7 Horrific What If…? Stories To Read This Halloween

by

The What If…? series lets Marvel fans explore alternate versions of their favorite stories, imagining how things could have changed if key events unfolded differently. Some of these stories are lighthearted and surprising, while others are genuinely frightening, depicting truly terrible outcomes. What makes the series especially compelling is that each story is considered official Marvel canon, meaning these alternate realities could potentially be revisited in future comics – even the ones with tragic or devastating endings, featuring the deaths of heroes, permanent transformations, and world-altering events.

Marvel Comics has some truly terrifying ‘What If…?’ stories, ranging from heroes causing the planet’s destruction to fan-favorite characters transforming into monstrous beings. Here’s a look at the most frightening ones.

7) What If… Beast and Thing Continued To Mutate

In the Marvel comic What If…? Vol. 1 #37, two stories stood out: “What If The Thing Had Continued To Mutate?” and “What If The Beast Had Truly Become A Beast?” The first story began with a situation from Marvel Two-in-One where The Thing was changing, and Captain America and Giant-Man tried to help him find a cure. But in this alternate version, Thing left before they could, and transformed into a terrifying monster. Eventually, he did turn back into a human and had a happy life, but not before giving readers a seriously frightening experience.

The character Beast first appeared in Amazing Adventures Vol. 2 #11, where an experiment turned him blue and furry. This story explores what would happen if that same experiment also turned him into a wild, uncontrollable Beast. In a fit of rage, he nearly killed his friend Angel. Unlike the outcome of Thing’s story, Beast never found a way to reverse the transformation, but he did find a place to live freely in the Savage Land. While Thing’s story focused on physical horror, Beast’s was more heartbreaking, as he lost his intelligence along with his original form.

6) What If… The Marvel Super Heroes Had Lost Atlantis Attacks?

The comic book issue called What If… The Marvel Super Heroes Had Lost Atlantis Attacks? was originally part of a larger story, “What If… Set Had Come to Earth?” This issue, What If…? Vol. 1 #25, explored what might have happened if Earth’s heroes, including the Avengers, had failed to stop Atlantis from invading, and the Egyptian god Set had arrived.

This story is a dark, end-of-the-world scenario from the What If…? series, where nearly all of Marvel’s heroes and villains perish. It begins with Quasar being banished and Namor dying in an explosion. The villain Set’s demons then devour The Thing and destroy Doctor Strange. As more and more heroes fall, it seems like no one can win. Though a few heroes remain to fight, they aren’t powerful enough to defeat Set and the demonic brides he selects to have his children.

5) What If… the Hulk Went Berserk?

The Hulk has famously lost control many times in Marvel comics. He’s caused massive destruction – like when he defeated the Illuminati and then turned himself in – and even transformed into the villainous Maestro in alternate realities. But a unique take on his origin appeared in 1984 with the release of What If… Hulk Went Berzerk? #45. This story explored a different path, imagining what would have happened if the Hulk hadn’t rescued Rick Jones from the initial gamma bomb explosion.

In this alternate reality, Banner failed to protect Rick, and they were both caught in an explosion. They both lived, but the explosion gave Hulk the ability to read Rick’s mind. When General Ross orders Rick to be tortured in an attempt to control Hulk, Rick dies. Devastated by the loss of his only friend, Hulk goes on a rampage, seeking revenge against the military. This leads to a heartbreaking series of events, claiming the lives of many heroes and ultimately ending in tragedy for Hulk as well.

4) What If… Wolverine Was Lord Of The Vampires?

It’s funny that the X-Men have so many “What If… ?” stories, considering they already frequently appear in alternate universes within their regular comics. One such story, in What If…? Vol. 1 #24, imagined Wolverine becoming a vampire lord. The main X-Men comic, issue #159, featured a battle against Count Dracula where the team saved Storm. Storm actually broke free from Dracula’s control and helped defeat him, but the What If…? story explored what would have happened if she hadn’t been able to.

In this alternate reality, Dracula defeated Storm and transformed her into a vampire. He then turned Wolverine, Colossus, and Nightcrawler, but Wolverine’s strong will allowed him to kill Dracula and become the new vampire leader. Wolverine immediately converted his fellow mutants and launched a global conquest. The story was a terrifying horror comic, depicting vampire mutants ruthlessly killing everything in their path, with only the Punisher and the spirit of Doctor Strange left to oppose them. The ending was satisfying, providing a perfect conclusion to the frightening tale.

3) What If… The Avengers Had Become Pawns Of Korvac?

Issue #32 of What If…? Vol 1 explored an alternate scenario titled What If The Avengers Had Become Pawns of Korvac. This story connects to The Korvac Saga storyline in Avengers #167-177, which originally saw Korvac destroy and then revive the Avengers through a selfless act. This alternate version asks what might have happened if Korvac’s wife had agreed with his choices, leading him down a different, potentially darker, path.

The story was a terrifying ordeal, as Korvac seized control and even erased Doctor Strange, Phoenix, and Silver Surfer from existence. He then compelled the Avengers to become his soldiers, pitting them against cosmic entities like the Watcher, Galactus, and Eternity. In the end, the Watcher declared this the most frightening reality he’d ever seen, as Korvac ultimately destroyed everything that existed.

2) What If… Dracula Transformed Blade Into A Vampire

This was a unique spin-off comic, leaning heavily into the horror genre. What made it so good was the writing of Marv Wolfman, known for his success with the classic horror title, Tomb of Dracula. Released to celebrate Blade’s 50th anniversary, the story explored a chilling ‘What If…?’ scenario: what if Dracula had fully transformed Blade into a vampire?

In What If…? Dark: Tomb of Dracula #1, Dracula transformed Blade into a vampire, but just like with Wolverine, he discovered he couldn’t control Blade even after the transformation. Despite becoming a vampire, Blade retained the help of his allies, though their trust was shaken. They agreed to assist him in defeating Dracula and ending his own undead existence. This comic was a truly frightening horror story, featuring dark and violent imagery, and marked a welcome return to classic horror themes for Marvel, thanks to writer Wolfman and artist David Cutler.

1) What If… Phoenix Had Not Died?

One of the most chilling issues of the original Marvel What If…? series was published in 1981 as issue #27, titled What If Phoenix Had Not Died. It imagined an alternate outcome to The Dark Phoenix Saga, where Jean Grey survived. Instead of sacrificing herself to save the X-Men from the Imperial Guard, the Shi’ar found a way to contain the Phoenix Force within her. However, this process stripped away everything that gave Jean Grey her power.

Surprisingly, the Shi’ar turned to the X-Men for assistance when Galactus threatened their world. Later, when Terrax attempted to kill Cyclops, Jean Grey once again awakened the Phoenix Force. Unfortunately, she ultimately lost control, obliterating an entire galaxy, and after killing Kitty Pryde, there was no hope of recovery. This demonstrated the immense danger and destructive potential of the Phoenix, validating the Shi’ar’s original concerns. It was a grim lesson for those following the story.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

https://comicbook.com/comics/list/battleworld-and-marvels-most-broken-multiverse-earths-ranked/embed/#

Read More

2025-10-24 22:43