Ask us what upcoming Disney+ Marvel TV show I'm most excited about. Come on, just ask me. Wandavision? Yeah, I'm SUPER pumped for that one, since it could change the entire MCU forever. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier? Close. We love us some Bucky and Falcon. Loki? Okay. Yes, getting warmer. Who doesn’t love Tom Hiddleston? But do you want to know the real answer? It’s the animated What If…? series. There’s just something about that big question mark at the end that has me the most intrigued.
And for good reason, too. The What If…? comic book series has always featured some of the most interesting narratives in the Marvel Universe. From hypothesizing about whether the Hulk had Bruce Banner’s brain or if the Fantastic Four had different superpowers, the What It…? series has fascinated audiences for years. We’re hoping that the Disney+ show can do the same, particularly if the below ideas get used. Now, for this list, we’re only going for realistic scenarios. But you can chime in in the comments section below with your own more outlandish scenarios.
What If…Black Widow Is Really A Spy For Hydra?
We’ll learn more soon enough about Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow from her prequel movie, but what if Black Widow had infiltrated the Avengers as a spy for Hydra? That would definitely change the dynamics of the stories in the MCU if Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanova had been getting such highly sensitive intel for the bad guys the entire time she posed as an Avenger.
I'd imagine the story would play out like this: Natasha would be working most closely with Steve Rogers, and this story would occur between the events of Captain America:The Winter Solider and Captain America: Civil War. In the end, Natasha would report to Red Skull—the very same one in Avengers: Infinity War, which would in turn definitely make her sacrifice in Endgame a lot more interesting, if she was actually taking one for the bad guys.
What If…Vision Joined Forces With Ultron Rather Than The Avengers?
Vision was absolutely a deciding factor in the second Avengers movie, but what if the artificially intelligent Vision joined forces with Ultron rather than with the Avengers? It definitely would have turned the tide of battle, and could have subsequently led to Ultron’s world domination.
I envision a story line where the two A.I.s actually talk to each other, and instead of Vision deciding to help Tony Stark, he goes rogue against the tech genius, choosing to align with his computer side rather than his human side. Because you know something like that is going to happen one day. Self-driving cars! Skynet! Take cover!
What If…Flash Thompson Was Bitten By A Radioactive Spider Rather Than Peter Parker?
This is actually one of the What if…? stories from the comics. However, the Flash Thompson in the comics is typically more of a jock than anything else, while the MCU's take on the character, played by Tony Revolori, is more of a rich nerd.
I think this version would portray Spider-Man kind of like the one in the early comics where Spidey tried to be a professional wrestler. I can only imagine the MCU Flash using Spider-Man as an in-ring gimmick and then getting rich off the powers, only for it to end up in some silly conclusion. Because with great power comes even greater fame and fortune. That’s the MCU Flash Thompson way.
What If…Killmonger Actually Succeeded With His Plans?
Everybody loves Killmonger. His ideas of success would include mass genocide, sure, but a lot of people understood his take that the African-American struggle didn’t even need to happen if the people of Wakanda actually came to the rescue and stopped the slave trade and oppression.
We can’t see Disney giving an okay to Killmonger having some kind of race war, of course, but I could see Killmonger maybe having a change of heart of some kind before going through with it. Because deep down, beneath all that rage, Killmonger seems like a pretty chill dude.
What If…Odin Thought Loki Was More Worthy Than Thor?
This would be a fun one. What does it mean to be worthy? Does it mean accepting full responsibilities and being modest with great power, or does it mean doing the best job possible, even if it means trickery and sorcery are in the playbook?
We could only imagine what kind of story this would turn out to be. Loki would likely pawn off Mjolnir for some kind of celestial stone or something. We’re sure Loki would be honored and all, but he’d probably grow bored with the title of being Odinson, since he genuinely likes being a bad guy. You can’t take that away from him, even if you tried.
What If…Dr. Strange Was In Another Dimension This Entire Time?
Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness offers exciting possibilities for Benedict Cumberbatch's Dr. Strange. But what if he was really in another dimension all this time, and he never really entered the REAL MCU? What I mean is, what if everything he’d experienced was part of some alternate dimension that didn’t include the MCU events prior to his 2016 film?
It’s a crazy concept, but picture an episode that conveys the notion that, prior to his game-changing accident, Stephen Strange's world was mutually exclusive from the MCU to that point. And that it was only after he gained his sorcery skills that he was able to connect his world to that of the first Avengers film and beyond, with unforeseen ramifications. It would be trippy, but when is anything Dr. Strange-related not trippy?
What If…Nick Fury Had Always Been A Skrull?
The big surprise at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home was that the Nick Fury shown in that movie was really a Skrull, while the real Nick Fury was out in space having a little vacation. But what if Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury was ALWAYS a Skrull? I’m talking even after the end of the first Iron Man movie, when he introduced Tony to the Avengers Initiative.
This would perhaps be the most mind-blowing MCU change of all, since it would mean that the Skrulls were basically behind everything Avengers-related in the MCU. And who knows? Maybe that could end leading up to some sort of Secret Invasion? We can dream, can’t we?
And that’s what we think. But what if…you had some What If suggestions of your own? Sound off in the comments section below, and stay patient while waiting for Disney+'s What If...? to make its debut later this year.
