An inherent appeal of What If...? is the chance to see characters in different roles, including a host of potential children to modern heroes. One of the most interesting issues of What If...? leaned into that concept completely. Introducing a timeline where Secret Wars played out very differently, the heroes and villains of this universe were left on Battleworld instead of returning to Earth.
What If...? #114 (by Jay Faerber, Gregg Schiciel, Jose Marzan Jr, Paul Tutrone, and Chris Eliopoulos) resulted in the timeline of Earth-9811, featuring a new generation of Marvel heroes and villains created by unlikely romances. This batch of new heroes could have easily gone through a similar growth to Spider-Girl, but never got the chance to explode in popularity as she did. It's a shame, as the cast of characters introduced and the world set before them have great potential to succeed in the Marvel Universe.
What If...? Introduced a New Generation of Avengers
What If...? #114 takes place on Earth-9811, which initially had a lot in common with the core-Marvel Universe. However, things took a serious turn when Galactus got involved. In most realities, the heroes were able to make their way home thanks to the immensely powerful Beyonder. But in this world, the Beyonder and Galactus used their full might against one another -- getting both of them killed. As a result, the surviving heroes and villains found themselves stranded on Battleworld. Within twenty-five years, they all settled down and accepted this new status quo. While some went into hiding, others paired up and had children, creating a new generation of potential heroes.
When the son of Doctor Doom and the Enchantress, Malefactor, tried to take control of Battleworld, his half-brother Bravado (son of Thor and the Enchantress) rallied his friends against him. Alongside Crusader (daughter of Captain America and a version of Rogue whose personality was subsumed by Carol Danvers), Mustang (son of Hawkeye and She-Hulk), Torrent (daughter of Wolverine and Storm), and Firefly (son of Human Torch and Wasp), the heroes held their own against Malefactor. The issue ended with the heroes using Hulk's tech to visit Earth, discovering a war-torn reality. Deciding to carry on the legacy of the Avengers, the story ended with a sense of hope and newfound adventure. However, the team never appeared again.
The Avengers of What If...? #114 Deserve Another Appearance
What If...? #114 serves as an interesting potential future for the Marvel Universe. Similar in function to What If...? #98 (which introduced May Parker, aka Spider-Girl), the issue could be seen as something of a backdoor pilot for further adventures. Unlike Spider-Girl, who ended up with her own long-running series and role in the Marvel Multiverse, the new Avengers of Earth-9811 never did. The team remains an interesting concept, it could have been a band of largely innocent and well-meaning heroes, thrust into a world that's far more dangerous than anyone could have expected. The inclusion of Sentinels teased a dark future for the X-Men without some of their most important members, a plot worth exploring (especially given Crusader and Torrent's likely status as mutants.
Major events in the Marvel Universe have inevitably transpired differently with so many heroes and villains missing, leaving plenty of room for exploration. There's the question of what became of the rest of the heroes without many of the pillars of their community -- and what other new heroes could be a part of this new team's generation. The heroes of Earth-9811 have only appeared briefly since then, as part of the many cross-dimensional teams in Avengers Forever. Even after twenty-five years, What If...? #114 remains a potential treasure trove of ideas that are all worth further exploration. With the Marvel Multiverse's recent gain in traction, hopefully, it won't be long before these characters finally return.