Marvel Comics’ What If? banner is and has always been perhaps the greatest creative outlet for comic book writers and artists, as they are able to take iconic, well-established characters and do whatever they want with them without fear of altering the continuity of the wider universe. This has led to a great number of exciting one-shots that dare to push the boundaries of what an X-Men, Spider-Man, or Fantastic Four adventure could look like when there are no rules to play by.
While many What If? comics have stood out in the minds of fans since they were first published, many others have completely fallen into obscurity, especially ones published in the ‘90s, as there were over one hundred issues printed within that decade. And that’s a shame, because most of them are well worth fans’ time and attention. Out of the more than one hundred, here are 10 of the most underrated What If? stories from the ‘90s.
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10 Wolverine Becomes The Successor Of Conan The Barbarian
What If? Vol. 2 #16 – “What If Wolverine Battled Conan the Barbarian” by Glenn Herdling and Gary Kwapisz
After Wolverine accidentally gets sent to the Hyborian Age, he quickly encounters Conan the Barbarian, and the two warriors engage in brutal combat. The very act of these two fighting is alone incredibly exciting, as both are considered two of the greatest warriors within their respective continuities, though one proves to be better: Conan. Conan slices Wolverine’s jugular, leaving him to bleed out and die. Though Logan’s healing factor would ultimately save his life, Conan proved his superiority. But despite that, by the end of this tale, Conan would die, and Wolverine would be his successor.
This story not only elevated Conan the Barbarian’s status as a warrior, but also as a hero, as he was significant enough for someone as prominent in Marvel canon as Wolverine to want to follow in his footsteps.
9 The Avengers Replace The Fantastic Four In Their Most Iconic Storyline
What If? Vol. 2 #41 – “What If The Avengers Had Fought Galactus?” by Jim Valentino and Sam DeLarosa
The Fantastic Four taking on Galactus is perhaps the team’s most iconic storyline in Marvel Comics to date, yet in this reality, the FF didn’t just not fight Galactus, they didn’t even live long enough to become superheroes at all. The Fantastic Four died during the mission that gave them their powers, causing a chain reaction that left only the Avengers as Earth’s protectors. So, when Galactus inevitably came to Earth, the Avengers were the ones to meet the Devourer of Worlds, and they were not up for the task.
While Galactus was ultimately defeated, it wasn’t because of the Avengers, who effectively failed where the Fantastic Four once triumphed. It was because of the Watcher, who sacrificed himself to stop Galactus, adding yet another layer of universe-altering significance to this separate reality.
8 The Punisher Gave Venom A Few Deadly Upgrades
What If? Vol. 2 #44 – “What If Venom Had Possessed The Punisher?” by Kurt Busiek and Luke McDonnell
Fans always love it when a Marvel Comics character gets the ‘Venomized’ treatment, especially if that character is already hardcore, with the addition of the symbiote making them even more so – making the Punisher the perfect recipient of a Venom upgrade. Or, perhaps it was the other way around. With the Punisher as its host, the Venom symbiote had never been deadlier, as guns were integrated into its symbiotic arsenal as well as all of Frank Castle’s tactical knowledge and combat skills.
The Punisher enhanced Venom just as much as Venom enhanced the Punisher, making this one of the more badass examples of perfect symbiosis in Marvel Comics. Plus, their chest symbol was a combination of the Punisher’s skull and Venom’s spider (later retconned to be a dragon), which is undeniably awesome.
7 Doctor Doom Robbed Doctor Strange Of The Sorcerer Supreme Title
What If? Vol. 2 #52 – “What If Doom Became Sorcerer Supreme?” by Dan Slott and Manny Galan
In this reality, Doctor Doom learned from the Ancient One in the ways of the mystic arts, and eventually became the Sorcerer Supreme instead of Doctor Strange. In fact, Doom was the one who met Strange when the former surgeon came to Kamar-Taj for help. Rather than teaching him magic, however, Doom used his technological genius to literally rebuild his hands, replacing them with machines, allowing Strange to be an even better surgeon than he was before. With this act, Doom effectively replaced Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme, and it wouldn’t be the last time in this story he’d do so.
After Doom nearly dies fighting Dormammu, he ends up on Strange’s operating table. But, instead of allowing the doctor to perform potentially life-saving surgery on him, Doom allowed this body to die and transferred his consciousness into the body of Doctor Strange. All those years ago, Doom sensed Strange’s natural ability in the ways of the mystic arts, and now that inherent connection to otherworldly powers was Doom’s to control, thereby robbing Strange’s potential yet again.
6 Frank Castle Reverses The Story Of Marvel’s New Punisher
What If? Vol. 2 #57 – “What If The Punisher Became An Agent Of SHIELD?” by Chuck Dixon and Mike Harris
While normally ignored by practically every official agency, the Punisher is actually approached by SHIELD in this alternate reality, with Nick Fury himself offering Castle his own strike force and relative autonomy in how he wants to carry out his missions. The Punisher accepts, and with SHIELD resources mixed with his own proven skill set, Frank all but wipes out Hydra on behalf of SHIELD. While this storyline is pretty much exactly what any fan would expect from reading the title alone, there’s an added layer of significance that makes this particular What If? that much more interesting: it’s Joe Garrison’s story in reverse.
Joe Garrison is the new Punisher in Marvel Comics’ current continuity, and he is an ex-SHIELD agent. Frank Castle effectively reversed Garrison’s story years before it would be told, which allowed this particular What If? to have aged like fine wine.
5 Stryfe & Apocalypse Won The X-Cutioner’s Song
What If? Vol. 2 #69 – “What If Stryfe Killed The X-Men?” by Mariano Nicieza and J.R. Justiniano
The X-Cutioner’s Song was a ‘90s X-Men crossover event that proved to be the most significant for the X-Force villain Stryfe, as it was the culmination of his villainous schemes up until that point. The storyline also featured Apocalypse – given his connection to Stryfe as his adoptive father – who actually worked alongside the X-Men to stop Stryfe. In the end, the X-Men won and Stryfe and Apocalypse essentially took care of themselves. However, in this reality, the X-Men were betrayed by Apocalypse and were murdered by him and his adopted son.
This What If? doesn’t hold much of a lasting significance in Marvel canon, but it was certainly significant at the time of its publication, since it flipped one of the X-Men’s biggest (and coolest) storylines of the ‘90s right after the original was released.
4 Daredevil Becomes Kingpin’s Top Lawyer & Enforcer
What If? Vol. 2 #73 – “What If The Kingpin Owned Daredevil?” by D.G. Chichester and Tom Grindberg
Daredevil is the sworn enemy of the Kingpin in Marvel Comics’ prime reality, but that cannot be said of their relationship within the continuity of this What If? storyline. After Matt’s father was killed for not throwing a boxing match, Wilson Fisk decided to take interest in Matt. Fisk became an influential part of Matt’s life through his formative years, even when Matt was secretly training with Stick. The Kingpin saw potential in Matt, and that foresight paid off greatly. Not only was Matt Murdock the Kingpin’s lawyer, he would also become his top enforcer.
This What If? completely rewrites the iconic relationship between two of the fiercest rivals in Marvel Comics history, marking this as one of the most significant yet understated What If? published in the ‘90s.
3 Mr. Sinister Finally Gained Control Over Cyclops
What If? Vol. 2 #74 – “What If Mr. Sinister Formed The X-Men?” by Simon Furman and Nathaniel Palant
Throughout the ‘90s, Mr. Sinister was absolutely obsessed with getting his hands on Scott Summers (and Jean Grey, but learned he could substitute her for a clone, making Scott his more coveted target). The reason being that Cyclops’ DNA was ideal for creating the ultimate mutant. However, no matter how hard he tried, Mr. Sinister could never fully control Scott, and therefore couldn’t conduct the experiments he wanted to. That is, until this What If?, which showed Mr. Sinister not only successfully recruited Cyclops before Charles Xavier, but it also detailed Sinister forming his very own X-Men.
Sinister’s hooks were so embedded within Cyclops that when Scott was eventually recruited onto Professor X’s X-Men, he was secretly an agent of Sinister, ready to turn on his newfound team at the drop of a hat. Cyclops became more than just Sinister’s proverbial lab rat in this universe, but a true disciple, and an insult to everything the original Cyclops worked so hard to combat.
2 The X-Men Kill Galactus During The Age Of Apocalypse
What If? Vol. 2 #81 – “What If The Age Of Apocalypse Had Not Ended?” by Mariano Nicieza and Kevin Hopgood
The Age of Apocalypse was Marvel Comics’ biggest and most popular story to come out of the ‘90s, so it only makes sense that a What If? would be written to explore that world further. This issue takes place right after Magneto kills Apocalypse, and most of the world is bombed into oblivion. The surviving X-Men join a large group of humans on the moon, where they hope to rebuild civilization. But first, they have to deal with yet another threat, one that proved to be far more serious than Apocalypse ever was: Galactus.
In the end, the humans and the X-Men kill Galactus and save the world, thus giving the Age of Apocalypse the happy ending it deserved. Not only that, but this What If? literally upped the ante on one of the most brutal events in X-Men history by bringing in Galactus himself, which only added to the already rich lore within the Age of Apocalypse continuity.
1 Scarlet Spider Finally Did What The Clone Saga Didn’t: Permanently Replace Spider-Man
What If? Vol. 2 #86 – “What If Scarlet Spider Killed Spider-Man?” by Terry Kavanagh and Douglas Braithwaite
Nothing screams the ‘90s like Scarlet Spider, and the prospect of him killing the original Spider-Man is totally on-brand for the hardcore nature of the character. While Ben Reilly had to kill Peter for the sake of saving MJ’s life (as the Jackal’s mind-altering device hypnotized Parker into wanting to kill her), the reason behind Peter’s death doesn’t matter. It’s the act itself that holds all the weight, as this What If? actually does what the Clone Saga teased throughout its run, but never actually did: replaced Peter Parker with Ben Reilly. The ‘90s were all about reimagining classic heroes in a more hardcore way, and the new and exciting Ben Reilly was Marvel’s answer to the ‘stagnant’ and ‘boring’ Peter Parker.
The Clone Saga couldn’t pull the trigger on a full-on replacement, but this What If? certainly did, making it immensely significant to the storylines that were coming out in the main Marvel Comics canon at the time. This What If? added to the then-current narrative of Spider-Man lore, which is why it’s perhaps the greatest stand-out issue of these 10 underrated What If? stories from Marvel Comics in the ‘90s.
