The Marvel Universe is a huge multiverse of tens of dozens of different dimensions. While Earth-616 is the prime focal point of the Marvel Universe, there exists plenty of other Earths, each with their own stories worth telling. Much like DC Comics' Elseworlds titles, there are many different comics dedicated to telling stories across the Marvel multiverse.
For parallel Earth that is similar to Earth-616, there are dozens more that are much far off. Deserted planets, ones overtaken by warlords, or others that don't abide by the same laws of nature as our own, the Marvel multiverse has it all. While these Earths wouldn't make the greatest tourist location, let this list serve as a quick tour guide to some of the stranger places in the Marvel canon.
8 Throg Is The Thor Of Earth-97161
It was said that whoever was able to lift the enchanted hammer Mjolnir would be granted the powers of the Asgardian God of Thunder, Thor Odinson. But what people never considered, is what are the capabilities offered by Frogjolnir, the mighty hammer of Throg? It is a very convoluted story that takes place on Earth-97161. Simon Walterson, a football player whose career was ended by a knee injury, was cursed by a witch after he wasn't able to pay the witch for connecting him with his late wife in the afterlife. As a result, Simon was turned into a frog.
After being accepted by the frog clan in Central Park, Simon (now known as Puddlegup) helped the mighty Thor in a war between rats and frogs, after which a piece of Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, was broken off. Puddlegup was able to lift the sliver of the hammer, which then transformed into Frogjolnir, a miniature version of Thor's hammer, and turned Puddlegup into the Mighty Throg, a frog with the powers of Thor. He has since gone on to become a force to be reckoned with and a Thor through and through, earning the respect of his peers and even helping lead teams such as the Pet Avengers.
7 Spider-Ham's Universe Is All Sorts of Strange
A fan-favorite and one of the standout characters from Sony's Into the Spider-Verse, the Spectacular Spider-Ham (or Peter Porker) stole the show with his cartoonish-wit. But with Peter Porker having mentioned that he's been fighting crime for decades at this point, it begs the question: where on earths did Spider-Ham come from?
The answer is Earth-8311, an anthropomorphized version of the Marvel Universe. Originally introduced in the 1980s, it is home to characters such as Peter Porker, J. Jonah Jackal, and Captain Americat. A wacky, zany alternate universe where a spider that was bit by a radioactive pig could turn into the Spectacular Spider-Ham, the sky is the limit for the amount of eccentric and extraordinary stories to be told on Earth-8311.
6 The Ultimate Universe Is The Most Famous Alternate Timeline
One of the more mainstream alternate universes in the Marvel canon, the Ultimate Marvel universe certainly turned heads when it launched onto the scene in the early 2000s, with a more 21st-century re-imagining of the Marvel Universe. With more grim storylines, the Ultimate Universe removed the shine of idealism from the prime Marvel Universe, with writers like Frank Millar and Brian Michael Bendis helping to shape the universe.
From the numerous amounts of famous characters that were killed off, to the brutalist interpretation of the Avengers known as the Ultimates, Earth-1610 has actually provided a blueprint for many ideas that have been fleshed out in the MCU, from Samuel L. Jackson's portrayal of Nick Fury to new origins and central roles for Hawkeye and Black Widow.
5 Neil Gaiman's Elizabethan Timeline Is A Huge Paradigm Shift
Neil Gaiman is known as one of the most compelling storytellers in the science fiction medium. On top of that, his work in comic books is incredibly renowned as well, with his Sandman title for DC Comics being a standout addition to the medium. When he was approached by Marvel to create an eight-issue series, Gaiman decided he didn't want planes, cars, or any form of modern transportation in his story, a direct result of the September 11th attacks. So instead, Gaiman penned Marvel 1602.
Set in the Earth-616's past timeline, the superpowered community is alive and well in the Elizabethan era, until Captain America (a version of himself from Earth-460 who was sent back in time to Earth-616) caused a destabilization of the timeline, which forced Uatu the Watcher to separate this dimension from the main timeline, creating Earth-311. Here, Elizabethan versions of classic heroes rule in Europe, and mutants are referred to as "witchbreeds." Also, for some strange reasons, dinosaurs are still alive. Needless to say, Neil Gaiman successfully brought his strange sense of style to the Marvel universe with Marvel 1602.
4 The Cancerverse Gave Fans A Dark Re-Imagining Of Their Favorite Heroes
Introduced during the War Of Kings event, the "Cancerverse" is a mirrored reality to the prime 616 timeline. With the key difference that on this timeline, life had been rid of Death itself, and now the entire planet was a living corpse of what it once was, and controlled by higher beings known as the Many-Angled Ones. Formally known as Earth-10011, the Cancerverse mirrors the 616 timeline, and even has its own twisted, undead versions of the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four, known as the Revengers, Ex-Men, and Ftaghn Four, respectively.
During the War of Kings storyline, the fighting between the Inhuman king Black Bolt and Vulcan caused a rift in space-time known as "The Fault," which opened up a gateway to the Cancerverse. Seeing an opportunity to claim Earth-616 for themselves, the undead warlords of Earth-10011 invaded, forcing the cosmic heroes of 616 to join forces in an attempt to quell the invasion.
3 The Zombieverse Almost Made Its Way To Earth-616
A classic parallel dimension in the Marvel Universe, the "Zombieverse" timeline took place on Earth-2149, where the entire planet was infected with a parasitic infection that turned everyone into undead monsters. With the superhumans of the planet hosting the virus better than normal human beings, the undead Avengers quickly took over the planet, consuming everyone in their path.
Noticeably more intelligent than most zombies, these zombified heroes were able to concoct plans to take over the entire planet, and extend their domination to the rest of the solar system, even taking down the likes of the Silver Surfer, Galactus, and would go on to consume all the planets in their timeline. After trying to find a way into different realities, they were met by the Watcher, who sent an infected version of the Sentry back to Earth-2149, creating a time-loop of sorts so that the zombie virus wouldn't spread to core timelines.
2 Battleworld Is A Reference To The Original Secret Wars
In the 2015 event Secret Wars, Jonathan Hickman introduced one of the most terrifying and strangest alternate dimensions, with the re-imagined concept of Battleworld, an alternate reality where Dr. Doom reigned supreme. Due to the incursions of different realities, Battleworld was created out of numerous incursions across the multiverse, with remains of these realities fusing together at different points in their timelines to become Battleworld.
With so many different alternate realities being forced into interaction with others, Battleworld became a very real mixing pot of different Marvel universes. To add a cherry on top, they were presided over by God Emperor Doom, which anyone can tell you is a recipe for disaster. Battleworld, though it was an interesting and enjoyable way to explain the Secret Wars storyline, still was a very strange concept of a pocket dimension.
1 The Mini Marvels Universe Is A Fun Cartoon
A more slapstick, cartoon take on the Marvel Universe, the Mini Marvels universe of Earth-99062. A universe that's a little on the friendlier side, Peter Parker has no need to worry about his secret identity, because everyone in his life (his Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson) seems to know that he's both Spider-Man and Peter Parker. All things considered, his life is relatively unchanged.
The Mini Marvels universe also has a strange moratorium on the age of its heroes, with all of the classic heroes claiming to still be children, even Wolverine. Earth-99062 is one of the quirkiest universes in the Marvel canon, but it makes for one of the most light-hearted and entertaining reads.