What if...? The Macabre Fun of Marvel's Alternate Continuity Stories

[@maxjohnson7551]

To answer the question of why Jane Foster was called "Thordis" in that "What If?": Thordis is the linguistically correct feminine form of Thor. Remember, Thor is a proper name, NOT a title. Many names have both a male and a female version; Jane, for example, is one of several variations on John.

[@cheezdoodle96]

This. She could also have been called Thora, Torbjørg/Thorbjörg/Torborg/Thorborg, Torhild or Torunn. Thora is actually the feminine form of Thor, while Thordis is Thor (thunder) + _dís_ (sister, woman or goddess), Torbjørg/björg/borg is Tor/Thor + _bjarga, bjǫrg_ or _borg_ (save, help or castle), Torhild is Thor + _hildr_ (battle or combat) and Torunn is Thor + either _unna_ (to love) or _unnr_ (wave).

[@marklawrence2772]

Yes i would have gone with Thora - also reminds me of Thora Birch - just because of the ghostworld connection

[@RowdyRodimus]

Using a Feminine version of a name is NOT OKAY in modern correct think. Just like having a male character that has some testosterone isn't OK anymore.

[@blackphoenix77]

@@RowdyRodimus Uh huh. Evil feminists, SJWs, blah, blah, blah.

[@blackphoenix77]

@Intoxicated Gray Hulk aka Mr. Fixit True story. We can't enjoy anything anymore without both sides dragging personal politics shit into everything.

[@pocketstromboli2742]

When you said the happier stories make you depressed because you get to see how things could have turned out, I really felt it with the way World War Hulk could have just turned out fine and happy.

[@teddyriggs1305]

There's a what if story where Profesor X has the Spirit of Vengeance and yes his still using his wheel chair

[@brandonhyder7319]

That sounds amazing.

[@joedent3323]

Sweeeeeeeeet.

[@CU-games]

I LOVE THAT STORY

[@YujiNakaSonic]

I can't seem to find any evidence that this is anything more than a fan made gag cover

[@robboyte1101]

"This is an imaginary story... Aren't they all?" -- Alan Moore, 'Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?'

[@arashimiyazawa8165]

Question: "What if?" Answer: "Spider-Man dies."

[@minithegameguy4674]

spider-man that one time i can barely remember: *gets the cosmic suit*

[@matthinton19]

Somebody has to die first

[@josegregoriobencomogomez4958]

Kingpin dies even more often than Spider-Man.

[@elijahfordsidioticvarietys8770]

Yay!!!

[@nekogamer2508]

Well ghost spider is a dead Peter Parker who comes back to life with a blue flaming skull anduncle Ben lived

[@comixamples524]

Fun Fact: Unlike DC; Marvel never referred to their 'What If?' stories as "Imaginary" and use to scold people in the mail sections when fans did. Love it!

[@m3rl1on]

Interesting, but DC's Elseworld is not an imaginary world either, its just happened in a different universe

[@ianfinrir8724]

​​@@m3rl1onYeah but before DC started calling it Elseworlds, they called them "Imaginary Tales" right there on the cover

[@LedgenddOFgaming]

This dude needs more subs. He works really hard at what he does and his knowledge on comics rivals that of the top comic channels on KZbin. You go man. Jackpot.

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

No, he has just the right number of subs. Channels which become too large lose their intimate feeling, and the channel operator has to cater to a wider variety of tastes. Haven't you noticed the way every big gaming channel and every big comic book channel looks and sounds alike? Chris caters to a considerably older and more intelligent demographic than most comic channels. It means he doesn't have as many subscribers, but it also means we don't have to put up with swarms of idiot teenyboppers who think the world popped into existence in the year 2000 and pooping their reactionary politics everywhere.

[@LedgenddOFgaming]

@@NoJusticeNoPeace Well i'm 16 years old so, that's a generalization. But yeah, part of me agrees with you. If Comic Tropes ever got big, he'd have to cater to a lot of people hence more pressure.

[@JoeJoe-lq6bd]

I want him to have more subs. Yeah, it's nice to have our own little corners of the internet, but I want people who put out good content to be able to make a living off of it. That requires more subscribers and more views.

[@LedgenddOFgaming]

@@JoeJoe-lq6bd I just want Chris to get paid for what he's worth. The man's entertaining, interesting and knowledgable on comics.

[@turtleanton6539]

Agreed!

[@randalldowling1068]

I loved "What If" growing up. I was able to reverse-engineer a lot of my knowledge of Marvel history from that title. Spider Girl inspired an totally new imprint, MC2, which was really fun.

[@dliatsos1]

Indeed, Spider-Girl proved herself worthy of her appeal due to how the story with her was given, simple enough to follow, easy to understand who is who in most cases. Not to mention the fact she made the outfit look good. Am I the only one who'd rather have MC2 and all it has to offer be given a chance of being the new Main Marvel Universe (After some NEEDED House cleaning of course, the whole Political stuff need's to get thrown out and SET ABLAZE!) And I'd have a few thing's changed, for starter's I don't really see why we need 'Wild Thing' as she is in that universe (Wild-Thing being the daughter of Wolverine and Electra... Yeah those two!) I'd be fine with her instead being Laura Kinney (Clone or not, that's a toss up. Can't say for sure how it'd be done, but it'd be something) And also I'd have it be THE REAL MC2! Not the one that was used in Spider-Verse that involved the Peter Parker of that universe GETTING KILLED OFF BECAUSE THE HEAD'S OF MARVEL HATE PETER PARKER IN ANY FORM BEING HAPPY! (Much less him having a FAMILY of all things... Let's just say I've got a few anger issues about THAT whole mess.) Oh and for that matter, what's so wrong about having BOTH Aunt May and Uncle Ben being around, as for the whole Deal with Gwen, well let's just say I enjoy her, but I feel the whole her being Peter's first girlfriend thing was kinda unneeded, I enjoy Stan Lee and the other's work for all that it is (At least they write what they feel is good for them and makes it NOT come off as a Bad Fanfic, I mean the editor's now aren't even doing BASIC PROOFREADING! What GIVES!) And I was born in 1997, so I pretty much grew up with Peter and M.J. being a thing first and foremost. If I where to write a alternate take on thing's, for the romance I'd have it be MJ and just about her. Maybe have a brief back and forth with Fleica as well, but I don't really see the value of Gwen getting mixed up in all of it. I guess I'd try to do it kinda like the way the Ultimate Spider-Man line of Comic's did it, having Gwen be there, but not really having any romantic feeling's for Peter. I could go on and on, but I don't want to take to long, and with that out of the way... MC2 IS ONE OF THE BEST MARVEL LINE'S IN YEAR'S! FIGHT ME IF YOU DARE, YOU'LL LOSE ALL THE SAME! Also, FUCK JOE QUESADA! Among other hack-jobs who are only still at Marvel because the people who actually care that are still there are either too scared, or just not in a position of power to do anything! Now it's not that I HATE most of those involved, I just hate what they have DONE to the Marvel Landscape (And let's not forget that DC isn't doing any better in THAT Department either.) Now I don't want stupid Politics in my stories. I want a GREAT Story! I can do GOOD, but GREAT is better, and what I mean by all of that is that I want Story and Character Consistency put first, have the whole timeline NOT be a convoluted MESS! And FOCUS ON THE DAMN STORY! If it happens to go over something that HAPPEN'S to be Political in nature, then okay, but have that whole thing be A RESULT OF GOOD STORYTELLING! NOT A FUCKING PROPAGANDA PIECE MEANT TO DUMB-DOWN AND BLIND THE MASSES TO JUST HOW COMPLICATED THE ISSUE REALLY IS! Also I'd make sure that any Character's I make DON'T end up like America Chavez, who many have said to be an INSULT to what she is MADE to target for, MOSTLY FROM THE SO-CALLED 'TARGET AUDIENCE' THEMSELVES! You KNOW you have a bad writer when the Audience you are trying to impress disapprove of the work that writer put's out. Now I'm not calling to send Death Threat's or the like, I just want them GONE from Comic's. Besides killing someone is worthless in a sense, it just end's it for them to easily. The real way to show someone how much you disapprove of them and make them regret doing what they did is by showing them just how much WORSE they make thing's, and showing just how BETTER thing's are now they have no real control over thing's, I know it might sound harsh, but life has not exactly been easy going for me. It's not like I have it the WORST EVER! But I can DEAL with hardship, I can ENDURE Suffering. But the hack-job's in comic's these day's don't know what it's like to deal with constant pain, knowing that for every single moment till the day you die will be FILLED with CONSTANT Ache's and pain's for ALL TIME! You all might have your own take's on it, but let me say this. I have had to endure so much to be ALIVE right now, and I don't want all of that to amount for nothing! That is all...

[@RazielBR]

"What if The Punisher's family wasn't killed?" "Nah Frank, JK, we gun kill them anyways"

[@ScooterinAB]

The Punisher isn't allowed to be happy.

[@jadenbryant9283]

Scooter Campbell heck in spider Gwen where his family lived he divorced his wife and the kids stayed with her I believe I kind forgot but still

[@josegregoriobencomogomez4958]

"What if all of Frank's family, including Frank himself, but not his son, had been killed?" "Batman".

[@joyfuldude4538]

Jose Gregorio Bencomo Gomez But with guns!

[@HQMan2008]

Wait, Conan thinks Jean Grey is Sonja, and isn't there a story where Mary Jane is also mistaken as Sonja? Does ALL redhead women in Marvel look so alike?

[@LadyDeirdre]

Red Sonja and Jean Grey look similar enough that Conan could mistake the one for the other under poor observing condition. And Mary Jane wasn't mistaken for Sonja; she was possessed by her, or something akin to that.

[@jacobstaten2366]

Why are there so many redheads?

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

Yes, they actually do. Look up Marlo Chandler, Rick Jones' wife. When l saw her the very first time, l actually thought to myself "What does Mary Jane have to do with any of this?"

[@ronniejdio9411]

Conan gonna get w any redhead he can

[@TheRealNormanBates]

You think _that’s_ something, wait till Classic Reed Richards met Classic Nick Fury... and _then_ meet Valance the bounty hunter from the Marvel STAR WARS comics

[@adammarrow5980]

What if...Aunt May, Herald of Galactus!

[@WildBluntHickok]

Blame that one on Assistant Editors Month

[@dsandoval9396]

What if...? Silver Aunt Surfer May.

[@jimcat68]

Golden Oldie!

[@mendaciousphooka]

YES!

[@TheDoorspook11c]

Goddamn twinkies!

[@Jayfive276]

Take a shot every time it ends with "AND THEN EVERYONE DIED."

[@richardadams4928]

I'm not as think as you drunk I am....

[@davincent98]

The ugly barnacle

[@macsnafu]

You forgot to mention my favorite issue of What If, #34, as in What If The Watcher Was a Stand-Up Comedian? While it was really just an excuse for some hilarious jokes based upon the Marvel characters, the first story by Fred Hembeck explains "The Difference" between imaginary stories and alternate reality stories, with my favorite example being What if the Fantastic Four were Bananas? But as good as "The Difference" is, my favorite story of the issue is "Spidey Intellectual Stories", where Spidey defeats the Thinker by finding the fatal flaw in his argument!

[@dougshoemaker7733]

My favorite gag is "What if Bruce Banner's pants didn't stretch when became the Hulk?"

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

What if Power Man and Wonder Man were genderswapped? "DEAR MARVEL - Our lawyers advise you not to print this gag. With Love, Your Distinguished Competition."

[@sambrown329]

@@TheDanishGuyReviews Those heroes became very HOT Super-chicks!

[@coreylineberry8557]

@@TheDanishGuyReviews *D* istinguished *C* ompetition... Smart.

[@reneblansette]

Hulk and She-Hulk as Blondie and Dagwood.

[@johnm.withersiv4352]

MC2 Spider-Girl was a fun title. I loved that entire imprint that allowed the comic universe to move forward and characters to age in a way that would have made Erik Larsen proud.

[@PhantomHarlock78]

What If #28 and #29 (1989) is about Captain America being a nazi. But the What If plot was way better than Secret Empire.

[@RowdyRodimus]

My last diarrhea explosion was better than Secret Empire and anything Nick Spencer has written.

[@nikomiller]

@@RowdyRodimus your diarrhea must be pretty good considering it's better than Existence 2.0/3.0, Superior Foes of Spider-Man and The Fix.

[@PatrickGoodspeed]

I remember one "What if" where aunt May became the harold of Galactus and makes a planet sized twinkly for him to consume. Hilarious!

[@GreenLuthor]

That actually wasn't an issue of What If?, it was Marvel Team-Up #137, published as part of "Assistant Editors' Month". (It all turned out to be a dream at the end.) (Also, Aunt May didn't make the planet-sized Twinkie, she found it, and the baker - who looked like the Pillsbury Dough Boy - became Galactus' new herald, creating new Twinkie worlds for Galactus to consume instead of inhabited planets. But, again, all a dream.)

[@TeatroGrotesco]

If the Herald can conjure entire planets to satiate Galacticus' hunger, why doesn't the Silver Surfer just do that?

[@darkartsdabbler2407]

lol “Harold of Galactus”

[@williamholtzclaw3029]

Fun fact, my local comic shop is named after this series

[@casualcyberguy1314]

Nice

[@OrgaG1742]

William Holtzclaw what is the shop called?

[@notimeforcreativenamesjust3034]

@@OrgaG1742 *COMIC TROPES*

[@HayabusaRyuu]

@@OrgaG1742 what if this cómic store is actually rentable

[@paulk6399]

Please Complete All Fields technically it would be ‘after this series’

[@kle2217]

What about the “What The?!” series from Marvel? Anyone remember those? They were fun. 😂

[@thewilhelmscream7912]

Modok is the best haha!!!!!

[@Tronomics2000]

I absolutely loved the Milk and Cookies duo from that 😁. Another fun story was the Home Alone parody they did with Franklin Richards

[@nonedefense8296]

I only vaguely remembering the guy with a pot on his head and ill fitting pajamas lol. I loved them as a kid though.

[@kle2217]

I think everyone is in agreement...this series needs to be incorporated into the MCU (phase 5)? 👍. Definitely worth a comics tropes video!

[@AC-gb7do]

OMG I wiped that title from memory lol

[@205mohamad]

My favorite comic series started because of “What if?” Spider-Girl. Also man you’ve been uploading a lot this month, thanks for it.

[@dliatsos1]

Same here, I LOVE Spider-Girl, even though I only read the first few issues, and I wasn't even BORN yet when the original "What if?" Came out. That's how good it was, but I guess we can't have nice thing's these day's now can we? Eh no matter, I'll just let my thought's and Dream's give me whatever amount of enjoyment I can from it, why deal with Writer's who don't care about the Fan's when you can just think up and write your own take's on thing's, and hopefully make it better in the process! Your Mileage may vary on what is 'Better' but to me at least, it's something that make's me feel GOOD about what I read, and I don't get any of that these day's from Marvel, not even really from DC either... Is it so wrong for the Fan's to have SOME INPUT on thing's these day's, at least the one's who's idea's are accepted by other's as being DECENT at least!

[@RH-jl8qr]

Ok big guy I am officially impressed! Put all night w inktober working a full time job, and still producing content! U r amazing!!!

[@Lethargic_Logician]

Didn't mention Exiles? That's a giant love letter to What Ifs ...

[@MightyWiggus]

Growing up I LOVED "What If?". #1, "What If Spiderman Had Joined The Fantastic Four" was probably read more than any other comic I owned.

[@grodcoyote6635]

Man that what-if on World War Hulk just warms my heart!

[@Rometiklan]

I absolutely loved What if...? There were some really intriguing stories during its run. I didn't read every issue, but I bought the ones that seemed really compelling. Stories about alternate realities or parallel universes are among my favourite sci-fi tropes thanks in large part, due to What if...? Thanks for posting, Chris!

[@raditzhoneyham]

I don't think you were *supposed* to read it all, just the ones you were interested in. Because they are really repetitive with all of them... But with just the few you care about it's interesting and really fun

[@joefan82]

I also enjoy alternative takes on things, parallel worlds, etc. One of my favorite shows was Sliders, which had the main characters visiting parallel Earths.

[@AC-gb7do]

joefan82 Sliders needs to come back, along with Quantum Leap, I really enjoyed those series.

[@joefan82]

A C Yeah, I’m surprised Quantum Leap hasn’t had a reboot yet.

[@metropod]

joefan82 then you’d probably love Marvel’s “Exiles” Sliders meets Quantum Leap, staring a rotating cast of parallel versions of under appreciated characters. They just relaunched the title this year.

[@dliatsos1]

@@metropod Oh wow, I guess it's gonna get shit on by awful writer's who don't want to have hero's being like ACTUAL HERO'S! Much less being able to write them as if they where REAL HUMAN'S! Now I try to have optimism, but with the people who are calling the shot's over at Marvel these day's... Let's just say it's hard for me to feel much joy for anything these day's. Also HOW DARE THEY FORCE SPIDER-MAN PS4 INTO THE SAME MULTIVERSE AS THE MAIN ONE! (I Love the game, LOVE IT TO DEATH!) But why oh WHY do we have to deal with the failure's of Marvel Comic's being brought along with it! In the past I would have enjoyed it, but these day's, I'd rather have it all reset and start over from Square One, FOR REAL THIS TIME!

[@metropod]

Ranger Dimitri I seen where al lot of things have been going as well, but I throughly enjoyed issues 1-6 in the trade paperback I got last week. One minor issue with the art bothered me, but, overall, it didn’t seem like it was being dragged through the mud. The one problem I had was one team member flirting with someone who probably wasn’t supposed to be underage, but it looks all to much like they were and it just seemed creepy to me. And I showed the section in question to a friend and they agreed it didn’t look right, so it’s not only me who saw it.

[@Frear]

Darn, I sent my Watcher themed fan art in a week too early! You’ve been a busy guy this month between the regular tropes, inktober and work. It can’t be easy and I know everyone here appreciates your hard work!

[@albertolopes829]

DC's 1602 is pretty good. Also, you forgot to mention the best two What If stories: "What If the Black Panther fought Cloak inside a coal mine at night", and "what if the White Tiger, Iceman, and the Silver Surfer fought the Wendigo during a snowstorm".

[@KTF0]

What If is the biggest hit and miss comic ever.

[@uberbyte7467]

One of the best part of your videos is that your sarcasm is subtle as a jackhammer on a glass screen. It's amazing.

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

The What If? with Conan ending up in the present is one of my favourite comics of all time because, unlike many of the other What If?s, the personalities of the characters felt quite real and the events plausible. Conan ends up running his own street gang and fighting -- and kicking the shit out of -- Captain America. Captain America's honourable behaviour in their encounters eventually convinces Conan that he's on the wrong side of the law in this era, and it's implied that at some point in the future he joins the Avengers. I think that's absolutely awesome. As a massive fan of the pulp era and Robert Howard's work in particular, I would _love_ to see Conan the Barbarian in regular continuity as an Avenger. It's not impossible; many pulp-era protagonists, from Doc Savage to The Shadow, made the jump from pulp to mainstream comics. Modern comics pillage pulp relentlessly too; the entire Green Lantern Corps, for instance, is a pastiche of the Lensmen novels.

[@MrSafior]

NoJusticeNoPeace Maybe then now marvel get Conan back.

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

_Savage Sword of Conan_ was some of the best comics ever made. The incredible artwork, the pulp atmosphere of dark gothic moodiness, the trueness of the comic to Robert Howard's work, it was just unparalleled, especially at a time when capes and spandex tights ruled the comic book world. Growing up in the 70s, seeing nipples and bloody flying heads blew my tender mind and showed me comics could be more than just beefy dudes in lycra bodysuits punching each other in the face.

[@billymccrary2246]

I think that Marvel should do more What If ideas like, What if Harry Osborn Became Spider-Man? What if Namor the Sub-Mariner had became a founding member of either the X-Men or the Avengers? What if Spider-Man of the Ultimate Universe didn't died? What if Ultimatum had never happens? What if Danny Rand had never became Iron Fist? What if Cindy Moon was the only one to be bitten by the radioactive spider? What if Bucky Barnes became Captain America during WWII? What if Carol Danvers became Captain Universe? What if Captain America has a Adamantium shield instead of a Vibranium shield? What if Betty Ross became She-Hulk? What if Civil War II had never happens? What if Jean Grey's mutant power was the Phoenix Force? What if Thanos had never loved Death? What if Frank Castle became Deadpool? What if Wade Wilson never has cancer? What if Howard Stark became Iron Man? What if the Power Pack were activated in the 1970s? What if Shadowcat and Wolverine were founding members of the X-Men?

[@johnnydropkicks]

Chris, I actually thought you went bald. It looks so real. :)

[@dsandoval9396]

I knew it was fake, I could tell it was CG.

[@everetth-top4760]

I have been a fan of What If? ever since the first issue I picked up many, many years ago. They are not all great, or even good, but I can really appreciate what they were trying to do with each and every issue.

[@lucianganea3034]

I just love the What If story of Planet Hulk. Everything worked out well for everyone. For the Avengers/Earth, for Hulk/Banner and for those cat people

[@macavitymacavity]

"What if... Phoenix Had Not Died" (1981) was a stand out for me, and "Batman: Holy Terror" (1991) and "The Golden Age" (1993) were some of the most memorable Elseworld books for me.

[@bethdibartolomeo2042]

I wish they'd make a movie of one of the alternate Superman or Batman origins. They have some really fascinating what-ifs there, like where Bruce died and his father became Batman, or where Superman is the hero of the USSR. It'd be interesting to see what a writer and director could do with alternate material, and it'd be a shakeup to seeing the same origin story movies over and over again.

[@kendallmoore4826]

DC animation did adaptations of Superman: Red Son and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. JLA: The Nail is one I wish they'd do.

[@stevenharris4933]

There was an alternate universe Doctor Who story during Jon Pertwee's era, it was called Inferno and it featured a Dystopian version of the Brigadier and Liz Shaw. There was no evil version of the Doctor in this universe. A great story!

[@mcpics4448]

What if the best thing marvel thought of it because it so simple

[@connorpalmer6454]

It what if the marvel best thing so it simpler yes

[@DarrenJSeeley]

I had two What If favorite storylines,one in which Steve Rodgers became President (it actually turned out to be Red Skull impersonating him) and """What if the Marvel Super Heroes had lost Atlantis Attacks?"" the ending of which opens the door for possible follow ups in the main continuity, but to my knowledge, hasn't happened. (Set's offspring terrorizes other dimensions and alternate universes)

[@ninjakbly]

The Atlantis Attacks What If is definitely one of my favorites!

[@crazedzealots]

I'm so happy you are starting to explode in viewership. You deserve it man. I remember when i'd get to watch your episodes when you only had a few hundred viewers. And your persistence and passion is beginning to pay off. I see huge things in your future Chris and I"m so proud of you. You are one of the best in the business at talking comics.

[@ScottBryanMuseslave]

My favorite What If is What if the Avengers became the Pawns of Korvac. Love it!

[@CalebStratton]

I actually just picked up "What If: Peter Parker became The Punisher" today! I saw the thumb nail and went "Aye! That's my comic book!"

[@gevdarg]

A tip to the biggest ham in comics who ALWAYS makes my day with these intros. Not a bad one yet 😆

[@Zero8880]

"What If: Atlantis Attacks" was one of the first comics I ever read in the early 90s. I still remember every panel to this day. Needless to say, all of Earth's heroes died in horrible ways, or even worse.

[@kevingiven3463]

I always loved the parody cover "What if Rick JAMES Had Become the Hulk." lol

[@andreworders7305]

All What if…? stories tend to end badly so it sometimes feels like Marvel saying “our way is the only way”

[@keithhunt8]

The first comic I ever bought was about 1988 or '89, was a What If. Issue #1 What If. The Avengers Lost the Evolutionary War. I didn't even realize that it was an alternate reality comic when I got it. I thought it was awesome because evrybody was in it.

[@oliverl.5834]

I loved the first two "What if"-Series. I'm not so thrilled about the newer ones though. It seems that they have one of their events and then follow it up with a "What if" about said event. That is really limiting the concept of the original books, I think. My first "What if" was "What if" Vol. 2 # 4

[@Benjieboy247]

Gaze into the fist of Dredd! Such an amazing panel. Great video mate

[@sgtcheater1934]

I read a comic a long time ago "what if dare devil could see" spoiler, he gets scared and quits

[@scottfree2248]

Love What If? Especially the first series which had double sized issues! Two of my favourite stories : What If Rick Jones died in the Kree/Skrull war? and What If Bucky had not died during World War Two? (This was over a decade before the Winter Soldier and had a different take on events) Wonderful video and channel!

[@vlad74br]

When I was a kid What If... has a huge impact on me. Not just because of the stories but also because I spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the possibilities of an alternate Marvel Universe where things happened in a diferent way. Love your channel and content. Keep doing the excellent work.

[@jovantamayo8594]

I remember being so fascinated with this series as a very young fan

[@wolfhawk1999]

My favorite "What If?" From when I was a kid was when the world came to an end and Jaggernaut was the only one left alive. He got so angry that he smashed a rock wall, which was actually a hiding space for the last survivors. He was so happy to find other people, but it turned out that the hole he created exposed them to the toxic outside and killed them. So, he had to go the rest of eternity knowing he killed the only remaining people on the planet. Heavy stuff for a 10 year old.

[@athenioustycho6022]

I really enjoyed What If ? as a series and it was one of the first comics I regularly bought. There were many many good ones but in my opinion my favorite was "What if the Avengers were pawns of Korvac?" and the short sequel that had Dr Strange, The Phoenix (Jean Grey) and the Silver Surfer dealing w the repercussions. It made my 10 year old mind spin ;) Also I did not mind the various heroes joining SHEILD. I liked the What IF Daredevil joined SHIELD the best.It was done with Frank Miller and Mike W Barr. Miller did his influential DD run and that into itself was always interesting to me. It had a slightly different take on Matt Murdoc. The same issue had a backup story that was called "New Life". This was under the story premise called "Untold Tales of the Marvel Universe" and this story was about the Eternals in the past. It explained how a group of them ended up on Titan and this is ultimately linked to Thanos' backstory as Mentor is part of this in marvel continuity. (as he is Thanos' father) (it also involved the Kree). I agree another aspect of the comic was a history lesson of the Marvel Universe which was really cool and actually seeing a story where a hero could die( or anyone for that matter) was pretty interesting. In the letters page of the same issue (and others) were reader suggestions of What if ? ideas. I thought that was pretty cool too and would think about how they would play out as a kid. Some suggestions were: What if? Doctor Doom had become the Ancient One's disciple?, Magneto's wife had never left him, Captain Marvel attained godhood, and Reed Richards offered to become Galactus' hearld to save Earth, and What If? Doctor Doom met his other dimensional counterparts (which would have been Kang, Pharaoh Rama Set, and the Scarlet Centurion , I believe) I also very much agree that DCs Elseworlds was very well done and I liked Batman "Holy Terror" alot. Good comic reading to you all and be well.

[@lo1bo2]

The burning question we should all be asking is: What if Chris had never started Comic Tropes?!?!?

[@AliensAreNoobs]

lo1bo2 I’d be bored a lot more

[@prajwaljayaraj5887]

I wouldn't be using KZbin

[@russellharrell2747]

Chris would drink less?

[@StarlightPrism]

It would somehow end with the apocalypse.

[@John-X]

Well, I guess, as opposed to being a Balding, four-eyed, neckbearded comic book nerd *_KZbinr,_* he would just be *_a regular_* balding, four-eyed neckbearded comic book nerd.

[@johnathonhaney8291]

6:32 Whoa, Kurt Busiek wrote What If Venom Possessed The Punisher?! I had that comic for years but that was before I looked at the credits. Mind. Officially. Blown.

[@dawolf856]

One of my favorite 'What If ?" stories was when Dr. Doom left Iron Man in the time of King Arthur. If for anything, if you've ever read the original story (Iron Man #149/150) the use of words Doom says, in original story. And in 'What If ?" ... typical Dr. Doom. Best DC Elsewhere story to me was "The Golden Age". Great story on what "REALLY" became of the JSA after WW2. Now, I wanna find a collection of 'What If ?" Stories to read.

[@petersmith9633]

How about What If? 34? The best What if ever! I also thought it was interesting that they continued, What if Spider-Man joined the FF (Issue 1) in What if the Invisible Girl married Sub-Marriner (Issue 21).

[@arielfilmsinc1926]

Spidey's last line in that issue is QUITE iconic

[@richardadams4928]

Very nice art by the legendary Gene Colan, too....

[@chadwik4000]

What IF? The Fantastic Fours Daughter Had Lived? had two stories in it. One was when the daughter became bad the other good, it was pretty cool.

[@MrEdWeirdoShow]

Chris, your showing that Elektra cover led me to offer you yet another Comic Tropes episode subject: BIG BUILDUPS WITH VERY LITTLE PAYOFF. To this day I still crack up when I watch Daredevil and it's got montages of Electra sharpening her moves endlessly, only to be dispatched in two seconds by some baddy. Same with the ongoing Darth Maul debacle, which hyped him for weeks before his Star Wars film debut, but when the curtain came up, he was dealt with so quickly that it gave new meaning to the term "waste of time."

[@cyberpunkholiday]

You’re the best Chris! It shows and you’re doing my favorite comic book content on here. Keep it up!

[@derrickmarais]

I think the darkest it got was when demon possessed Wolverine ate a baby when the X-Men lost Inferno. But if I remember correctly the comic had a hopeful ending.

[@rodneyholmes5260]

Derrick Marais It did.

[@JoseGonzalez-hp9uy]

Yeah it was messed up and it ended hopeful

[@CCaster2000]

What I liked about What If is the variety of endings in each issue that ranged from bad, sad, bittersweet, good, and better than the mainstream universe.

[@ShmuckLord385]

One of my fav alt takes is actually in the mainline comics. Doom finds a universe where he brought world peace into existence, but he learns that in this reality he's friends with Mr. Fantastic, so he destroys that universe because a true Doom would never be friends with Richards and would solve all problems on his own. It's funny because it shows that if Doom and Reed were on good terms they would be smart enough to solve all problems, but Doom hates reed so much that the idea of such a universe legit angers him to no end.

[@ponodude101]

I read the Uncle Ben what if a while ago and it was really good! I loved the dynamic Ben and Peter had once he figured out his identity. I honestly wish that would come back for some sort of multi-issue alternate run.

[@DBG-fh7io]

I love that intro so much lmao

[@jonathantillian6528]

I never had the ability to keep up with a whole comic storyline so I loved What If? comics. It was a whole story in one shot.

[@user-vc7vn4pr5o]

great job brother,but sorry what if came out somewhere in 75 or 76 i collected all of them what if #1 spidey joined the ff , i left comics behind in jr high,picked them back up in the 80's,like your show alot

[@michaelmclaughlin261]

I love "What if...?" and had some of those very issues you mentioned. Some of my favorite issues were what I call 'alternate origins' -- changes to a hero's origin story. The one where Uncle Ben lived that you mentioned stands out. Others I loved also include : "What if Loki found the hammer of Thor?" (Donald Blake dies, Thor winds up in Helas realm, Ragnarok begins), "What if Dr. Strange became a disciple of Dormammu?" ( Strange almost gets destroyed by Dormammu in an attempt to conquer Eternity), and the very first 'What if...?' in which Spider-Man joins the Fantastic Four. Great series. More hits than misses. I enjoyed it. :)

[@TheYoungDoctor]

The 1970 Doctor Who story Inferno is a good parallel universe story and there is also Big Finish's Doctor Who Unbound 6 audio plays.

[@theajshow]

What If has always been a favorite series of mine. The older stuff was great, but it's also super-cool that they keep coming up with new fun stories. Great episode, love it!

[@seandalziel7414]

I have a copy of "Gotham by Gaslight" with one of my favourite quotes which goes something like, "It's not justice, Mister Wayne, it's the law."

[@jaythosonmp439]

imagine if you will a world where spider-man is played by 3 different actors, imagine if there was another actor from japan who played spider-man in a tv show and had a mecha, imagine the possibility of rhodey being played by the same actor in iron man 1, imagine if marvel never sold the.rights over to anyone, you are about to enter the world of....the marvel zone * TWILIGHT ZONE THEME PLAYS *

[@AdahnFlorence]

That opening joke reminded me of the gag in Garth Ennis' "The Pro" where they had a Watcher parody named The Viewer, who they jokingly also refer to as The Voyeur.

[@gedeonnunes5626]

The first one I've read was something like what if Spider-Man wasn't able to get rid of the symbiote and it's very sad. Curiously, I was recalling It this week. Great show! Thank you a lot!

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

The Enchanted Cottage is quite like that. It's a really touching film should watch it if you haven't yet!

[@MaximumCarter]

I loved the What If? series. One of my favorites being What If the Silver Surfer had the Infinity Gauntlet

[@ThomasTiernan]

Do you know the series called "Not Brand Echhhs?" It was a very funny parody of established comics and might be worth a video. Great job.

[@poppaspank]

End or March/April 1st 1980 I visited my brother Larry in Ann Arbor for the Hash Bash. He took me to the local comics shop there. He was not a Marvelite, being more an undergrounbd comix kinda guy. He saw "What if the Invisible Girl had married the Sub-Mariner" in a bag on display on the wall and thought it was a regular ongoing series. Imagine a monthly comic in which Sue Storm Richards is Mrs. Namor... month after month, for years. Where would that storyline go? My all time favorite What if was "The Original Marvel Bullpen were the Fantastic Four". Favorite bit, Mr. Fantasticlee asking his secretary Invisible Flo "What do you have for me today, swiss chocolate, a wind--up owl?" I think that book was the funniest thing Jack Kirby ever wrote.

[@jeffreycoogan09]

@ComicTropes "Superman" actually has a cameo in (What If #1 from February of 1977). On pages 2 and 3, The Watcher explains about the many parallel universes and alternate futures. The Watcher mentions whatever or not a different universe allowed (Superman vs The Amazing Spider-Man, the first DC/Marvel crossover from 1976) to occur.

[@tasan215]

Love What If? Along with most alternate reality stories. ( I'm a huge eXiles fan). Looking forward to the What If? TV series

[@MarcelGomesPan]

I really appriciated the ”What If” stories. And i loved ”Gotham By Gaslight” too. Then again, i’m a sucker for the Victorian era.

[@darkedgedash]

New subscriber! Punisher with the Venom symbiote story blew my mind when I first read it! Though my all-time favorite was a kind of upbeat story about the Secret Wars ending with the destruction of Reed Richards and the Beyonder and the heroes and villains make Battleworld their new home. Captain America and Rogue had a kid! Wolverine and Storm had TWO kids (and Wolvie even got a dad joke in) and even Doc Doom had a brat. I think I'm going to enjoy this channel.

[@marklawrence2772]

Thanks Chris, comprehensive as always, Have to say the first five issues of the first series are my favourites, i brought 2-5 when i was young and reread them regularly and got a copy of issue one much later.

[@bbbabrock]

As opposed to what if everybody dies, I remember liking "What if Electra had lived".

[@TheVetoSkreeemer]

It s a good issue, Miller did a great job on that one.

[@sammylane21]

Lets not forget the biggest "WHAT IF" in MARVEL's alternate continuity stories...... the fucking MCU.

[@XYZRobZombie]

LOL! this video was worth it JUST to see Conan in a pimp outfit! :-) THANK YOU!

[@Emperor_Oshron]

one trope of Marvel What-If that you didn't touch on here is, iirc, that a recurring theme is basically "there's alot of bad crap going on in the real Marvel Universe, but it's pretty much the best situation it could be". there's a Captain America one where Rogers is quick enough to stop the assassin who killed Erskine and thus allowed the supersoldier formula to be administered to all of the Howling Commandos. it seems good at first where they march all the way to Berlin and arrest Hitler, ending World War II after a few weeks or so, but then Cap uses the momentum of that to eventually become a president-for-life and turns America into a dictatorship policed by hundreds of other Captains America (including an alternate version of the Punisher) and it results in alot of superheroes, including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, being murdered by these agents and then it turns out at the end that Rogers actually WAS frozen in ice like in the main continuity and at around the same time as there, meaning that the one running the country is an impostor. as a fan of alternate history (or allohistory, if you prefer), i love the whole concept of alternate history superheroes. one of the few comics that i got on the spur of the moment when the opportunity presented itself to me was an Elseworlds comic featuring Batman as a pirate :)

[@Prosegoldmusic]

“ including in the modern day where he decides to dress like a pimp “ lol that was out of left field completely and said with such sincerity lol. when referring to the conan issues.

[@TheArchersTungsten]

I was so excited to jump on and finally see a new tropes episode . Great show!

[@ziljin]

Didn't know Spiderman become the Punisher.

[@thesaurusakasickakatheomc7688]

Thank you for reminding me how much I love Marvel's What If...? series.

[@humanperson3601]

I haven't even begun to start watching and I'm already sold on this episode... Uatu the Watcher is hands down my favorite fictional character of all time.

[@emsleywyatt3400]

Really liked What If #44 (What if Captain America were revived today?). And as far as DC Elseworlds go, In addition to Red Son, I also dug "Darkest Knight" in which Bruce Wayne gets the power ring instead of Hal Jordan.

[@ChrisConnolly-Mr.C-Dives-In]

That issue 44 was amazing and part of a great string of what if issues.

[@NeutralGuyDoubleZero]

The idea of banner and hulk merging together into a complete being to become a mythical guardian is so cool to me. Itd be neat to see this integrated as another multiverse version of hulk.

[@FragItAll]

What I liked best about What If....? is you could jump in on any issue and not miss anything, jyst tuck it into that era of stories (What if Electra had l8ved would go after where she died in the box, nach). Any way, great episode. Thank you.

[@GreenGoblinsOckVenom]

It's funny he mentioned the original issue from the 70s where Rick Jones becomes the Hulk but didn't mention that it did end up happening in the Hulk comics in the 80s. I have a lot of favorite What if comics I own some of which were mentioned here. To list some, I like What if the Punisher had killed Daredevil, What if Spider-Man never became a Crime Fighter, What if Daredevil killed Kingpin, What if The Punisher killed Spider-Man, What if the new different X-Men (where Colossus, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Storm join the team) never formed, what if the Venom symbiote possessed Spider-Man, and What if Spider-Man kept his 6 arms.

[@crispin5741]

I liked the issue of Edge of Spider-Verse that Peter became a killer after being bit by the spider. Very horror story. It really made me want a What if at the time.

[@Quiro26]

I remember the pimp Conan issue , that was wacky