5 best alternate universe stories in Marvel that deserve a place in What If...? season 3

Marvel's What If...? quickly became one of the most exciting shows to come from the studio, thanks to its offbeat approach to the massive superhero universe that it carefully and cautiously built over decades. Despite the recent waning popularity of the film universe, What If...? remains one of the stand-out performers, much like Marvel's recent X-Men '97.

The idea of What If...? is quite simple—it goes over alternate histories and alternate futures of our beloved MCU characters with small changes that make big ripples in the flow of time. Marvel, with its huge collection of stories, has many such alternate realities and multiverses that are a treasure trove of inspiration.

Since we already know that What If...? will be returning for a third season, alongside bringing forth a spinoff based on one of the most exciting episodes from season 1, here are five iconic alternate storylines that we would love to see Marvel take up in the third season.

*Note: The five alternate storylines are presented in no particular order.

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5 exciting What If...? storylines that would be perfect for season 3

1) What If... The Hulk Had Evolved Into The Maestro?

Hulk in the What If...? comics (Image via Marvel)

Since the Marvel series has always dealt with characters that were introduced to us in live-action films, it seems that bringing together a story of Hulk turning into The Maestro would be a perfect addition to the pallet. Not only has the live-action Hulk been given the least amount of time, with no solo films or appearances, but has also recently received criticism for making the character too soft.

However, the third season could fix both by resisting the iconic 1995 Marvel storyline where the Maestro is the future version of Hulk.

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2) What If Shang-Chi, Master Of Kung Fu, Had Remained Loyal to Fu Manchu?

Shang-Chi in the MCU (Image via Marvel)

The 1979 Marvel anthology comic, What If Shang-Chi, Master Of Kung Fu, Had Remained Loyal to Fu Manchu? also seems like a tailor-made addition to the third season. Not only has the character of Shang-Chi evaded the series so far, but it is also one of the most exciting tales in the series, where Shang-Chi does not defy his father and inherits the rings.

This interesting twist could see the result of Shang-Chi not running away but rather following the path of a villain.

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3) What If Wolverine Had Killed the Hulk?

Now that the MCU is bringing the Wolverine in the yellow suit and integrating it into the existing superhero universe, it would not be too far-fetched to think that they could adapt the iconic 1977 storyline What If Wolverine Had Killed the Hulk?

The story saw Wolverine being accused of Hulk's murder in an alternate timeline. It also featured some great moral dilemmas and the presence of X-Men, who are also back, thanks to X-Men '97.

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4) What If... Loki Was Worthy?

Loki in the What If...? comics (Image via Marvel)

This is indeed an interesting question, isn't it? The recent storyline from Marvel saw a variant of Loki picking up the mighty Mjolnir instead of his brother, Thor, only to unleash chaos upon the universe and Asgard.

With Loki away from his villain era for a long time, it would be interesting to see this twist in the third season of What If...?

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5) What if the Skrulls succeeded in their Secret Invasion?

Sadly, the series about the Skrull Invasion did not become the masterpiece it was supposed to be. But it is still an interesting prospect to think what would have happened if the Skrulls had succeeded.

This will not only be an interesting story to tell but will also likely salvage some of the storylines first introduced in Secret Invasion.

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There are plenty of other great What If...? stories throughout the Marvel comics history that deserve a screen adaptation. Which ones do you want to see in the upcoming season of the Disney+ show? Let us know in the comments below.