What If? Infinity

What If? Infinity

by Joshua Williamson, Christian Ward (Cover Art), Mike Henderson (Artist)

Collects What If? Infinity - Thanos #1, What If? Infinity - Inhumans #1, What If? Infinity - X-Men #1, What If? Infinity - Guardians Of The Galaxy #1, What If? Infinity - Dark Reign #1.

One incredible event, infinite possibilities! Prepare to discover five ways INFINITY could have led to a very different fate for the Marvel Universe. Imagine if Thanos had joined the Avengers in their war with the Builders. Or if Black Bolt had seized the opportunity for the Inhumans to rule Earth. The Avengers easily could have suffered crushing defeat — what would that mean, years later, for Cannonball and a handful of other survivors? Then there are the Guardians of the Galaxy, who'd certainly have something to say if they discovered the Illuminati were hiding Thanos. Most chilling of all, what if Norman Osborn grabbed the Infinity Gauntlet and ushered in a second Dark Reign?

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Fantasy, Comic Book

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2016

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of one-shot stories all based on 'What If-?' scenarios concerning Marvel's 'Infinity' crossover event from a couple of years ago. As with all these types of collections, it's a very mixed bag and the quality across the board is fair-to-middling.

One for Cosmic Marvel or Avengers completists only, really.

[Meghannf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of variations on the Infinity storyline.
- What if Thanos joined the Avengers? Thanos joins forces with the Avengers to fight the Builders. The plot requires most of the Avengers to be so gullible that it's unbelievable.
- What if Black Bolt betrayed Earth? An OK story, its only redeeming value is a clever team-up moment at the end.
- What if the X-Men were the sole survivors of Infinity? X-Men... in... space! Also, turns out they're not actually the sole survivors. Just OK.
- What if the Guardians of the Galaxy tried to free Thanos? A pretty silly story, except when it's not, which I suppose is the appropriate tone for the Guardians nowadays.
- What if the Green Goblin stole the Infinity Gauntlet? Only tangentially connected to the Infinity storyline, this is mainly a character piece for Norman Osborn. Probably the best story of the set. (B)

[Ed · Rating 1 out of 5]

These are five pretty pointless stories that ask "What If" anybody actually remembered what happened during Infinity, a minor (yet confusingly over-written) cross-over on Hickman's road to Secret Wars. Infinity had its charms, but wasn't all that good. The same is true of these stories. There's some nice art and a few interesting ideas but there isn't really much story here. And those interesting pieces all happen at the end of the story. For example, I would definitely be interested in a story where Thanos kills Captain America and takes his place leading the Avengers. But a story that quickly sets that up and then ends before anything can happen? Not so much.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggests, a group of What If stories centered mostly around the Infinity crossover.

- Thanos joins the Avengers in fighting the Builders
- Black Bolt makes a deal with Thanos to spare the Inhumans
- After Infinity, the X-Men are in space for some reason
- Rocket and the other Guardians find out the Illumimati have Thanos trapped in amber and confront them
- Norman Osborne gets ahold of the Infinity Gauntlet

The Norman Osborne story is the best one, imo. It shows a bit of character has a Twilight Zone type ending.

[Ma'Belle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tempted to actually give this 3 stars because I really enjoyed the Guardians/Rocket issue. Most of this is throw-away material though, and the whole series deals with an event that I didn't follow and don't give a shit about (the "Builders"? What a boring name for some ultimate threat!). Some of the story-telling was clever. I'm not mad that I read it, as an occasional, light bit of entertainment before going to sleep.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good What If? stories should strike one a few available emotional notes: horror, humor, bittersweet, inevitability, or outright sadness. This collection manages to hit most of those, and will be fun for fans of Hickman's Infinity Event. What Ifs tend to reward those who are more rabid fans than not, so there may not be much here for people not versed in the original stories with which this intersects.

[Colin Oaten · Rating 4 out of 5]

What If? Always one of my guilty pleasures,sometimes even enjoying them more than the original series they are based on! This time,a look at several different outcomes of Marvels Infinity event with a personal highlight being the tale of Norman Osborn gaining control of the Infinity Gauntlet. you just know that wouldnt be a great outcome in the life of one Peter Parker!

[Scarred Wizard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this thin collection of What If?. Mainly a stories of what if Thanos betray the Avengers by joining them. and the story goes from there. it took me quite long to finish the book though looking by how thin it is. not in a bad way. it's not perfect, but enjoyable enough. don't understand the hate & low ratings. the artwork also are not bad at all. each issue has different artist.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unpleasant and pointless. Joshua Williamson pens 5 Infinity related stories that fail to impress as the questions asked are dull but not as dull as the stories told. The beauty of What If? tales are the interesting directions stories could have gone. None of that is here. The art was also subpar. Not much to recommend at all.

[Sebastian Song · Rating 1 out of 5]

What If the stories haven't been written.

[Sean Goh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing very special. None particularly memorable.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember thinking there was not much here.

[The_J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanos as an Avenger - but not simply don't trust appearances, but always have faith in Evil.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mattttttttt....A What If? you have not read.

Some interesting takes...and a lot of punching.