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What If? The Complete Collection #3
What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 3
Collects What If? (1977) #24-35.
Classic stories reimagined in wild and wonderful ways by legendary creators! Imagine…what if Gwen Stacy had lived? What if Captain America was elected president? What if Phoenix had not died? What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk? What if there were no Fantastic Four? What if Bullseye had not killed Elektra? What if the Avengers were the last super heroes on Earth? And perhaps most startlingly of all, what if Dazzler became the herald of Galactus?! Plus, years before the Clone Saga rocked Peter Parker's world, what if Spider Man's clone had survived? And yet more trips into the infinite possibilities of the Multiverse featuring Thor, Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, Iron Man — and Matt Murdock, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Plus: The hidden history of the Eternals…and a classic all-comedy issue exploring the wildest What Ifs of all!
Classic stories reimagined in wild and wonderful ways by legendary creators! Imagine…what if Gwen Stacy had lived? What if Captain America was elected president? What if Phoenix had not died? What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk? What if there were no Fantastic Four? What if Bullseye had not killed Elektra? What if the Avengers were the last super heroes on Earth? And perhaps most startlingly of all, what if Dazzler became the herald of Galactus?! Plus, years before the Clone Saga rocked Peter Parker's world, what if Spider Man's clone had survived? And yet more trips into the infinite possibilities of the Multiverse featuring Thor, Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, Iron Man — and Matt Murdock, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Plus: The hidden history of the Eternals…and a classic all-comedy issue exploring the wildest What Ifs of all!
487 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 29, 2020
12 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Tony Isabella
399 books24 followersTony Isabella is an American comic book writer, editor, artist and critic, known as the creator and writer of Marvel Comics' Black Goliath; DC Comics' first major African-American superhero, Black Lightning; and as a columnist and critic for the Comics Buyer's Guide.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 25, 2025
Collects What If? (1977-1984) issues #24-35
As far as I remember, an issue of "What If?" was the first comic book that I bought off of the spinner rack. Because of that, and my love of parallel universe stories, this series has always been a favorite of mine. Whenever I go to a comic book convention, I try to buy one (or more) issues of "What If." Even though I didn't love ever issue in this collection, I love this series as a whole.
Here are the stories that are included in this collection with my spoiler-filled mini reviews:
7/15/2025 - What if Spider-Man had rescued Gwen Stacy - Issue #24 - 3.5 stars - Peter Parker gets married, but his identity is revealed to the world!
7/16/2025 - What if Thor and the Avengers batted the gods? - Issue #25 - 3.5 stars - Thor and the Avengers vs. Odin and the Asgardians (with Loki as his general)
2017 - What if Captain America had been elected President? - Issue #26 - 3 stars
2018 - What if Phoenix had not died? - Issue #27 - 3.5 stars
7/29/2025 - What if Daredevil became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? - Issue #28 - 3 stars - First a Ghost Rider story, and then the title story, which diverged a little.
7/31/2025 - What if The Avengers defeated everybody? - Issue #29 - 3.5 stars - Scarlet Centurion tricks the original Avengers into taking over the world. Then a Namor story.
2014 - What if Spider-Man's clone lived? - Issue #30
8/4/2025 - What if Wolverine had killed The Hulk? - Issue #31 - 4 stars - First an alternate path for Wolverine, and then an alternate path for The Thing. The Thing story was the more interesting of the two because of how meta it could be interpreted. In this story, if the Fantastic Four had never existed, many other heroes would have never came to be, and this is also true in the real world. Legend has it that Stan Lee's wife encouraged him to try one more idea before giving up on comic book writing, and the FF was that idea. After that came most of the well-known Marvel heroes, so if he hadn't tried a new idea that resonated with him, many other heroes would have never been established in the way that we know them today.
8/9/2025 - What if The Avengers had become pawns of Korvac? - Issue #32 - 5 stars - I loved this issue because of the involvement of so many important Marvel Cosmic characters. This was a surprising highlight for me.
8/17/2025 - What if Dazzler…and What if Iron Man…? - Issue #33 - 3.5 stars - The Dazzler story was good, but I liked the King Arthur-themed Iron Man story even more.
8/22/2025 - What if? (Comedy issue) - Issue #34 - 2 stars - This comedy issue was not for me.
8/23/2025 - What if Elektra had lived? - Issue #35 - 3 stars - The cover story was surprisingly short and straightforward. Then there was a story in the middle that seemed to be disconnected from the Marvel universe (other than a small connection to Tigra. Finally, there was a Yellowjacket-themed Avengers story that also wasn't that entertaining.
As far as I remember, an issue of "What If?" was the first comic book that I bought off of the spinner rack. Because of that, and my love of parallel universe stories, this series has always been a favorite of mine. Whenever I go to a comic book convention, I try to buy one (or more) issues of "What If." Even though I didn't love ever issue in this collection, I love this series as a whole.
Here are the stories that are included in this collection with my spoiler-filled mini reviews:
7/15/2025 - What if Spider-Man had rescued Gwen Stacy - Issue #24 - 3.5 stars - Peter Parker gets married, but his identity is revealed to the world!
7/16/2025 - What if Thor and the Avengers batted the gods? - Issue #25 - 3.5 stars - Thor and the Avengers vs. Odin and the Asgardians (with Loki as his general)
2017 - What if Captain America had been elected President? - Issue #26 - 3 stars
2018 - What if Phoenix had not died? - Issue #27 - 3.5 stars
7/29/2025 - What if Daredevil became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? - Issue #28 - 3 stars - First a Ghost Rider story, and then the title story, which diverged a little.
7/31/2025 - What if The Avengers defeated everybody? - Issue #29 - 3.5 stars - Scarlet Centurion tricks the original Avengers into taking over the world. Then a Namor story.
2014 - What if Spider-Man's clone lived? - Issue #30
8/4/2025 - What if Wolverine had killed The Hulk? - Issue #31 - 4 stars - First an alternate path for Wolverine, and then an alternate path for The Thing. The Thing story was the more interesting of the two because of how meta it could be interpreted. In this story, if the Fantastic Four had never existed, many other heroes would have never came to be, and this is also true in the real world. Legend has it that Stan Lee's wife encouraged him to try one more idea before giving up on comic book writing, and the FF was that idea. After that came most of the well-known Marvel heroes, so if he hadn't tried a new idea that resonated with him, many other heroes would have never been established in the way that we know them today.
8/9/2025 - What if The Avengers had become pawns of Korvac? - Issue #32 - 5 stars - I loved this issue because of the involvement of so many important Marvel Cosmic characters. This was a surprising highlight for me.
8/17/2025 - What if Dazzler…and What if Iron Man…? - Issue #33 - 3.5 stars - The Dazzler story was good, but I liked the King Arthur-themed Iron Man story even more.
8/22/2025 - What if? (Comedy issue) - Issue #34 - 2 stars - This comedy issue was not for me.
8/23/2025 - What if Elektra had lived? - Issue #35 - 3 stars - The cover story was surprisingly short and straightforward. Then there was a story in the middle that seemed to be disconnected from the Marvel universe (other than a small connection to Tigra. Finally, there was a Yellowjacket-themed Avengers story that also wasn't that entertaining.
December 29, 2021
What if...they had some better talent drawing and writing these books? I had collected a few of these issues individually and I think I got the best ones. the Frank Miller issue of What if Daredevil was an Agent of shield was the best - just a fun action story that ended on a nice note. The What if Phoenix had lived was a must have when it came out but it really just ends up being "she would have killed hte Universe" and "What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk" was fun. Oh, I also loved the What if comedy issue but I do admit it hasn't aged well - but I loved it when it first came out. But overall - most of these stories suffer from being kind of bland and too short because they had Eternal back stories in them. There is also a prophetic "What if Spider-man's clone had lived" and this was before the god awful clone war saga.
I'd give it a miss especially if this wasn't your era of comics, since most of the premises won't make sense to you since you don't know the stories they were based on.
I'd give it a miss especially if this wasn't your era of comics, since most of the premises won't make sense to you since you don't know the stories they were based on.
October 4, 2021
A couple of really fun re-imaginings in here, and also a couple of duds, but I had a great time regardless. As a kid, the "What If?" comedy issue was one of my favourite things in the world, and while a lot of the humour didn't really stand up, it was a nice trip down memory lane nonetheless.
February 14, 2024
4 out of 5. Deeper storylines, a lot less humor than found in the first two volumes. As someone who lived during the time period that these were originally published, I can definitely connect with a lot of the underlying stories and themes.
July 3, 2022
Love the What If ? books
October 23, 2025
A hodge-podge of stories, some solid, some pointless..., many just sorta "meh". Here's a breakdown, IMO:
(24) "What if Gwen Stacy had lived?" I've found most of the Spider-Man-related What If?'s to answer questions I never cared to ask, nor cared to have answered. But this one wound up not too shabby.
Call this 2.5 stars I suppose.
(25) "What if Thor and the Avengers fought the gods?" A pretty great story, overall. I liked the inconclusive conclusion.
3.5 stars.
(26) "What if Captain America had been elected president?" A huge ol' "Meh" for me. Bonus: 'What if the Man-Thing had regained Ted Sallis' brain?', a much stronger story indeed.
Overall, 3 stars.
(27) "What if Phoenix had not died?" I've never been a X-Men fan, but this is a What If? situation that is both warranted and pays off handsomely (and is referenced in a later What-If issue). 4.5 stars
(28) What if Daredevil became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Plus 'What if the Ghost Rider had been separated from Johnny Blaze?'. After reading these two stories, my answer to those two questions is a profound "I'll take 'I Don't Give A Shit' for $200, Alex.
1 star.
(29) "What if the Avengers defeated everybody?" A nonsensical premise, supported by the Avengers gaining god-like powers while also throwing out any sort of common sense to the wind. Their realization of their errors does not pay off, and the end of the story frankly sucks. The bonus add-on story here ('What if Namor had never regained his memories?') is the only reason to check this out at all.
2.5 stars, all thanks to the Namor story.
(30) "What if Spider-Man's clone had lived?" Another day, yet another Spider Man What If? premise I don't give two shits about.
2 stars.
(31) "What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk?" A plausible question, but answered in a ham-fisted manner. The add-on 'What if the Fantastic Four had never been?' is also a bit of bust, since it is predicated on The Thing getting the pariah Hulk treatment by his very best friends, for reasons purely to advance the creeky storyline. Meh, do better.
2 stars.
(32) "What if the Avengers had become pawns of Korvac?" Finally a version of the Avengers kicking everybody's ass for the wrong reasons that rings true. This was a very enjoyable "end of the universe"-style story IMO.
5 stars.
(33) "What if the Dazzler had become the herald of Galactus?" & "What if Iron Man was trapped in the time of King Arthur?" Two for two here -- both stories are pretty damned great. I especially enjoyed the Iron Man half of this issue: Iron Man #150 is a favorite of mine, so revisiting and expanding on that issue is right up my alley.
5 stars, for sure.
(34) The What If Humor Issue. `Nuff said.
0 stars.
(35) "What if Elektra had lived?" & "What if Yellowjacket had died?" I'm pretty indifferent about both of these stories. Call it right down the middle I suppose.
2.5 stars.
Overall: 3 stars
(24) "What if Gwen Stacy had lived?" I've found most of the Spider-Man-related What If?'s to answer questions I never cared to ask, nor cared to have answered. But this one wound up not too shabby.
Call this 2.5 stars I suppose.
(25) "What if Thor and the Avengers fought the gods?" A pretty great story, overall. I liked the inconclusive conclusion.
3.5 stars.
(26) "What if Captain America had been elected president?" A huge ol' "Meh" for me. Bonus: 'What if the Man-Thing had regained Ted Sallis' brain?', a much stronger story indeed.
Overall, 3 stars.
(27) "What if Phoenix had not died?" I've never been a X-Men fan, but this is a What If? situation that is both warranted and pays off handsomely (and is referenced in a later What-If issue). 4.5 stars
(28) What if Daredevil became an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Plus 'What if the Ghost Rider had been separated from Johnny Blaze?'. After reading these two stories, my answer to those two questions is a profound "I'll take 'I Don't Give A Shit' for $200, Alex.
1 star.
(29) "What if the Avengers defeated everybody?" A nonsensical premise, supported by the Avengers gaining god-like powers while also throwing out any sort of common sense to the wind. Their realization of their errors does not pay off, and the end of the story frankly sucks. The bonus add-on story here ('What if Namor had never regained his memories?') is the only reason to check this out at all.
2.5 stars, all thanks to the Namor story.
(30) "What if Spider-Man's clone had lived?" Another day, yet another Spider Man What If? premise I don't give two shits about.
2 stars.
(31) "What if Wolverine had killed the Hulk?" A plausible question, but answered in a ham-fisted manner. The add-on 'What if the Fantastic Four had never been?' is also a bit of bust, since it is predicated on The Thing getting the pariah Hulk treatment by his very best friends, for reasons purely to advance the creeky storyline. Meh, do better.
2 stars.
(32) "What if the Avengers had become pawns of Korvac?" Finally a version of the Avengers kicking everybody's ass for the wrong reasons that rings true. This was a very enjoyable "end of the universe"-style story IMO.
5 stars.
(33) "What if the Dazzler had become the herald of Galactus?" & "What if Iron Man was trapped in the time of King Arthur?" Two for two here -- both stories are pretty damned great. I especially enjoyed the Iron Man half of this issue: Iron Man #150 is a favorite of mine, so revisiting and expanding on that issue is right up my alley.
5 stars, for sure.
(34) The What If Humor Issue. `Nuff said.
0 stars.
(35) "What if Elektra had lived?" & "What if Yellowjacket had died?" I'm pretty indifferent about both of these stories. Call it right down the middle I suppose.
2.5 stars.
Overall: 3 stars
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews