10 darkest endings in What if? Comics, Ranked

by marvel What if? The comic book series began in 1977 with the story “What if Spider-Man had joined the Fantastic Four?” It was an alternative to their first meeting at The Incredible Spider-Man # 1. Most of the designers who worked on the What if? the books chose a specific event or arc and changed a key element no matter how small or insignificant it looked, and explored the domino effect of that change.
These alternate versions of classic events have been inventive, funny, or even silly, while some have been tragic and ruthless. Some What if? the stories have taken our beloved Marvel characters and presented them at their worst, often with grim results.
ten Loki is doomed to lead a vacant Asgard
Much of the story in “What if … The X-Men stayed in Asgard?” is pretty standard. Unlike returning the X-Men to Earth, as they did in the main continuity, a good chunk of the team voted to stay. Loki, causing his usual mischief, carries part of the team home while allowing others to stay.
Loki begs those who sit above the shadows (apparently gods above the gods who may have helped create Asgard) to let him rule Asgard. They accede to his request, but not the way he intended. Loki is sent to the future – at the end of the days when he is free to rule a lifeless Asgard. It’s an extremely cruel and dark punishment that not even Loki deserves.
9 The Void kills the world after the siege
What if? # 200 explores the outcome of Norman Osborn’s victory at the Siege of Asgard. Osborn and his Dark Avengers – Sentry in particular – overwhelm Asgard’s defending heroes, slaying Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, and more.
But before Osborn’s plan progresses any further, the Void awakens and transforms Sentry into Dark Sentry. With unstoppable power, the Void destroys the world and everyone in it and continues its rampage across the universe. Usually in these What if? stories, the villain gets what he wants, which unintentionally leads to the destruction of the world.
8 Wolverine kills Hulk in “first appearance”
Wolverine first appeared in The Incredible Hulk # 180 and on the now famous cover of The Incredible Hulk # 181. Wolverine is tasked with bringing the Hulk back alive. However, in What if? # 31, Wolverine takes lethal action and kills the Green Goliath during their confrontation.
This act of murder leads to a chain of events that involves Wolverine killing an innocent man and joining Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants. This alternate version of Wolverine’s introduction shows how one choice can drastically change fate, and how the company you keep can influence the choices you make, such as when Wolverine redeems himself while trying to save the life of Jeans.
seven Norman Osborn knowingly condemns humanity
One of the stories featured in What if? Secret invasion # 1 saw the Skrulls successfully invade. As the number of Skrulls increased, humanity is attempting to develop a virus that targets Skrulls and their shape-shifting abilities.
An additional component was needed to keep the human population safe, but Norman Osborn gave himself the cure while prematurely releasing the virus into the world, killing billions of Skrulls and humans. The act was so terrible that Captain America didn’t hesitate to brutally murder Osborn for his actions.
6 Caiera rules the world with the voice of Black Bolt
In an alternate version of Planet Hulk, titled âWhat if the Hulk died and Caiera lived?â, the Hulk sacrifices himself to save Caiera. She later gathers the power of Sakaar and invades Earth. However, her first stop is the moon where she defeats Black Bolt and makes him her slave.
With the power of Black Bolt’s scream, Caiera slays Doctor Strange, Sentry, Iron Man, and many of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes who stood against her. So much What if? the stories start with a slight change. This person lives while this person dies. And so many end with the gruesome deaths of readers’ favorite heroes.
5 By the time the Hulk became Galactus’ new herald
In the What if? tale “What if the heroes lost the Hulk World War?” the Skrull invasion and subsequent takeover of the human race is a success. They defeat most of the heroes in the world, leaving behind only the Hulk who they believe is their Prophet.
If the deaths of nearly every major Earth-related superhero wasn’t dark enough, Hulk asks the Silver Surfer to lead Galactus to Earth, where he destroys him and the Skrull armies. The Hulk is then transformed into the new herald of Galactus: World-Breaker.
4 The Symbiote launches a wave of new hosts
The story “What if the Alien costume possessed Spider-Man?” is far more exciting and bombastic than even the title suggests. In this What if? story, the symbiote’s hold on its host is stronger and more overwhelming, and Peter’s spirit is taken over by the symbiote.
Eventually, the symbiote abandons Peter, leaving him an old man drained of his life. He then finds the Hulk and easily bonds with the wild monster. The symbiote then leaves the Hulk and bonds with Thor. Eventually, a supersonic scream from Black Bolt subdues the symbiote as Black Cat delivers the coup de grace. However, this version of the symbiote leaves quite a trail of destruction and death in its wake.
3 Hulk loses control, even more than usual
When Bruce Banner is exposed to dangerous levels of gamma radiation, he transforms into the Incredible Hulk. The foundation for What if? # 45 is very similar to the origin of the classic Hulk comics. Only this time, Rick Jones is also exposed to radiation and his condition proves fatal.
As Rick dies of illness, Bruce Banner loses all control over his rampaging alter ego and the Hulk goes berserk. As unstoppable as the Juggernaut, Hulk brutally kills the Fantastic Four and Iron Man. In desperation, Thor breaks Hulk’s neck to end his rampage. This story brought the heroes to their breaking point and showed how vital Bruce Banner is to keeping the Hulk in check.
2 Viewing Alternative Civil War Results
This What if? the story is one of the most tragic. It begins in the main continuity after the fallout from the first Civil war an event. Tony Stark mourns Captain America as he stood by his grave. He then receives a visit from a mysterious character who presents Tony with two alternatives to Civil war: one where Tony died before the Recording Act was created, and one where Tony and Steve put their differences aside and worked together.
This is one of the few times Uatu shares his visions of different worlds with one another. Tony is shown two other paths that could have been taken, both with better results than the one he takes and lives now.
1 The phoenix lives … while not everyone does
In an alternate reality where Jean Gray lives, she uses the cosmic power of the Phoenix Force and helps the X-Men defeat Galactus. As things seem to have improved in this reality, John’s mind begins to slip and crumble under the weight of the power of the Phoenix – as it often does.
After unleashing the power and destroying more stars in the universe, Jean is faced with the X-Men. The Dark Phoenix is ââunleashed, killing the severely outmatched team. It’s one of the darkest, most heartbreaking endings as Jean kills his teammates and friends. The Dark Phoenix then moves on, destroying the entire world and more, as its power increases endlessly.
About the Author