There are countless Earths in the Marvel Multiverse, and it all really started with a comic book series called What If, which, in its purest form, is just a comic that shows readers how the world could change if just one person’s actions were different. These comics started publication in 1977 and there have been over 200 issues over the years between regular series and stand-alone comics. Most of these comics created an entirely new world, adding to the Marvel multiverse in a considerable way, and several of these worlds were horrific and deranged versions of the main Earth-616.
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While the MCU’s What If series had some dark storylines, including Doctor Strange destroying his universe and the Marvel Zombies epic, there are some Marvel Comics What If storylines that are too dark for the MCU.
“What If Spider-Man Had Killed Kraven the Hunter?” was in the one-shot What If? Spider-Man #1 (2011) by Mark Sable, Paul Azaceta, and Matt Southworth. This storyline spun out of the 2010 “Grim Hunt” storyline (Amazing Spider-Man #634 to #637). The original storyline saw Spider-Man almost kill the resurrected Sergei Kravinoff before doing what Spider-Man always does and holding back to remain a genuine hero. In this What If tale, he doesn’t stop and kills Kraven and then goes after the full Kravinoff family.
Madame Web (Julia Carpenter) narrates the story and explains that this one decision threw the entire web of life out of balance. This storyline wouldn’t work in the MCU because it takes one of the most beloved and relatable heroes and turns him into a cold-blooded killer. He gives up his Peter Parker identity completely, kills Norman Osborn next, and then becomes the new Kraven the Hunter. It ends with an interesting moment where Spider-Man becomes an entirely new character, but going this dark with Spider-Man likely isn’t something the MCU would consider.
4) What If? Infinity – Dark Reign
What If? Infinity – Dark Reign (2015) by Joshua Williamson and Goran Sudzuka is one of five one-shots in the 2015 What If? Infinity line. The story here spins off of Norman Osborn’s “Dark Reign” era, where Osborn takes control of SHIELD and turns it into HAMMER, learning all the organization’s secrets. This What If has Norman learn of the Infinity Gems and, with the villain community, he takes them from the heroes and assembles the Infinity Gauntlet as the “Goblin King.”
This gets as dark as any What If storyline has ever gotten. Osborn and his Dark Avengers methodically murder Earth’s heroes one by one, sparing only Spider-Man, whom Osborn keeps alive specifically to psychologically torture him by forcing him to relive Gwen Stacy’s death. The ending is bleak and ironic, as an omnipotent Osborn uses the Gauntlet to erase his own abusive father from existence. However, erasing his father from “all of time and space” means Norman is never born, so he fades away, and the Gauntlet drifts off into empty space.
3) What If Sue Storm Died in Childbirth?
There is one big reason that this specific What If storyline can never happen in the MCU. “What If Susan Richards Had Died in Childbirth?” was from What If? #42 (1983) by Peter B. Gillis and Ron Frenz. In the main story this spun off of, the Fantastic Four were in the Negative Zone, and Reed Richards got Element X to save Sue and ensure Franklin Richards was safely born. In this What Ifstoryline, his return was delayed by Annihilus, and he didn’t get back in time to save Sue, who died during Franklin’s childbirth.
There is no chance the MCU would have a death during childbirth storyline for one of its main characters, even in a What If series. It gets darker as Sue’s death shatters the Fantastic Four as a family. A grief-stricken Reed, his boundless curiosity gone, returns to the Negative Zone to kill Annihilus in revenge. Namor and the others try to stop him, but Reed knowingly chooses death, killing Annihilus and himself. It is terribly sad, a story about emotional devastation rather than spectacle, and it would be an incredibly difficult watch.
“What If the Marvel Super Heroes Had Lost Atlantis Attacks?” is another classic What If storyline, this one from What If? #25 (1991) by Jim Valentino and Rik Levins. This spun off of the 1989 line-wide “Atlantis Attacks” crossover. In the original comics, the heroes finally stopped the serpent-god Set. In this alternate storyline, they failed, and most of Earth’s heroes were turned into serpent men. While this is the exact kind of story that the Disney+ MCU What If animated series likes to cover, this one gets a little too dark at times.
A small remnant of heroes, plus villains Doctor Doom and Sabretooth, survive, only to be massacred by Set and his brainwashed “brides,” whom he has impregnated with his monstrous spawn. Only the Silver Surfer and Quasar remain, aided by a horribly burned Thor kept alive in stasis. They destroy two of Set’s heads before Quasar, empowered by Captain Universe, sacrifices his own life to exile himself and Set inside Doctor Strange’s Eye of Agamotto, a near-total-loss victory. The body horror, mass mutation, forced impregnation, and a god eating the heroes are a little too gruesome even for the MCU animated series.
“What if Phoenix Had Not Died?” was one of the scariest What If stories that Marvel Comics ever published, especially for the young audiences who mostly read Marvel at the time. This was the story from What If? #27 (1981) by Mary Jo (Jo) Duffy and Jerry Bingham. The storyline diverged from “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” but it had a happy ending for that tale, with Jean Grey surviving her battle with the Shi’ar, who then stripped her of her powers to protect the universe.
However, this was only temporary. The Phoenix Force reawakened in Jean during a later battle, and then, unable to satisfy its hunger, attacked the X-Men. What happened next was horrific as she killed the young teenage hero Kitty Pryde first, and also murdered Polaris and even Jean’s own lover, Cyclops. She mentally crippled Professor X, and then, after seeing her kill Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm, and Angel, Wolverine just gave up and let her kill him too. She then destroyed the entire Earth and expanded across the universe, destroying everything in her path. It might be the darkest ending to any Marvel What If story in history.
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