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What If? Collecting Guide & Reading Order

Updated Jan 10, 2025! The definitive issue-by-issue comic book collecting guide and reading order for Marvel’s What If comic books in omnibus, hardcover, trade paperback, and digital. Part of Crushing Krisis’s Crushing Comics. Last updated January 2025 with titles scheduled for release through June 2025.

What If? is a question that is quintessential to the Marvel Multiverse!What If? (1977) #33 featuring Dazzler and Iron Man

Marvel launched their first What If? series in 1977. Each issue was narrated by The Watcher as he peered into other realities to see what would happen if a pivotal moment in Marvel history were to be slightly altered.

While the concept seems obvious to us in the modern day after years of comic stories about alternate realities, in 1977 it was an innovation for Marvel. DC Comics had already spent over 15 years focuses on the crossover between Earth One and Earth Two with their annual “Crisis” stories in Justice League of America.

While Marvel occasionally had its heroes explore alternate timelines on a one-off basis, they had no real concept of a multiverse of realities. When What If? launched in 1977 we were still four years away from “Days of Future Past” in Uncanny X-Men and six years from Alan Moore & Alan Davis codifying “Marvel-616” as the prime reality in their Marvel UK run on Captain Britain. You could argue that those stories would not exist without the enduring popularity of the original What If? series (especially with creators, both current and future).

What If? not only opened the door to Marvel’s multiverse. It also acted as the testing ground for taboo stories that violated seemingly immutable building blocks of the Marvel Universe, like the origins of the Fantastic Four, the death of Gwen Stacy and Pheonix, or the fate of Spider-Man’s erstwhile clone. As time pressed on, Marvel would go back to revise these previously set-in-stone stories in a way that drew inspiration from classic What Ifs, such as having Jane Foster become Thor, setting Nick Fury as an intergalactic guardian, or bringing Conan to the modern day.

Today, Marvel’s comics focus primarily on the ongoing stories in just a few main universes – typically 616, sometimes Ultimate, and then a few bespoke realities like Marvel Zombies. Without a line of comics comparable to DC’s Elseworlds or Black Label, What If remains the place to read one-shot stories that explore different possibilities for Marvel’s iconic heroes.

Where to Start Reading What If?

The great thing about Marvel’s What If is that every issue is a jumping-on point! That’s because there is no ongoing continuity to these stories (with very rare exceptions), which each tend to branch from a specific story or decision in main Marvel comic.

What If? is the definition of a series where you can start reading anywhere – if any “What If” question in this guide looks interesting to you, you should start there. That said, here are a few classic and modern What If stories that might be fun to sample first.

Click to expand a list of where to start with What If?

FAQ: What is What If? (and other Frequently Asked Questions)

Do you have questions about Marvel’s What If comics? I’ve got answers! If you don’t see your question answered below just leave me a comment below with your question and I’ll help you figure out the answer.

Click to expand a list of FAQs

What If? Reading Order

What If? (1977) #1-47 (Feb 1977 – Oct 1984)

[Marvel Unlimited]

in omnibus oversize hardcover…What If? (1977) #1

What If? The Original Marvel Series Omnibus Vol. 1 (2021 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302929930 / digital)
Collects (1977) #1-2, 14-15, & 17-22. I have confirmed in the actual book that this omits issues #13 (due to Conan) and #16 (due to Fu Manchu).

What If? The Original Marvel Series Omnibus Vol. 2 (2022 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302931339 / digital)
Collects (1977) #23-38, 40-42, & 44-47. Contains 2nd story from issue #43, “Behold.” This omits issue #39 and the A-Story from #43 (both featuring Conan).

in a series of four “Complete Collection” paperbacks…

#1-12: What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302916114 / digital)

#14-15 & 17-23: What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 2 (2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302920593 / digital)
This omits issues #13 (due to Conan) and #16 (due to Fu Manchu).

#24-35: What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 3 (2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1302922740 / digital)

#36-38, 40-42, & 44-47: What If? Classic: The Complete Collection Vol. 4 (2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1302922863 / digital)
Contains 2nd story from issue #43, “Behold.” This omits issue #39 and the A-Story from #43 (both featuring Conan).

in a series of seven slim “Classic” paperbacks…

#1-6: What If? Classic, vol. 1 (2004 paperback, ISBN 978-0785117025 / digital)

#7-12: What If? Classic, vol. 2 (2005 paperback, ISBN 978-0785118435 / digital)

#14-15 & 17-20: What If? Classic, vol. 3 (2006 paperback / digital)
This omits issues #13 (due to Conan) and #16 (due to Fu Manchu).

#21-26: What If? Classic, vol. 4 (2007 paperback, ISBN 978-0785127383 / digital)

#27-32: What If? Classic, vol. 5 (2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785130864 / digital)

#33-38: What If? Classic, vol. 6 (2009?? paperback, ISBN 978-0785137535 / digital)

#40-42 & 44-47: What If? Classic, vol. 7 (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785153115 / digital)
Only contains the 2nd story from issue #43. This omits issue #39 and the A-Story from #43 (both featuring Conan).

as collected by story or single issue…

#1, 8, 24, 27-28, 32, 36: Best of What If? (1991 paperback, ISBN 978-0871358578)

#23-30 (back-up stories): These stories tell the canonical history of The Eternals and are routinely collected with their material. See Guide to Eternals.

For other collections – plus, the titular “What If” question of each issue – check out the following list! Note that sometimes the headline title on the cover differs from the actual story title within the issue, and this list refers to the latter.

Click to expand a list of issues.

What If? Special (1988) #1 AKA What If Iron Man Had Been a Traitor? (Jun 1988)

This issue was used as a pilot to test interest in relaunching What If, which Marvel did a year later.

#1: In the “Into the Multiverse, Vol. 1” omnibus, below.

What If…? (1989) #1-114 & -1 (Jul 1989 – Nov 1998)

[Marvel Unlimited]

in omnibus…What If (1989) #4

What If?: Into the Multiverse Omnibus, Vol. 1
(2023 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302946456 / digital)
Collects What If? (1988) #1, What If? (1989) #1-39, and Quasar (1989) #30 (plus material from Quasar (1989) #6). This book does include the Wolverine/Conan story from issue #16, as confirmed in a digital copy.

What If?: Into the Multiverse Omnibus, Vol. 2
(2024 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1302953881 / digital)
Collects (1989) #40-75.

What If?: Into the Multiverse Omnibus, Vol. 3
This is not yet announced, but when Marvel releases it it will contain (1989) #76-114

as collected by story or single issue…

For other collections – plus, the titular “What If” question of each issue – check out the following list! Note that sometimes the headline title on the cover differs from the actual story title within the issue, and this list refers to the latter.

Click to expand a list of issues.

What If? (2004) AKA What If… [various] (Feb 2005)

Marvel’s own taxonomy of this series is slightly confused – some of the issues are treated as part of a single 2004-2005 volume, while others are treated as one-shots. Notably, the X-Men one-shot was penned by Chris Claremont!

What If…?: Why Not? [Vol. 1] (2005 paperback, ISBN 978-0785115939 / digital)
Collects six “What If” one-shots:

  • What If… Aunt May Had Died Instead of Uncle Ben? (2004) #1 (Feb 2005) [MU]
  • What If… Dr. Doom Had Become the Thing? (2004) #1 (Feb 2005) [MU]
  • What If… General Ross Had Become the Hulk? (2004) #1 (Feb 2005) [MU]
  • What If… Jessica Jones Had Joined the Avengers? (2004) #1 (Feb 2005) [MU]
  • What If… Karen Page Had Lived? (2004) #1 (Feb 2005) [MU]
  • What If… Magneto and Professor X Had Formed the X-Men? (2004) #1 (Feb 2005) [MU]

The Jessica Jones one-shot written by Brian Bendis is also sometimes collected alongside his Alias (2001) series – see Guide to Jessica Jones. The Karen Page one-shot written by Brian Bendis is also routinely collected alongside his run on Daredevil (1998) – see Guide to Daredevil.

Wha…Huh? (2005) #1 (Aug 2005)

Not a true “If” series, this actually revisits Stan Lee’s classic work in a humorous vein. [Marvel Unlimited]

#1: Secret Wars Too (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302902117 / digital)
Collects Captain America: Who Won’t Wield the Shield? (2010) #1, Marvel: Now What?! (2013) #1, , Secret Wars Too (2016) #1, Shame Itself (2012) #1, Ultimate Civil War: Spider-Ham (2007) #1, Wha…Huh? (2005) #1, and material from Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration (2014) #1, Original Sins (2014) #5, World War Hulk: Front Line (2007) #2-5

What If? (2005) AKA What If? Featuring (2005) [various] (Feb 2006)

While these six one-shots each had an individual title and a unique indicia, in Marvel’s current taxonomy they are all considered to be a part of a single 2005 series. [Marvel Unlimited]

What If?: Mirror Mirror [Vol. 2] (2006 paperback, ISBN 978-0785119029 / digital)
Collects the following “What If, Featuring” issues released in February 2006:

  • What If? Featuring Captain America (2005) #1 (Feb 2006)
    AKA What If… Captain America Fought in the Civil War?
  • What If? Featuring Daredevil (2005) #1 (Feb 2006)
  • What If? Featuring Fantastic Four (2005) #1 (Feb 2006)
    AKA What If the Fantastic Four Were Cosmonauts?
  • What If? Featuring Submariner (2005) #1 (Feb 2006)
    AKA What If Prince Namor of Atlantis Grew Up on Land?
  • What If? Featuring Thor (2005) #1 (Feb 2006)
    AKA What If Thor was the Herald of Galactus?
  • What If? Featuring Wolverine (2005) #1 (Feb 2006)

The Wolverine one-shot written by Daniel Way is sometimes collected alongside his runs across Wolverine (2003) and Wolverine: Origins (2006) – see Guide to Wolverine, Logan.

What If? (2006) (Nov 2006 – Feb 2007)

Marvel continued their new annual tradition into a series of five one-shots, all focused on new spins on fresh stories told within the previous few years, except for Age of Apocalypse – which was already past its 10th anniversary.

What If?: Event Horizon [Vol. 3] (2007 paperback, IBSN 978-0785121831 / digital)

  • What If? Avengers Disassembled (2006) #1 (Nov 2006) [MU]
    AKA What if the Scarlet Witch Hadn’t Acted Alone?
  • What If? Spider-Man The Other (2006) #1 (Jan 2006) [MU]
    AKA What If Spider-Man Had Rejected the Spider?
  • What If? Wolverine Enemy of the State (2006) #1 (Jan 2007) [MU]
    AKA What If Wolverine Was Never Deprogrammed?
  • What If? X-Men Age of Apocalypse (2006) #1 (Feb 2007) [MU]
    AKA What If Legion Had Killed Xavier and Magneto?
  • What If? X-Men Deadly Genesis (2006) #1 (Feb 2007) [MU]
    AKA What If Xavier’s Second Team Had Survived?

The Age of Apocalypse one-shot is routinely collected with Age of Apocalypse material – see Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Age of Apocalypse.

What If? (2007) AKA 2007-2008 Event One-Shots

Marvel continues its new annual tradition into a series of five one-shots – four focused on events, and one on the classic Spider-Man vs. Wolverine Cold-War-era one-shot.

What If? Civil War [Vol. 4] (2008 paperback, ISBN 978-0785130369 / digital [single issues])

  • What If? Planet Hulk (2007) #1 (Dec 2007) [MU]
    Notably written by actual Planet Hulk scribe, Greg Pak.
  • What If? Annihilation (2007) #1 (Jan 2008) [MU]
  • What If? Civil War (2007) #1 (Feb 2008) [MU]
  • What If? Spider-Man vs. Wolverine (2008) #1 (Mar 2008) [MU]
  • What If? X-Men – Rise And Fall of the Shi’ar Empire (2008) #1 (Feb 2008) [MU]
    AKA What If Vulcan Gained the Power of the Phoenix?

The Planet Hulk one-shot written by Greg Pak is routinely collected with Planet Hulk material – see Guide to Hulk, Bruce Banner.

Hero Initiative: Mike Wieringo (2008) #1 (Aug 2008)
AKA What If This Was the Fantastic Four?

This charity issue has not been collected.

Artist Mike Wieringo had completed a handful of pages for a story with the “New” Fantastic Four before he passed away. This issue presents the full story, with art from Arthur Adams, Paul Renaud, Stuart Immonen, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis, David Williams, Sanford Greene, Humberto Ramos, Skottie Young, Mike Allred, and Barry Kitson.

What If? (2008) AKA 2008-2009 Event One-Shots: “What If?” [various]

While these one-shots each had an individual title and a unique indicia, in Marvel’s current taxonomy they are all considered to be a part of a single 2008 series. [Marvel Unlimited]

What If? Secret Wars [Vol. 5] (2009 paperback, ISBN 978-0785133414 / digital [single issues])

  • What If? Fallen Son (2008) #1 (Feb 2009)
  • What If?House of M (2009) #1 (Feb 2009)
  • What If? Newer Fantastic Four (2008) #1 (Feb 2009)
  • What If? Secret Wars (2008) #1 (Feb 2009)
  • What If? Spider-Man Back in Black (2008) #1 (Feb 2009)

The collection does not include the Mini-Marvels story from Newer Fantastic Four. These issues each include a chapter of a serialized back-up story, “What If the Runaways Became the Young Avengers?” That back-up is routinely collected alongside Runaways material – see Guide to Runaways.

What If? (2009) AKA 2009-2010 One-Shots

This series of one-shots ran in the final months of 2009, with early 2010 cover dates. They focused on a trio of major Marvel events, plus two famous runs that dealt with the death (and return) of popular characters.

What If? Secret Invasion [Vol. 6] (2010 paperback, ISBN 978-0785141099 / digital)

  • What If? Spider-Man: House of M (2009) #1 (Jan 2010) [MU]
    Features a pair of a stories branching from the already-alternate-reality of House of M.
  • What If? Astonishing X-Men (2009) #1 (Feb 2010) [MU]
    Features a pair of stories with Joss Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men team, one focused on Jean Grey and the other on Danger.
  • What If? Daredevil vs. Elektra (2009) #1 (Feb 2010) [MU]
    Story title: “What if Daredevil had died instead of Elektra and was then resurrected by The Hand?”
  • What If? Secret Invasion (2009) #1 (Feb 2010) [MU]
    Story: What if the Skrulls won during the Secret Invasion?
    Story: What if the Secret Invasion stayed secret?
  • What If? World War Hulk (2009) #1 (Feb 2010) [MU]
    Story: What if the heroes lost World War Hulk?
    Story: What if Thor participated in World War Hulk?

What If? (2010) AKA 2010-11 One-Shots

This series of one-shots did not feature “What If?” in the logo treatments on their cover. Instead, they all featured the question in the corner box, and then ran the main well-known logo of their character or series. That leaves them in a curious place when it comes to Marvel’s official taxonomy – as in every case their issue indicia doesn’t line up with their cover treatments.

The first four of these issues included a back-up story, “What If: The Venom Symbiote Possessed Deadpool?”

What If? Dark Avengers [Vol. 7] (2011 paperback, ISBN 978-0785152781 / digital)
Collects the following “What If?” issues released in February 2011.

  • What If? Dark Reign (2010) #1 (Feb 2011) [MU]
    There is no main story title. Also includes a back-up,
  • Iron Man: Demon in an Armor (2010) #1 (Feb 2011) [MU]
    Story Title: “What If Tony Stark Had Become Dr. Doom?”
  • What If? Spider-Man (2010) #1 (Feb 2011) AKA What If? Spider-Man: Grim Hunt (2010) #1 [MU]
    Story Title: “What If Spider-Man Killed Kraven the Hunter?”
  • What If? Wolverine: Father (2010) #1 (Feb 2011) [MU]
  • What If? 200 (2010) #1 AKA What If? (2010) #200 (Feb 2011) [MU]
    Main Story: What If Norman Osborn Won the Siege of Asgard?
    Back-Up Story: What If I, The Watcher, Killed Galactus?

Venom / Deadpool: What If? (2011) #1 reprints back-up stories from these issues, and the combined tale is sometimes collected with their series from this period – see Guide to Venom and Guide to Deadpool.

The primary story in What If? Wolverine: Father (2011) #1 written by Rob Williams is collected alongside his Daken series from that period – See Guide to Wolverine, Daken (eventually).

Marvel: Now What?! (2013) #1 (Oct 2013)

A humorous one-shot released in the first year of Marvel Now. This isn’t a traditional “If?” though it does explore a few alternate possibilities. [Marvel Unlimited]

#1: Secret Wars Too (2016 paperback, ISBN 978-1302902117 / digital)
Collects Captain America: Who Won’t Wield the Shield? (2010) #1, Marvel: Now What?! (2013) #1, , Secret Wars Too (2016) #1, Shame Itself (2012) #1, Ultimate Civil War: Spider-Ham (2007) #1, Wha…Huh? (2005) #1, and material from Marvel 75th Anniversary Celebration (2014) #1, Original Sins (2014) #5, World War Hulk: Front Line (2007) #2-5

What If? Avengers vs. X-Men (2013) #1-4 (Sep 2013)

This mini-series by Jimmy Palmiotti and Jorge Molina explores and alternate version of the 2012 Avengers vs. X-Men event, where Hope inherits the Phoenix Force under the guidance of Magneto. [Marvel Unlimited]

#1-4: What If? AvX (2013 paperback, ISBN 978-0785183945 / digital)

What If? Age of Ultron (2014) #1-5 (Jun 2014)

This mini-series by Joe Keatinge and Raffaele Ienco explores an alternate version of the 2013 Age of Ultron event, where Wasp had been preemptively assassinated by Wolverine rather than Hank Pym. [Marvel Unlimited]

#1-5: What If? Age of Ultron (2014 paperback, ISBN 978-0785190547 / digital)

Secret Wars [various] (2015)

The 2015 Secret Wars event is effectively one giant What If universe made up of a patchwork of various one-off realities. See Guide to Marvel Universe Events – Secret Wars (2015) for a list of series and collections.

What If? Infinity (2015) [various] (Dec 2015)What If? Infinity (2015) Inhumans #1

A series of one-shots written by Joshua Williamson imagining different scenarios related to the Infinity Gauntlet and the 2013 Infinity linewide event. These issues did not feature a titular question on the front cover, but still had question story titles on the interior of the issues.

What If? Infinity (2016 paperback [not on Amazon US], ISBN 978-0785193142 / digital)
Collects the following “What If? Infinity” issues released in December 2015:

  • What If? Infinity Dark Reign (2015) #1 (Dec 2015) [MU]
    AKA What if the Green Goblin Stole the Infinity Gauntlet?
  • What If? Infinity Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) #1 (Dec 2015) [MU]
    AKA What if Guardians of the Galaxy Tried to Free Thanos?
  • What If? Infinity Inhumans (2015) #1 (Dec 2015) [MU]
    What if Black Bolt Betrayed Earth?
  • What If? Infinity Thanos (2015) #1 (Dec 2015) [MU]
    AKA What if Thanos Joined the Avengers?
  • What If? Infinity X-Men (2015) #1 (Dec 2015) [MU]
    AKA What if the X-Men Were the Sole Survivors of Infinity?

2017-2018 “True Believers” Reprints

In 2017 and 2018, Marvel produced a number of “True Believers” reprints of issues from the 1977 and 1989 series.

  • True Believers: What If Avengers Fought Evil During 1950s – Reprints (1977) #9
  • True Believers: What If Conan the Barbarian Walked the Earth Today? – Reprints (1977) #13
  • True Believers: What If Dr. Doom Had Become A Hero? – Reprints (1977) #22
  • True Believers: What If Jane Foster Had Found the Hammer of Thor? – Reprints (1977) #10
  • True Believers: What If Kraven The Hunter Had Killed Spider-Man? – Reprints (1989) #17
  • True Believers: What If Legion Had Killed Magneto? – Reprints (1989) #77
  • True Believers: What If Silver Surfer Possessed The Infinity Gauntlet? – Reprints (1989) #49
  • True Believers: What If Spider-Man Had Rescued Gwen Stacy? – Reprints (1977) #24
  • True Believers: What If The Alien Costume Had Possessed Spider-Man? – Reprints (1989) #4
  • True Believers: What If The Fantastic Four Had Different Super-Powers? – Reprints (1977) #6
  • True Believers: What If The Fantastic Four Had Not Gained Their Powers? – Reprints (1977) #36

What If? (2018) [various] (Oct 2018)

What If? Magik (2018) #1

A series of October 2018 one-shots re-imagining their heroes with vastly different missions and powers.

What If? With Great Power (2019 paperback, ISBN 978-1302916152 / digital)
Collects the following “What If?” issues released in October 2018:

  • What If? Ghost Rider (2018) #1 (Oct 2018) [MU]
    • Cover titled “What If Marvel Comics Went Metal?”
    • This follows a Nordic Black Metal band from the “real world” as they visit the Marvel Universe
  • What If? Magik (2018) #1 (Oct 2018) [MU]
    • Cover titled “What If Magik Became Sorcerer Supreme.”
  • What If? The Punisher (2018) #1 (Oct 2018) [MU]
    • Cover titled “What If Peter Parker Became The Punisher?”
  • What If? Spider-Man (2018) #1 (Oct 2018) [MU]
    • Cover titled “What If Flash Thompson Became Spider-Man?”
  • What If? Thor (2018) #1 (Oct 2018) [MU]
  • Cover titled “What If Thor Was Raised by Frost Giants?”
  • What If? X-Men (2018) #1 (Oct 2018) [MU]
    • Cover titled “What If The X-Men Were… [computer error]?”
    • This imagines the X-Men as a group of digital vigilantes in a virtual reality world.

Though not collected together, the Magik issue connects to speculative Doctor Strange: The End (2020) #1, which is by the same creative team.

What If…? Dark (2023) [various] (Jul – Nov 2023)

These one-shots saw a few legendary creators returning to their classic characters, including Walt Simonson to Loki, Gerry Conway to Spider-Gwen, and Marv Wolfman to Tomb of Dracula.

What If…? Dark (2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302953263 / digital)
Collects the following “What If…? Dark:” issues from the second half of 2023:

    • What If…? Loki (2023) #1 (Jul 2023) [MU]
    • What If…? Spider-Gwen (2023) #1 (Jul 2023) [MU]
    • What If…? Moon Knight (2023) #1 (Aug 2023) [MU]
    • What If…? Venom (2023) #1 (Aug 2023) [MU]
    • What If…? Carnage (2023) #1 (Sep 2023) [MU]
    • What If…? Tomb of Dracula (2023) #1 (Nov 2023) [MU]

Aliens: What If? (2024) #1-5

A mini-series co-written by actor Paul Reiser, Carter Burke in the original Alien.

Aliens: What If? (2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302946586 / digital)

What If…? Venom (2024) #1-5

A series following a number of alternate Venoms – She-Hulk, Wolverine, Doctor Strange, Loki, and Moon Knight.

What If…? Venom (2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1302957384 / digital)

What If…? Galactus Transformed [various] (Jan 2025)

A series following a number of alternate heralds of Galactus – Hulk, Rogue, Gambit, Spider-Gwen, and Moon Knight. Note that the actual issues are titled “What If…? Galactus Transformed [character]”

What If…? Galactus [Transformed…] (2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1302964504 / digital TBA)

Didn’t find what you were looking for?
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