as time. Uncle Ben was murdered by a pair of muggers and it launched Peter Parker into a career of crime-fighting. But what if Uncle Ben hadn’t died? Where would the web-slinging hero be at today?
Before You Go
What “What If…” scenarios would you like to see in this new series? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or join the conversation online by hitting me up on Twitter at @AdamBarnhardt!
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