Marvel’s What If...? isn’t just about posing fun questions—it’s about diving into the unimaginable. It shows how one small decision can completely change everything we know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Some alternate realities explore fresh takes on heroism, while the darker ones remind us why certain paths are best left untraveled.
Although What If...? did come to an end after three seasons due to its connection to the Multiverse Saga, there is the hope that the concept could be revived at some point to continue telling these intriguing standalone stories.
Any potential future version of What If...? could delve into even darker alternate realities. From doomed alliances to devastating betrayals, these six scenarios take fan-favorite characters to their limits. Each story examines the delicate balance that holds the Marvel Universe together—and how breaking it could lead to total collapse.
What If... Namor Married into Wakandan Royalty?
What happened in the MCU film:
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor sought an alliance with Wakanda to protect Talokan’s secrets from the surface world. When Queen Ramonda and Shuri refused to help, Namor declared war on Wakanda, leading to a devastating battle between the two nations.
The divergent point:
What if Namor chose diplomacy over conflict and sought to marry Wakandan royalty—specifically Shuri? Motivated by his deep commitment to protecting Talokan, Namor could have charmed Shuri or perhaps even fallen in love with her. Their union would serve as a powerful symbol of peace, forging an alliance that strengthens both kingdoms while reshaping their futures.
Wild card: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine
Valentina’s rising influence and shadowy maneuvers in the MCU could make her a significant antagonist in this scenario. Seeing the Wakanda-Talokan union as a threat to her control over Vibranium, she might exploit the alliance to manipulate global politics. By sowing distrust and targeting Wakanda’s leadership, Valentina could orchestrate a coup, leveraging the resulting chaos to tighten her grip on Vibranium access and consolidate her power.
Dark outcome:
The union between Namor and Shuri initially ushers in a fragile peace, hailed as a visionary alliance between Wakanda and Talokan. However, Namor's true intentions slowly surface. Using the marriage as a strategic foothold, he maneuvers Wakanda into a subservient role, exploiting its Vibranium resources to bolster Talokan's military power. As Namor tightens his grip, Wakandans find themselves marginalized in their own homeland, their governance and culture increasingly dominated by Talokanese influence.
Shuri, caught between her feelings for Namor and her duty to Wakanda, uncovers his ambitions too late. When she attempts to expose him, Wakandan leaders—already swayed or coerced by Namor—turn against her. Stripped of her authority, she is powerless to stop Wakanda’s transformation into a puppet state. Namor enforces Talokanese customs, erasing Wakandan identity, until the once-great nation is fully assimilated into his empire.
In the end, Wakanda is submerged—both figuratively and literally—its proud legacy drowned under the weight of Namor’s conquest. With no hero left to oppose him, Namor stands as the ruler of an unstoppable underwater empire, his victory a grim testament to the cost of misplaced trust and love.
What If... the Eternals Intervened?
What happened in the MCU film:
In Eternals, the immortal beings, created by the Celestials, chose to stay hidden throughout human history, even as catastrophic events like Thanos’s snap unfolded. They revealed themselves only when the emergence of the Celestial Tiamut threatened to destroy Earth, ultimately stopping the event but fracturing their group in the process.
The divergent point:
What if the Eternals broke their silence and intervened during Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame? Instead of watching humanity face annihilation alone, they reveal their existence and join forces with the Avengers to stop Thanos. Led by Ikaris and Sersi, the Eternals unite their cosmic powers with Earth’s mightiest heroes, determined to prevent the snap and change the course of history forever.
Wild card: Kang the Conqueror
Kang, the master of timelines and conqueror of realities, views the Eternals' intervention as a direct threat to the Sacred Timeline. His arrival introduces a dangerous new element, as he seeks to manipulate the events of the battle to secure his own vision of the future. As Kang weaves his influence through the timeline, the Eternals are forced to confront a terrifying question: Are they saving Earth, or are they inadvertently sealing its doom by defying the very fabric of reality itself?
Dark outcome:
The Eternals' intervention shifts the course of history, enabling the Avengers to defeat Thanos and prevent the snap. However, this victory comes at a terrible cost. The unchecked population growth leads to a devastating surge in energy, triggering the eventual emergence of Tiamut.
As the Celestial's arrival looms, the Eternals are forced to reckon with their true purpose as servants of the Celestials. Divisions within their ranks grow as they debate whether to fulfill their cosmic duty or protect humanity. Ikaris, driven by his belief in the importance of cosmic balance, becomes a staunch supporter of The Emergence, setting the stage for a violent civil war among the Eternals. Humanity is torn between the factions, caught in the destructive conflict.
In the chaos, Kang seizes the opportunity, shattering the timeline and creating countless incursions. With the multiverse spiralling out of control, Earth becomes the epicenter of universal collapse. The Avengers, along with the remaining Eternals, are powerless to reverse the damage. The cost of their actions becomes clear—what was meant to save Earth has set the stage for its destruction, and the multiverse teeters on the brink of annihilation.
What If... Nick Fury Was Replaced by a Skrull?
What Happened in the MCU Miniseries:
In Secret Invasion, Nick Fury collaborates with the Skrulls, but his failure to secure them a new home results in Gravik’s rebellion. Fury, Talos, and G’iah face off against Gravik and his extremist faction, eventually thwarting his plans. Fury departs for space, leaving Earth grappling with distrust of aliens and the ramifications of the President’s Anti-Alien Act.
The Divergent Point:
What if Queen Veranke, posing as Nick Fury, had secretly taken his place during the events of Captain Marvel? With her clever manipulation, she would use Fury’s position to shape the Avengers into something very different than we know. Instead of assembling Earth’s mightiest heroes to protect the planet, Veranke would carefully guide them to prepare Earth for a much darker purpose—the eventual colonization of Earth by the Skrulls. Under her watch, the Avengers would unknowingly become pawns in a grand scheme, training and uniting to fight threats, all while unknowingly setting the stage for an invasion they thought they were preventing.
Wild Card: Phil Coulson
Phil Coulson, ever devoted to Nick Fury, unwittingly becomes a key ally to Veranke in her pursuit of Skrull domination. His unshakable faith in Fury makes him an integral part of shaping the Avengers, but as he works closely with “Fury,” he begins to notice subtle shifts in behavior—an unnerving coldness, a sense of secrecy that doesn’t align with the man he knows so well. Coulson’s loyalty starts to crack as he pieces together unsettling clues about the true nature of his commanding officer.
When Coulson eventually uncovers the truth about Veranke’s deception, his instincts push him to warn the Avengers, but his plea is dismissed as the ramblings of a paranoid man. Veranke, ever calculating, neutralizes him before he can cause further disruption, but his efforts aren’t entirely in vain. Seeds of doubt are planted among the heroes, unsettling the foundation of Veranke’s carefully crafted plan and setting the stage for a long-overdue reckoning.
Dark Outcome:
Coulson’s attempts to expose Veranke’s true intentions come too late. By the time he uncovers her deception, the Avengers have already been manipulated into playing their part in her plan for Skrull domination. But even among her own people, not all is well—Gravik, disillusioned with Veranke’s methods, turns against her, sparking a brutal civil war within the Skrulls. Earth becomes the stage for their internal battle, with humanity caught helplessly in between.
Coulson’s sacrifice, though brave, deepens the fracture within the Avengers. His warning goes unheard, and trust among the team collapses. Each hero is left to question their motives, their loyalty, and whether they can truly work together to confront the chaos. The planet, now vulnerable and divided, faces a grim future with its defenders splintered and its people desperate for a resolution.
Veranke’s plan succeeds in destabilizing Earth, but it comes at the cost of a Skrull civil war that threatens to undo everything. Both Earth and the Skrull empire are left in ruins, their future uncertain. Coulson’s death, though it exposes Veranke’s treachery, marks the point of no return. His loyalty and resolve become a tragic reminder of what was lost—leaving both the Avengers and Earth to reckon with the consequences of their fractured unity.
What If... Doctor Strange Couldn’t Stop the Rift?
What Happened in the MCU Film:
In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter Parker asks Doctor Strange to cast a spell to erase everyone's memory of his identity as Spider-Man. However, the spell is botched, fracturing the boundaries of the multiverse. Strange manages to contain the chaos by trapping the interloping villains and restoring balance before sending them back to their respective universes.
The Divergent Point:
The incursion caused by Doctor Strange’s spell spirals into chaos when his attempts to contain it fail. What was meant to be a solution to the multiverse's instability only worsens the situation. Instead of repairing the fractures, the spell begins to unravel entire realities, pulling pieces from alternate dimensions into the MCU. Entire universes, along with their characters and histories, collide and merge, causing chaos and confusion as the boundaries between worlds blur. What was once a fractured multiverse now becomes an unstable, chaotic fusion of realities, and the consequences of Strange’s actions threaten to tear everything apart.
Wild Card: Supreme Strange
In a last-ditch effort to fix the unraveling multiverse, Doctor Strange reaches out across dimensions, summoning an alternate version of himself: Supreme Strange, a being who has fully mastered the Darkhold’s forbidden magic. Supreme Strange agrees to help, but the price is steep: the MCU’s Doctor Strange must sacrifice his soul to fuel the spell capable of restoring balance and stabilizing the collapsing realities. As Strange contemplates the enormity of the sacrifice, he faces an agonizing decision—save the multiverse at the cost of his very essence, or let the chaos continue to spiral out of control. The stakes are higher than ever as the fate of countless realities hangs in the balance.
Dark Outcome
As the two Stranges combine their powers, Supreme Strange betrays his counterpart, absorbing the fractured realities into himself and transforming into the god-like being known as the Eternal Sorcerer. Driven by guilt and an insatiable desire for perfection, he begins reshaping the multiverse, erasing anything he deems flawed—including Peter Parker’s very existence as Spider-Man.
Wanda Maximoff, devastated by the loss of her children and horrified by the Eternal Sorcerer’s reign of terror, joins forces with the remaining Avengers to stop him. In a final, desperate battle, Wanda sacrifices herself to shatter the Eternal Sorcerer, severing her emotional ties to her children but ultimately restoring balance to the multiverse.
With Supreme Strange’s treachery, Doctor Strange is left forever trapped in the limbo between dimensions, unable to return to the MCU. Though the multiverse is reset, the damage caused by the incursion lingers, leaving realities aware of one another and the fabric of existence fragile and vulnerable. The rise of Kang looms ever closer.
Peter Parker, now forgotten by the world, watches the sunrise alone, bearing the weight of the knowledge that both Stephen Strange and the Scarlet Witch's ultimate sacrifice saved countless lives. But as whispers of the Eternal Sorcerer echo across dimensions, a chilling reminder persists: even in defeat, Supreme Strange’s influence endures, and the multiverse is far from secure.
What If... Deadpool Killed the Fox Universe?
What Happened in the MCU film:
Deadpool is rejected by the Avengers and abandons his superhero identity, only to be captured years later by the TVA, who reveal that his universe is collapsing because Wolverine, its Anchor Being, is dead. Escaping the TVA, Deadpool teams up with a Wolverine variant to face Cassandra Nova in the Void, rallying a Resistance led by X-23 to defeat her. After stopping Nova and destroying a dangerous device called the Time Ripper, Deadpool saves his universe and rekindles his relationship with Vanessa, with Wolverine deciding to stay in his world.
The Divergent Point:
In the original timeline, Deadpool is turned away by Happy Hogan and goes on to live a quieter life as a car salesman, far removed from the world of superheroes. But in this alternate timeline, things take a darker turn. Mr. Paradox tricks Deadpool into believing he's the “Anchor Being” that keeps his universe from falling apart. Paradox convinces him that the only way to save everything he knows is by destroying the Fox Universe and all its heroes.
Feeling lost and desperate to belong, Deadpool starts to tear apart the multiverse, convinced that he’s doing the right thing. His deep desire to fix his own fractured reality drives him to take actions that not only affect his world, but ripple through the very fabric of existence.
Wild Card: Happy Hogan
At first, Happy dismisses Deadpool’s request to join the Avengers, choosing to keep him at arm's length. But when Deadpool’s actions start unraveling the multiverse, Happy is thrust into the chaos. As reality begins to collapse around them, Happy starts to understand the weight of his initial rejection—how his refusal might have set off a chain reaction leading to the disaster at hand.
Realizing the stakes, Happy sets aside his reservations and teams up with Deadpool, hoping to undo the damage and restore some balance. While he doesn’t fully trust Deadpool, he knows that stopping the destruction requires all the help he can get. Offering his knowledge, experience, and resources, Happy becomes an unlikely ally, working alongside Deadpool to repair the broken timelines and prevent the multiverse from spiralling further into chaos.
Dark Outcome:
Deadpool’s reckless actions, manipulated by Mr. Paradox, lead to the destruction of the Fox Universe. As timelines collapse and reality begins to unravel, Deadpool comes to a heartbreaking realization: he’s been deceived. Paradox, the true villain, reveals that Deadpool is not the “anchor” of the universe after all—he’s been used as a pawn in Paradox’s scheme to obliterate the multiverse for his own gain. But by the time Deadpool grasps the truth, it’s too late to undo the damage.
Happy Hogan, reluctantly drawn into this disaster, tries to help Deadpool, but the multiverse is beyond saving. No matter what they do, there’s no way to restore the timeline or fix the chaos. As they stand together in the ruins of their universe, both are left with nothing. Happy, who once rejected Deadpool, now fully understands the consequences of that decision and how his actions, too, played into the tragedy. Deadpool, feeling the weight of his pursuit for acceptance and validation that ultimately led to the destruction of everything he held dear, retreats into isolation.
In the final, heartbreaking moment, Deadpool disappears into the collapsing multiverse, leaving Happy standing alone in a world where nothing remains. Happy is left to carry the heavy burden of their choices, knowing he couldn’t save Deadpool from his own self-destructive path. The last image lingers on Happy, alone in a fractured reality, as the final remnants of the multiverse fade into nothingness.
The outcome is one of irreparable loss. Deadpool’s search for redemption ends in tragedy, and Happy is left with the unbearable weight of a destroyed universe, forever haunted by their combined failure.
What If... the Avengers Lost the battle with Thanos?
What Happened in the MCU film:
In Avengers: Endgame, the Avengers rally their forces and successfully reclaim the Infinity Stones, leading to a final, triumphant showdown against Thanos and his army. Tony Stark sacrifices himself to wield the Stones, defeating Thanos and restoring balance to the universe.
The Divergent Point:
Thanos, with the completed Infinity Gauntlet in his grasp, emerges victorious in the climactic battle. With a snap of his fingers, he doesn’t just wipe out half the universe as originally planned—he erases every hero, sorcerer, Wakandan warrior, and Asgardian who had rallied to oppose him. The Avengers, once Earth's last line of defense, are utterly annihilated. In one fell swoop, the most powerful forces of the universe are gone, leaving Earth completely defenseless against whatever comes next. The world is left in chaos, its protectors gone, and Thanos stands as the unchallenged ruler, his victory absolute and irreversible.
Wild Card: The Defenders
In the wake of Thanos’ devastation, Earth’s salvation unexpectedly falls to the street-level heroes—Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. These four heroes, each with their own complex past and fractured alliances, come together, reluctantly becoming humanity's last hope against the chaos. Though they're far removed from the larger battles of the Avengers, the Defenders rise to protect what remains of their broken world.
The New Frontline:
Nick Fury and Maria Hill: With S.H.I.E.L.D. in tatters, Fury and Hill use every scrap of resources left to form a resistance network. They unite surviving heroes and freedom fighters, organizing humanity’s scattered efforts to rise against Thanos' forces and prepare for the long fight ahead.
The Skrulls: Talos and his people, having infiltrated Thanos' ranks, play a vital role in deceiving and sabotaging his empire. Posing as fallen Avengers, they work behind the scenes to mislead the Mad Titan’s forces, turning the tide in subtle yet significant ways.
The Eternals and Starfox: Sersi and Starfox guide the Eternals in a pivotal shift. After much deliberation, they break their sacred vow of non-interference, choosing to unleash their cosmic power in a bid to stop their corrupted kin and reassert balance in the universe.
Blade: With the multiverse teetering on the edge, Blade steps in to confront the supernatural threats that have emerged from the chaos. Demons, vampires, and other dark entities find their way into the shattered world, and Blade fights to contain the dark forces that threaten to tear humanity apart.
Yelena Belova and Red Guardian: Carrying on Natasha Romanoff’s legacy, Yelena and Alexei take the fight to Europe’s darkest corners. They lead a guerrilla resistance, honoring their fallen comrade by resisting the forces of oppression and injustice wherever they can.
Nakia: As one of the last survivors of Wakanda, Nakia becomes a leader for an underground movement. She helps protect what remains of the heart of Wakanda, ensuring its culture and ideals stay alive in a world that has lost so much.
Dark Outcome:
In their quest to stop Thanos, the Defenders uncover fragments of cosmic energy left behind by the shattered Infinity Stones. These remnants hold enough power to potentially forge a weapon that could challenge the Mad Titan once and for all.
In a shocking turn, Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, discovers that his chi harmonizes with the cosmic energy. He realizes he might be the one who can wield the power of the Gauntlet and take down Thanos for good. Though his allies warn him of the immense risks, Danny is determined. The weight of his decision presses heavily on him, but he chooses to fight fire with fire.
In a climactic battle, Danny finally uses the reconstructed Gauntlet. But the power is overwhelming, even for someone as skilled as the Iron Fist. While he manages to banish Thanos from existence, the cost is devastating. Danny himself is erased from the very fabric of reality, his body and soul lost to the Gauntlet's unimaginable power. All that remains is the faint, ethereal glow of his chi—a bittersweet reminder of his sacrifice.
The resistance wins, but the victory feels hollow. The Gauntlet’s power fractures reality, leaving permanent damage across the multiverse. Earth is scarred, and the healing process is a long and uncertain road. Humanity, left broken, must now grapple with the consequences of their triumph.
In the final scene, Daredevil, battered and weary, leads a new generation of heroes. The story of the Defenders becomes a symbol of resilience, a testament to the belief that even in the darkest times, small sparks of hope can ignite a revolution. Though the battle is over, the struggle to rebuild continues—forever changed by the sacrifices made in their fight for survival.