What if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four? What if Captain America had been elected President? What if Sony never turned down the opportunity to buy Marvel’s movie rights back in 1998? These are the questions hoping to be answered by Marvel’s first animated Disney+ TV seriesWhat If…?
First announced back in May with more details revealed during the Hall H panel at San Diego Comic Con,What If…?will be an animated anthology based on the comic series of the same name, with MCU actors reprising their roles in voice form. The comics first started in 1977 with the aforementionedWhat if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four?The comic books told stories from alternate versions of the Marvel universe and although they were never intended to be considered canon, many storylines served as inspiration for future comics, with some even showing up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But which stories would we like to see? Here are our picks for the new series:
(What If…?Vol.1 #47)
Issue 10 ofMarvel’s What If…?wasWhat If Jane Foster Had Found the Hammer of Thor?which we now know we will get to see inThor: Love and Thunderwhen it comes out in 2021. But what about Thor’s brother?/Filmreports one of the episodes will consider if Loki was the one worthy enough to wield Mjölnir. I think if any Marvel character would benefit from an animated format, and one with a story that makes them all that more powerful, it’s Loki. Getting a chance to see him swing the hammer might just make the wait to see him in his own series a little easier. And if you want to throw Korg andJeff Goldbluminto it somehow, I know I’d be even happier.
(What If…?Vol.1 #1)
This was the issue that kicked off the whole series, and I think with the recent news of Spider-Manpossibly no longer being in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I imagine that this might be the story fans would most like to see. One, it keeps Spidey in the MCU; and two, it would serve as an introduction to the famous superhero family fans have been desperate to see once again. Sure, this whole story deals with the Fantastic Four’s origin and Marvel is probably trying to think of a way to skip that overdone introduction just like they did with Peter and Uncle Ben, but maybe this offers a sneaky alternative. To use it as a simple reminder to audiences and then get to the meat of the plot in the movie adaptation all that much sooner.
(What If…?Vol.1 #5)
NowChris Evansisn’t listed under the cast ofWhat If…?,but just because Steve Rogers is gone, doesn’t mean Captain America has to disappear. I’m saying that Bucky Barns could finally step into the suit and get a chance to be Captain America.Sebastian Stan,Hayley Atwell,Dominic Cooper,Stanley Tucci, andNeal McDonoughall are cast, so why not have Bucky lead Agent Carter and the Howling Commandos to battle?Toby Jonesis also back so maybe they go up against a suited up Arnim Zola? Sounds good to me.
(What If…?Vol.2 #32)
Well then Disney wouldn’t have lost $170 million.
What If the Hulk Went Berserk?
(What If…?Vol.1 #45)
The second issue of the series wasWhat If the Hulk Had the Brain of Bruce Banner?which was most recently seen inAvengers: Endgamewith the introduction of Smart Hulk. Issue 23 wasWhat If the Hulk Had Become a Barbarian?which was both the storyline ofPlanet Hulkand the filmThor: Ragnarok. There are a ton of Hulk specific stories inWhat If…?I would love to seeWhat ifWolverineHad Killed theHulk?but no one even knows who Wolverine is in the universe currently. Getting a chance to see the Hulk go berserk and maybe act as a villain could be a lot of fun. There is also the possibility we could see him as Maestro, the villainous alternate version of the Hulk where we see the consequences of Hulk’s strength and Bruce Banner’s intelligence merging together. Technically,Mark Ruffalohasn’t had a movie to himself yet like the other Avengers, so it would be great for him to finally have the opportunity to tell his own story… even if that might mean playing the villain.
What If Black Panther…?
We know thatChadwick BosemanandMichael B. Jordanare attached to theWhat If…?series, but many people might be surprised to know that there has never been aWhat If…?comic about Black Panther. Now, I tried looking for anything related to Black Panther in any of these comics and I couldn’t find anything. Keep in mind, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t show up at all in any of these stories, but there doesn’t seem to be any indication he was given the alternate history treatment. That said, what could Disney be planning? I’d assume it’s got to be eitherWhat if Killmonger Was Born in Wakanda?orWhat If Killmonger Never Lost the Throne?Marvel still has big plans forBlack Pantherwith a movie sequel on the way, but unfortunately, Killmonger’s story is finished. If we are getting any extra tales from Wakanda, it’s got to be something that gives Killmonger more chance to shine. Whether that’s getting to see him as king from the start or maybe as king after T’Challa’s reign.
What If Thanos Joined the Avengers?
(What If? InfinityVol. 1 #1)
This was a much newerWhat If…?comic than the rest, only released back in 2015 and as part of a tie-in for Marvel’sInfinityevent. There aren’t many issues that deal with Thanos directly butJosh Brolinis on board with the series and after being one of the greatest Marvel villains, maybe it’s time for Thanos to be one of the greatest Marvel heroes. Make a slight tweak to his motivation, take away that whole galactic genocide thing, and you have a pretty good teammate!
(What If…?Vol.1 #7)
Is this too similar toSpider-Man:Into the Spider-Verse? Maybe. But I think this would be a great chance for Marvel to cut loose and have some fun. The original comic had Flash Thompson, Betty Brant, and John Jameson getting bit, but it doesn’t have to be them! Why not Ned? Or Aunt May? Or even people outside of the Spider-verse like perhaps another bug-themed superhero like Ant-Man? Whoever it is, let’s see more people with spider powers.
What If The Avengers Defeated Everybody?
(What If…?Vol.1 #29)
Now you have to know a little backstory for this one. InAvengers Annual#2, a villain named Scarlet Centurion tricks the original Avengers into killing the rest of the Earth’s heroes. In the normal comic, the Avengers from a different reality interfere with the plan and save the day. In theWhat If…version, the alternate Avengers never show up and the original Avengers do in fact, kill every hero and then retire. Now the reason I believe this story has so much potential, is it would also give us a chance to see what the Avengers do after superheroing. What happens when you can finally hang up the cape? This doesn’t necessarily have to mean that the Avengers defeated all of the heroes, it could just as much be interrupted as defeating all the villains and threats too. To see them retire on a win instead of a loss so we don’t have a sad and lazy Thor, or a vengeful Hawkeye. Instead we just get to see them sleeping in on Sundays or starting families; the boring lives THAT THEY EARNED!
(What If…?Vol.2 #10)
JUST LET FRANK CASTLE BE HAPPY FOR ONCE!
