Summary
As proven by theSpider-Versesaga, there are countless amounts of stories surrounding the iconicMarvel Comicscharacter. From Peter Parker’s adventures in New York City to the twists and turns following characters like Julia Carpenter and Eddie Brock, it may seem shocking that there are stories that Spider-Man hasn’t canonically been a part of.
And yet, there are still plenty of issues in Marvel’s iconicWhat If?series that centers around the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. From unexpected team-ups to alternate storylines, these stories from the anthology series explored the possibilities that never got to happen in Peter Parker’s story.
Don Glut, Rick Hoberg
Featured Characters
Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Flash Thompson/Spider-Man, Betty Brant/Spider-Woman, John Jameson/Spider-Man, Liz Allan, J. Jonah Jameson, Uncle Ben, The Vulture, Oatu the Watcher
Back in 1977, it was somewhat of a novel idea to see what it would look like forsomeone other than Peter Parker to get bittenby a radioactive spider and assume the mantle of Spider-Man. In the seventh issue of the alternate timeline exploration, severalSpider-Mancharacters are shown going through the process of becoming the friendly neighborhood hero, to varying degrees of success.
Nowadays, thanks to nearly hundreds of reinterpretations of the characters, it’s not such a crazy “What If?” as this comic book anthology made it out to be. Flash Thompson is almost immediately killed thanks to his lack of web-slingers, while Betty Brant gives up crime-fighting after accidentally killing someone. All in all, this “What If?” story is fun, but surprisingly lacks any real punch.
Terry Kavanagh, Douglas Braithwaite
Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Mary-Jane Watson, Betty Brant, Miles Warren/The Jackal, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Michael Morbius, Maximum Carnage, J. Jonah Jameson
Ben Reilly made his comic book debut in 1975 asa clone of Peter Parkerwho assumes the mantle of Scarlet Spider, antagonizing the original Spider-Man. This “What If?” story explores a timeline in which Reilly kills Peter Parker during the events ofSpectacular Spider-Man#228, assuming the latter’s identity when he’s mistaken for Peter in the hospital.
While some Spider-Man villains would lavish the opportunity to take over Peter’s identity (looking at you, Doc Ock), Ben Reilly struggles with his guilt over killing Peter throughout the comic. The story ends on somewhat of a strange note as it’s revealed that Mary-Jane knew of Ben’s true identity the entire time, but went along with the lie because May needed a father.
Terry Austin, Stuart Immonen
Peter Parker, Flash Thompson/The Spider, Aunt May, Uncle Ben, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, Maxwell Dillon/Electro, Flint Marko/The Sandman, J. Jonah Jameson, Betty Brant, Uatu the Watcher
ThisWhat If?offers a similar timeline to issue #7, focusing on Flash Thompson assuming the role of Spider-Man not to stop crime but to become a criminal himself. He ropes Peter Parker into his plot unwillingly, forcing the amateur scientist to create gear for him, saving himself from the fate of the first Flash Thompson who took on the mantle of Spider-Man.
Of course,Peter’s heroism still takes overas he borrows Doctor Octavius' technology to stop Flash once and for all. However, the ending where The Fantastic Four arrives to undo Flash’s powers is a bit of a cop-out, but this comic is a good read if only to see how well Peter excels even when he’s not empowered by a radioactive spider.
Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz
May Parker/Spider-Girl, Peter Parker, Mary-Jane Watson, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Foggy Nelson, Harry Osborn, Vision
One of the most tragic storylines in Marvel Comics is Mary-Jane Watson’s loss of her baby in the Clone Saga. ThisWhat If?story undoes that loss by introducing Peter and MJ’s child, May Parker,nicknamed “Mayday” or “Spider-Girl”, into the Marvel universe, establishing her as a character that is reutilized in future comic book timelines.
In this comic, Peter gives up the role of Spider-Man, only for May to find out about her father’s past from MJ. She ends up donning the Scarlet Spider’s suit to save her father from Norman Osborn’s grandson and teases her continuation of web-slinging at the very end. It gets credit for establishing May’s character, but she’s had better stories since.
Danny Fingeroth, Jim Valentino
Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Felicia Hardy/Black Cat, Mary-Jane Watson, Silvija Sablinova/Silver Sable, Paladin, William Baker/The Sandman, Aunt May, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture
Felicia Hardy is one of the most fascinating characters in Marvel’s history, as a cat burglar whose antagonism has put her at odds with Spider-Man, though at times the two have succumbed to their romantic feelings for one another. ThisWhat If?explored their potential as a couple, following Peter abandoning Mary Jane at their wedding in a previous issue.
Suffice it to say, this Spider-Man ends up in a whole heap of trouble after rekindling his flame with Black Cat. His identity is discovered by villains like the Vulture and Silver Sable, though Black Cat ends up heroically sacrificing herself to kill them and protect Peter’s identity. Although their romance was doomed to end, it proved thatthere was real love between the two mask-wearers.
Peter Gillis, Pat Broderick
Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Kraven the Hunter, J. Jonah Jameson, Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus, Quentin Beck/Mysterio, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, William Baker/The Sandman, Maxwell Dillon/Electro, Uncle Ben, Aunt May
Early on in the comic book run ofWhat If?, writers examined alternate timelines where certain key moments in Spider-Man’s story never happened. One example is the murder of Uncle Ben, which inspires Peter as a superhero with the motto, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In this issue, Peter apprehends the criminal who’s supposed to kill his uncle, turning Spider-Man into a national news icon.
This issue features star-studded cameos from Johnny Carson and Marlon Brando as Peter pursues a career in Hollywood, against the advice of Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Eventually, Peter extends his services to other heroes, like The Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Even though Peter eventually learns his actions have consequences, he’s not the friendly neighborhood character that audiences fell in love with.
Tony Isabella, Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia
Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy, Aunt May, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, Flash Thompson, Harry Osborn, J. Jonah Jameson, Uatu the Watcher
Gwen Stacy’s death wasn’t justa pivotal moment for Peter Parkerbut for comic book history as a whole. However, its prevention doesn’t stop tragedy from befalling Spider-Man, as thisWhat If?proved. After saving Gwen Stacy from death by Green Goblin, Peter reveals his identity to her and proposes, and while Gwen is initially angry, having thought Spider-Man killed her father, she accepts.
Things start to get better when Harry Osborn discovers that his father is the Green Goblin. Rather than take his anger out against Spider-Man, Harry and Norman end up reconciling, curing Norman of the Goblin persona. However, once Peter’s identity is leaked to the Daily Bugle, he’s chased out of his wedding ceremony by the cops and becomes a fugitive on the run, never to have the happy life he was so close to.
Roy Thomas, Jim Craig
Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, Ben Grimm/The Thing, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, Dmitri Smerdyakov/The Chameleon, Namor, Uatu the Watcher
The very firstWhat If?established the tone of the series, even if its crossover isn’t such a big deal now.The Fantastic Four were a pretty established groupin the early days, but they’ve since accepted members outside the original four, including She-Hulk and Black Panther. However, this comic introduced Peter Parker as a fifth member of the team.
Spider-Man initially joins the F4 in the hopes it’ll help him out of a financial rut, and they do some good work together at first. However, it results in Sue’s neglect by the other members of the team, and she eventually leaves to be with Namor the Sub-Mariner. Although Spidey and The Fantastic Four have crossed paths many times since, this comic showed that, in many different universes, things could look a lot different for these beloved characters.
