What If...? was a bonafide hit for Disney+, capturing the imagination possible in the MCU. Of course, with Marvel Zombies getting an adaptation to a streaming platform, it opens up many possibilities for other stories and their conceivable adaptions. The easiest source for future What If...? is the comics line that gave the series its name.
Of course, the television series doesn't just pull from the What If...? comics; the aforementioned Marvel Zombies was never part of the series. Many alternate Earths have appeared in series like Exiles, Spider-verse, and Excalibur. Perhaps for a second season, the series should draw from such comics.
10 What If The Original Marvel Bullpen Became The Fantastic Four?
This issue by Jack Kirby is just preposterous enough not to be thought of as an adaptation. Coming as the eleventh issue of the first series, it was a departure, rooted firmly in tongue-in-cheek ways. Four members of the original Marvel bullpen were cast as the Fantastic Four, with the strongest personalities being Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
This foursome showed up one more time in Paradise X: Heralds #3. Of all the various realities that could have been depicted, this one was the chosen one. If used for the second season, it could also be a tribute to the architects of the Marvel universe.
9 What If Captain America Fought In The Civil War?
In 2005, What If... became a series of specials rather than a long series of stories. One of these specials was centered on Captain America, by Tony Bedard and Carmine Di Giandomenico. It had Steve Rogers as a Union soldier that is transformed by Native American magic into Captain America.
Some elements might need to change a little, but the fight against the White Skull is a good story of Cap fighting for the rights of all people. It's also good to see Captain America fighting bigots within America. He always seems to be at his best when he challenges the direction where the country is going.
8 What If Shang-Chi Had Remained Loyal (to His Father)?
The MCU changed Shang-Chi's father partly due to the murky waters that are legal ownership of a character from over a hundred years ago. This worked to the benefit of cleaning up the Mandarin in the MCU. It also allowed for the origin of Shang-Chi to remain one where he opposes his father.
In What If... #16, Doug Moench and Rick Hoberg presented a tale where Shang-Chi worked at his father's side. In the MCU, the moment where a teenage Shang-Chi runs away would not see the boy racked with guilt and return to further serve the Ten Rings. Of course, just as in the comic, the story might end with Shang-Chi opposing his father once again.
7 What If The Avengers Had Fought Evil During the 1950s?
From What If... #9, this might not have seemed plausible for the MCU, except for the introduction of Isiah Bradley in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Isiah was established as a super-soldier in the Korean War and could see the introduction of new heroes into the MCU's history, brought together by Peggy Carter to form the Avengers decades before Nick Fury got the idea.
Among the other members could be a newly arrived Mar-Vell, beginning her time on Earth. The Human-Robot could be a Howard Stark creation. Venus and possibly 3-D Man could see their introductions into the MCU timeline as well.
6 What If Captain America Hadn't Vanished During World War II?
From What If... #5, this tale envisions Captain America not suspended in hibernation. It may take the form of Bucky not falling from the train, giving Cap another ally against the Red Skull. Given that Bucky's survival is essential to the original comic book story, it'd be an interesting way to go.
Don Glut, Roy Thomas, and George Tuska tell a meandering story of the legacy of Captain America and the founding of SHIELD. In the MCU, Peggy Carter might be the one that Cap defers to as the new director of SHIELD. It also puts the course of the MCU on a different path. Without Captain America, the invasion of New York and Thanos' gathering of the Infinity Gauntlet might happen very differently.
5 What If Captain America Became President?
The premise of What If... #26 has already been used as an Easter egg in the first season. The Watcher's battle with Ultron goes for a moment to an Earth where Steve Rogers is being inaugurated as President. Of course, this is a nod to the classic story by Mike W. Barr and Herb Trimpe.
In the comic book, Cap is successful but undone by his hands-on approach. He's tricked and captured by the Red Skull. Of course, the villain would change in an alternate reality. However, it's interesting to think how President Steve Rogers would respond to Thanos' arrival on Earth in search of the Infinity Stones.
4 What If Thanos Joined The Avengers?
From What If Infinity - Thanos, the thought of Thanos joining the Avengers to face an existential threat is explored. At the climax of the story, Captain America dies in combat, but Thanos picks up the shield and takes his place in the Avengers. He also takes his place among the heroes of the Illuminati as they prepare to defend against incursions by alternate Earths.
The incursions are an element that the Disney+ series can turn into an overreaching threat for the second season. Rather than a villain that can be beaten, it's a threat that needs to be stopped without destroying countless beings. It can also build on the multiversal concepts that are starting to dominate Phase Four of the MCU.
3 What If Hulk Went Berserk?
In What If... #45, a new origin for the Hulk ended with the behemoth on a rampage of death and destruction. It has many elements that could make for an excellent addition to the varying tone of the What If... series. It also has a direct tie-in to the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Peter Gillis and Ron Wilson depict the Hulk going on a rampage after a telepathic link with Rick Jones is used by the military in a way that kills Rick. In the MCU, the Hulk was unhinged after the machinations of Wanda Maximoff in Johannesburg. As of now, fans can only imagine what might have happened if Iron Man hadn't stopped the Hulk.
2 Peter Parker & MJ's Daughter is Spider-Girl!
What If... #105 is the comic that launched a line of next-generation heroes. The MC2 Universe featured legacy heroes, but the best known and longest lasting was Mayday Parker, aka Spider-Girl. This story could serve as a light-hearted break.
This also lets the MCU show older versions of two characters without CGI aging. It also introduces the concept of time flowing differently in other universes. Most of all, it gives a character that reintroduces the fun of being a superhero.
1 1602 Is The Marvel Universe In Elizabethian England
Outside of What If..., the most enthralling alternate reality is the world of 1602, created by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert. Almost every major Marvel character from the Silver Age is given a seventeenth-century analog. Adapting the world into the MCU Multiverse can rectify the mistake Marvel Television made in not adapting the series in 2018.
Of course, without the Fantastic Four and X-Men not included in the MCU yet, a new villain needs to be used. The solution lies within the original series as the new King of England targets those he deems different and a threat to his rule. It's a conflict that is often overlooked by a casual reading of the series.