Since the inaugural issue in 1977, Marvel’s What If? comic series has put out well over 200 issues, in various series and volumes. The first series, and part of the second, featured Uatu the Watcher as the narrator. From his base on the moon, he observed our planet and occasionally other alternate realities. Most of the stories involve Uatu describing some mainstream Marvel event and then pondering what would occur if there was a divergence at a pivotal moment in time. He would then go on to describe the consequences of the divergence. Later, Marvel dropped the framing device of Uatu and made the stories themselves the central focus. The later series had writers that introduced other narrators, such as Brian Michael Bendis.
We remember vividly back in the day reading these stories with great vigor and anticipation. Not officially recognized as Marvel canon, some of these stories served an important function in putting great speculative scenarios on panel. That being said, as with any long-running comic series that stretches over many years, not every story was a winner. Thinking back we tried to gauge my favorites and think about which issues could be considered universally beloved. This list is subjective and you might not feel the same way about these comics as we do; however, it is a great jumping off point for discussion and debate. So sit back, get ready, and take a look at our list of 15 of the best, and 15 of the worst, What If? Marvel comics of all time!
30 BEST: PROFESSOR X BECAME THE JUGGERNAUT
For those who don’t know the original story, Charles Xavier and his stepbrother Cain Marko were on patrol in Korea. Marko happened upon the Temple of Cyttorak, touched the fabled Gem of Cyttorak, and was transformed into the Juggernaut. What If asks what would’ve happened if the roles were reversed?
In this story, Xavier finds the Gem and becomes Juggernaut. However, Marko is not a mutant and never takes up Xavier’s cause. Magneto becomes the sole pro-mutant voice, advocating and enforcing the subjugation of normal humans. Xavier, flush with power and insane, crushes Magneto and takes over the world. Eventually, Cyclops forms a resistance of mutants and together they vanquish Xavier.
29 WORST: FURY FOUGHT WORLD WAR II IN OUTER SPACE
Absolutely ridiculous! The premise had to be thought of during a drunken party in the Marvel Bullpen. Can you picture a cigar-smoking Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos smoking stogies while wearing a space helmet? If ever run across this issue, skip to end of the story and maybe you’ll get something meaningful out of it.
There the writers try to ponder the nature of previous “What If” alternate universes, specifically Nick Fury’s passing in What If… Captain America and Bucky Both Survived World War II?
28 BEST: THE PUNISHER WAS A HALL MONITOR
Over the years, What If posed quite a few absurd questions, some for comedic effect, and some just ended up that way. This one was to embrace the comedy that such a situation would pose and Marvel pulled it off nicely.
I mean, it is still childish and inane, but the premise and storyline will give you a chuckle. It’s almost impossible not to enjoy watching the exploits of Frank Castle in a world where he was a hall monitor in a school for super-powered students. To enforce school policy, Castle still employs the most lethal of options! So much for detention!
27 WORST: DAREDEVIL BECOMES AN AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D
Not the worst of stories, but not the serious story that you would expect either. Matt Murdock’s Daredevil is taken under the wing of Nick Fury and trains to become an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. The story is full of grueling training sessions with Fury barking orders in typical fashion and Murdock excelling in his training like no other agent before him.
Everything’s on track until Murdock’s father is taken and he bucks protocol to go after the kidnappers himself. It’s basically an alternate origin story that probably only die-hard Daredevil fans would find appealing.
26 BEST: THE AVENGERS DEFEATED EVERYBODY
I know, you’re asking, “Everyone?” Yes, as Gary Oldman said in the film, Léon: The Professional, “EVERYONE!” Ha! Classic. While normal civilians were left untouched, in this storyline the Avengers defeated every villain and superhero in the world. Believing the world ripe for conquering, the Scarlet Centurion takes on The Avengers and initially defeats them.
However, Thor is able to bounce back and take out the Centurion, leaving the world a future or peace and prosperity. Hey, even the Hulk permanently reverts back to Bruce Banner, so there’s that too!
25 WORST: KAREN PAGE LIVED
Kevin Smith and Brian Michael Bendis penned this depressing tale of Daredevil finally losing it and ending the Kingpin. He comes forward and confesses to the deed and lives out the rest of his life in prison. Bendis is pegged as the narrator, as opposed to The Watcher.
The premise is appealing but really the story is a little disappointing. It’s good to know Matt Murdock comes to accept his crime and turns himself in, but there’s no real climax to set up an interesting third act. It’s just not very good at keeping the reader interested.
24 BEST: THE FANTASTIC FOUR DIDN'T GET POWERS
This issue looks at the consequences for the world if the Fantastic Four never got their powers. In this storyline, Reed Richards and crew don’t launch into space, encounter a cosmic storm, and become the Fantastic Four. Instead, they delay their mission to secure additional funding. Later, when the mission is attempted, a fully-trained crew of real astronauts is sent up.
Eventually, this trip leads to several off-world colonies. Now wealthy, Richards and his crew establish an intergalactic research facility. When a giant monster attacks the Earth, the not-so-Fantastic Four, feeling a sense of duty, take on the monster. Basically, these four were destined to be heroes, even without superpowers. Using their wits and ingenuity, they still save the day!
23 WORST: IRON MAN WAS TRAPPED IN THE TIME OF KING ARTHUR
Once upon a time, in the Marvel Universe, Iron Man and Doctor Doom traveled to the time of Arthurian legend. However, in this alternate version, only Doom makes it back, leaving Iron Man stranded. So, accepting his fate, Tony Stark joins up with King Arthur and takes on Morgan Le Fay.
King Arthur is killed in battle; Tony Stark takes up the sword Excalibur and becomes King of England. Peace reigns for a hundred years. Maybe it’s just me but I like my Arthurian tales as they are, dropping Iron Man into them just seemed a little unnecessary.
22 BEST: PHOENIX DIDN'T DIE
This is a favorite among many fans. Frank Miller gives it to us raw in this alternate reality. Here we see the X-Men and Phoenix travel to the Shi’ar galaxy and defeat Galactus, becoming a hero to the Shi’ar. Returning home, everyone believes the Phoenix is under control.
However, Jean Grey is slowly being consumed by the awesome power. To satiate her hunger, she destroys asteroids and then a small star. Kitty Pryde discovers Grey’s “feeding,” and chastises her. Losing control, Phoenix incinerates Pryde! Giving herself over to the Phoenix, the X-Men attempt to stop her. One by one, Phoenix takes out the X-Men, even her beloved Cyclops. The Phoenix force consumes her, the planet, the galaxy, and expands to consume the universe and beyond.
21 WORST: WOLVERINE BECOMES LORD OF THE VAMPIRES
In the X-Men’s long history, they’ve battled a number of supernatural adversaries, including a few vampires. In this tale, Dracula succeeds in turning Storm, who then manages to turn the rest of the X-Men into vampires. However, Wolverine’s healing factor allows him to maintain his self-control. He goes after and kills Dracula, becoming lord of the vampires.
Wolverine then travels the world, destroying any who might pose a threat to him, such as Doctor Strange. Strange’s spirit is forced to take over the body of Frank Castle, the Punisher. Together they try and fail to defeat Wolverine, who, in a moment of clarity reads from the Darkhold. In doing so, he himself takes out all the vampires in the world, including himself. The premise might be decent, but the story just did not deliver.
20 BEST: BEAST AND THE THING CONTINUE TO MUTATE
The Beast and the Thing both have tragic stories. They were young men with bright futures ahead of them until circumstances changed the course of their lives forever. Though both would go on to prove they were still the gentle souls they had always been, this story shows that things could’ve been way different for both of them.
Under the effects of Virus X, the Thing transforms into a radioactive monster, more Hulk-like. He eventually mutates to the point of “critical mass” where his body releases all the cosmic energy, effectively returning him to his original Ben Grimm form. For Beast, it doesn’t end well. His mutation becomes more animalistic, causing him to lose his personality, becoming as savage as he looks. Unable to be cured, Beast is released in the Savage Land where he can fun free.
19 WORST: THE WATCHER DEFEATS GALACTUS
This is another story that should’ve been good given the premise. Uatu the Watcher is witnessing Galactus arrive and begin to consume the Earth. He breaks his vow of non-intervention and outright kills Galactus. The other Watchers show up and imprison Uatu for his violation.
Despite the Fantastic Four going to bat for him, Uatu accepts his fate. In a twist, he is sentenced to become the new Galactus, restoring the cosmic balance and spending eternity traveling the universe consuming planets. It seemed like such a storyline cop-out. Maybe you won’t dislike it, but it’s hardly on anyone’s favorite list.
18 BEST: WOLVERINE DEFEATS THE HULK
These two have fought numerous times, usually with Hulk coming out on top. In this story, Wolverine is able to finally finish off the Hulk. Having defeated one of the most powerful creatures on the planet, his ego gets a little inflated and his temper gets a little shorter. He ends up killing some poor schmo in a bar fight.
Wanted for murder, Wolverine joins up with Magneto’s Brotherhood and is sent to infiltrate the X-Men. Easy assignment until he falls for Jean Grey, as you knew would happen. The storyline rights itself when Wolverine realizes he’s a jerk and repents. He confronts Magneto and the pair end each other in the resulting fight.
17 WORST: THANOS JOINS THE AVENGERS
Even the cover looked corny: Thanos wearing Captain America’s outfit. The story finds Thanos joining with the forces of Earth against the Builders, rather than using the clash as an opportunity to take over the planet himself. With Thanos’ assistance, Earth’s heroes easily defeat the Builders.
This victory comes at a cost as Thanos, as leader of The Avengers, becomes a tyrant ruling over the planet. Adding insult to injury, he does so in the costume of one of Earth’s most noble defenders. So no, this one was not good.
16 BEST: ELEKTRA LIVES
What would happen if Elektra lived? The short answer: Daredevil wouldn’t brood so much. In another Frank Miller masterpiece, this alternate reality is one of my favorite stories. In the real world, the loss of Elektra crushes Matt Murdock. If she had lived, it stands to reason he would go on to happiness. You see, if Bullseye got himself taken out during his prison escape, he can’t end Elektra.
She still spares the life of Foggy Nelson, who Kingpin ordered to be taken down. For her betrayal, Kingpin puts out a contract to have her taken down in his place. Daredevil and Elektra decide to leave New York permanently and start a new life together in anonymity.
15 WORST: CAPTAIN AMERICA'S NEW ARMY IN WWII
In this alternate reality, Captain America saves the life of Dr. Abraham Erskine, the creator of the super-soldier serum. This allows the U.S. Army to continue using the serum to create an army of super soldiers. After leading them to victory over the Axis Powers, Captain America is elected president and promises to grant every citizen access to the serum.
However, once in office he decides that only white Americans should actually be allowed access. When minorities protest, Cap has them all thrown into detention camps. His fellow supersoldiers take out any superhero who opposes him. Ultimately it is revealed that this Captain America was actually the Red Skull all along. A disappointing end to what could’ve been a good story.
14 BEST: VENOM AND THE PUNISHER
This kind of story became pretty popular for a time. Writers and fans obsessed over what it would be like if the Venom symbiote had taken over other Marvel heroes. It usually ended up with said hero becoming evil and considerably more violent. However, what if the hero, or anti-hero, was already like that?
In this story, things initially go as you would expect. Frank Castle is taken over by Venom (and gets a cool new outfit in the process). Interestingly enough, it’s Castle that starts to take control over Venom. He is able to exert his control over the symbiote, utilizing Venom to wage a much more efficient war on crime.
13 WORST: SPIDER-MAN CONTINUES TO MUTATE
This story was more of a horror tale. In this alternate reality, the radioactive enzymes in Spider-Man’s blood not only give him his incredible abilities, but also the occasional side-effect of transforming him into a horrifying spider-monster. The story fast-forwards to Peter Parker’s adulthood, where we find him having a son who has inherited Parker’s radioactive condition.
The younger Parker accidentally takes out Flash Thompson’s son, which causes Flash to form a mob to hunt down and end the spider-monster. Peter Parker attacks the mob in his monster-form and is ended. The younger Parker goes off and joins Professor Xavier’s School for the Gifted to learn to live with his condition.
12 BEST: SOMEONE NEW IS BITTEN BY THE RADIOACTIVE SPIDER
This story takes a look at what might have happened had Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, and John Jameson been bitten instead of Peter Parker. They all prove to be incapable of bearing responsibility their newfound power gives them. Thompson accidentally kills a man in a wrestling ring and becomes a fugitive, never really developing his abilities.
Betty Brant becomes terrified of her powers and quits using them after she is unable to stop a murderer. Jameson simply lacks Parker’s intelligence and is killed trying to stop a space shuttle from crashing. Every story still ends with Peter Parker using the radioactive spider’s body to develop his own superpowers.
11 WORST: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL BULLPEN BECOMES THE FANTASTIC FOUR
This story finds Stan Lee as Reed Richards, Flo Steinberg as the Invisible Girl, Jack Kirby as The Thing, and Sol Brodsky as the Human Torch. First, the story is really terrible in that it benefits the men, with Steinberg as a secretary who is belittled constantly by Stan Lee.
He might be a loveable hero to us all now, but he’s a horrible boss in this story. The only good thing about this tale is that it marked the first time “King” Kirby wrote a Fantastic Four story. The Bullpen comes off looking like jerks and really should’ve been a tale left on the drawing boards.