In the core Marvel Universe, a Skrull named De'Lila was able to capture the original Fantastic Four and fake their deaths -- resulting in the unlikely team of Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, and Ghost Rider to be summoned to become the new Fantastic Four in a Walt Simonson and Art Adams' Fantastic Four #347 in 1990. On Earth-616, the original Fantastic Four were eventually able to break free, and all the heroes went back to their respective lives.

But in two notable issues of What If?, realities where the original Fantastic Four didn't survive the encounter with De'Lila resulted in this new team remaining active, and in one case, even saving their entire reality. Now, we're taking a closer look at what happened in the worlds where the New Fantastic Four remained a team.

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WHAT IF? #78

In What If? #78 by Chuck Dixon and Enrique Alcatena, Reed Richards was just a tad too slow in dealing with De'Lila, and as a result, the entire team was killed. After burying the Fantastic Four and paying their respects, their brief replacements elect to keep fighting on in their memory. The group moves into the Baxter Building and gets to work replacing their fallen allies, taking on enemies and bringing down Skrulls frequently. The team works together to easily overwhelm the Sinister Six while Doctor Doom watches from the shadows, intrigued by this new incarnation of the team that had so often bedeviled him in earlier years.

While Mary-Jane attempts to assist however she can, monetary woes soon pile up on the team. Friction between Hulk and his new teammates only makes the situation worse. Two villain team-ups -- Lady Deathstrike and Abomination, along with Paibok and Devos the Devastator -- result in a massive attack that catches the group off-guard. They're almost killed by the assembled villains -- only to be saved by Doctor Doom, who slaughters the villains with ease because only he is allowed to kill any version of the Fantastic Four. Shaken by the experience, the team decides to disband -- meaning this world will no longer have any incarnation of the Fantastic Four to protect them.

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WHAT IF? THE NEW FANTASTIC FOUR

What If? New Fantastic Four by Paul Tobin, Patrick Scherberger, Chris Sotomayor, and Craig Yeung dove into another world where the original Fantastic Four perished at the hands of De'Lila. But in this world, this new Fantastic Four proved more willing to operate as a team -- even adopting their own Fantastic Four uniforms. The team was still active when the events of Infinity Gauntlet resulted in half of all life being wiped out by Thanos. In this reality, almost every notable hero was among those snapped out of existence -- including Ghost Rider. In the aftermath, the new Fantastic Four become one of the last major groups still active -- even accepting the last Avenger, Iron Man, into their ranks.

Working with Doctor Strange, Adam Warlock, and Silver Surfer, the group learns the truth of what Thanos has done and rush to confront him. But the Mad Titan is unimpressed with the remaining heroes. As a show of force, Thanos separates Banner and the Hulk into two beings, and the heroes only get the chance to regroup when Mephisto convinces Thanos to spare them as a possible challenge to impress Lady Death. When the heroes return, there's little to be done to stop him. But instead, Logan proves his wit is far sharper than his claws.

Wolverine is able to convince Thanos to destroy Mephisto with the Gauntlet (removing the "competition" for Lady Death's affections) and tricks him into lowering his guard long enough to slice through his arm and steal the Infinity Gauntlet. Spider-Man is eventually able to save the day and restore everyone with the Gauntlet, giving this world a happy ending -- albeit a destructive one, as an untethered Hulk is hinted to bring suffering as a rampaging force.

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