What If?: The Original Marvel Series Omnibus, Vol. 2

What If?: The Original Marvel Series Omnibus

by Peter B. Gillis, Mark Gruenwald, Tony Isabella

Complete your collection of the classic series in which Marvel’s best and brightest posed the eternal question: What If? The results were action-packed, thought-provoking and often tragic twists on the Marvel Universe you know! How would Peter Parker’s life change if Uncle Ben or Gwen Stacy had lived…if his clone had survived…or if Aunt May was bitten by the spider? What if Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny never gained their powers…or there was no Fantastic Four at all? Imagine if the Thing and the Beast continued to mutate, Matt Murdock became an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., or Captain America became President! Phoenix and Elektra don’t die…but Yellowjacket and the Invisible Girl do! Dazzler becomes the herald of Galactus, Wolverine kills the Hulk, Iron Man is trapped in the past, Thor meets Conan the Barbarian…and much more!

COLLECTING: What If? (1977) 23-47

Genres: Marvel, Comics, Graphic Novels Manga, Fiction, Graphic Novels

1024 pages, Hardcover

Published February 22, 2022

About the author

Peter B. Gillis (born December 19, 1952) is an American comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and First Comics in the mid-1980s, including the series Strikeforce: Morituri and the digitally drawn comic series Shatter.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for dedicated fans. The classic stories are captured with their usual “what if?” Twists. I’d say this is for the fan who knows marvel and is familiar with a wide variety of the cannon. It was filled with great art and overall a fun read. Because the stories vary across the character catalog it did progress a bit slower in terms of reader interest though.

[Paul Cocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up What If?: The Original Marvel Series Omnibus Volume 2 after finishing the first volume and wanting more of Marvel’s alternate-reality madness. This wraps up the original run, collecting issues #23–47, and it’s packed with wild pivots, tragic turns, and some truly bonkers ideas. I read it slowly over the course of a year, dipping in between longer reads.

Each issue is framed by the Watcher, exploring big “what if” twists. Spider-Man gets several standout stories—Gwen Stacy lives, Aunt May is bitten by the spider, and Peter’s clone survives and forges a new path. That last one even foreshadows the Ben Reilly saga years before it became canon.

The scope is broad: Captain America becomes president, Daredevil joins S.H.I.E.L.D., Iron Man ends up in Camelot, and Hulk turns into a barbarian. Dazzler becomes Galactus’s herald, the Fantastic Four never form, and Loki gets Mjolnir. There are also backup stories exploring the origins of the Eternals, Inhumans, and Celestials—heavier on lore, but they add a nice cosmic layer.

My favorite stories are the Conan ones. "What If Conan the Barbarian Were Stranded in the 20th Century?" goes all in—Conan escapes custody, forms a gang, adopts a pet leopard, and fights Captain America in Times Square. It’s ridiculous in the best way and clearly a fan-favorite concept, building on the similarly themed "What If Conan Walked the Earth Today?" from Volume 1.

Also worth calling out is "What If Thor Battled Conan the Barbarian?"—a brutal, mythic clash that reads like a forgotten epic. It’s pure What If?—big, bold, and impossible in the main continuity.

With creators like Frank Miller, Peter Gillis, Mark Gruenwald, and Herb Trimpe, the talent level is strong throughout. The art shifts with the times, moving from Bronze Age grit to early ’80s sheen. Not every story lands, but the joy is in the imagination and execution.

Like Volume 1, this isn’t about canon—it’s about possibilities. If you like bold swings, alternate histories, and the occasional pet leopard, Volume 2 is a must.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still my favourite comic series, though I do prefer the newer volumes. My best pics from this one again were Conan books, as well as the silly one off. Mostly these books are history to me as I was young when they came out and did not read all the stories they pertain to. All very wordy as they were at the time, and a lot of these have ideas that have sprung into the actual Marvel universe since then. For example the current Ultimate Spiderman comic series has Uncle Ben still alive. Phoenix is still alive etc.