Marvel's What If series to continue but not in the way you might be hoping

Marvel is bringing back What If…? but not in animated form!

Since its beginning back in 1976, What If…? has been one of Marvel’s most intriguing series. Originally running from 1976 to 1983 and then in the 1990s, the title has been revived a few times as a series of specials.

The concept is simple yet fun: take a classic Marvel story and show a different outcome stemming from a single choice or moment. From worlds where Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four to those where Doctor Doom became a hero, the title allowed writers to cut loose with fascinating takes on the characters in dissimilar worlds.

The MCU followed suit with the animated Disney+ show that gave us a Peggy Carter who became Captain America, T’Challa as Star-Lord, and a world overrun by zombies, which inspired the Marvel Zombies spin-off mini-series.

Now, What If…? is back but not on the screen as Marvel has announced a new set of one-shots coming this summer to mark the 50th anniversary of the title. And all sound very interesting in how they change famous characters!

Announced by Marvel, the series will begin on June 3, with Marvel advertising the one-shots and the creative teams:

• "What If... Cyclops Had Stayed With Madelyne Pryor?" by Gerry Duggan & Jan Bazuldua (June)
• "What If... Thor Got Spider-Man's Symbiote Suit?" by Torunn Grønbekk & Sergio Davila (June)
• "What If... The Ultimate Universe Survived Secret Wars?" by Alex Paknadel & CAFU (July)
• "What If... The Radioactive Spider Bit Jessica Jones?" by Justina Ireland & David Messina (July)
• "What If... Kraven Survived His Last Hunt?" by J.M. DeMatteis & Yildiray Cinar (July)
• "What If... Captain America Was Unfrozen in 2099?" by Marc Guggenheim & Ron Lim (August)
• "What If... The Runaways Hadn't Run Away?" by Rainbow Rowell & Zulema Scotto Lavina (August)
• "What If... Cassandra Nova Killed Charles Xavier?" by Ashley Allen & Sumit Kumar (August)

The titles hint at some cool ideas. One of Cap unfrozen in a far-off future has been used before in the title and it's always fun to see. There are fresh ideas, such as Thor infected by the Venom symbiote, or Jessica Jones (a classmate of Peter Parker’s) being the one bitten by the radioactive spider rather than Peter Parker.

X-Men 97 fans will likely enjoy the take on the Cyclops/Madelyne Pryor/Jean Grey triangle. The Runaways one can be intriguing as a question if the kids never discovered their parents were super-villains or they did only to join with them. Most notable is the Kraven story, which comes from the same writer of the classic “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline.

It’s unlikely this will lead to a revival of the What If…? animated show, as the MCU has moved on from it. Unlike that show, with its overreaching story arcs, these one-shots will be self-contained stories exploring variations on the Marvel comics we know. Yet it proves how, half a century after it began, What If…? remains one of Marvel’s best titles as fans never tire of seeing how Marvel history could have played out.