The following article contains spoilers for the What If…? series.

The entire premise behind the What If…? comic books is something that at times seems almost taken straight out of fan fiction, putting Marvel’s famous heroes in twisted, unlikely, and yet entirely plausible scenarios, thus leading to the creation of different heroes, but also new villains as well.

On the face of it, the idea leads to some rather funny situations like Yondu’s henchmen taking T’Challa instead of Peter Quill to become Star-Lord, however, other stories like this week's Doctor Strange episode have a far darker tone to them. This should not be too surprising for MCU followers familiar with Marvel Comics lore, because the What If…? series actually tends to feature mostly bad endings or outcomes for which writers don’t have to stick with the usual superhero trope nor any of that hero’s journey archetype.

RELATED: Marvel Cosplayer Nails Nebula's Look From Guardians Of The Galaxy

What is most interesting is thinking of how thin the line is between heroism and outright villainy or, at the very best, an incredibly misguided use of power (Uncle Ben’s lessons on responsibility still hold up to this day). For example, in the first Iron Man movie, Tony Stark is confronted with the sad reality that his inventions and weaponry were being used for the worst purpose possible, so it really isn’t that hard to imagine Stark becoming more like Justin Hammer at some point with the right mix of nexus events.

Iron Man Tony Stark eating donuts at sunset What If...?

For Disney Plus’ What If…? animated series, Iron Man will star in one of its most interesting changes of heart, having Erik Killmonger become Black Panther. Michael B. Jordan’s performance as Killmonger instantly made him one of the MCU’s best villains and part of the reason why is that, at its heart, what drives him to fight and antagonize his cousin T’Challa are somewhat relatable motives and goals, even if carried out in a reprehensible way.

MCU Killmonger is an orphaned child who grew up seeing the hardships people like him were subjected to, while his Wakandan blood relatives enjoyed a life filled with prosperity and innovation. It’s precisely this worldview and facing the pain of his own family that in the end drives T’Challa towards opening up Wakanda to the rest of the world in Black Panther, doing away with hundreds of years of tradition.

Killmonger and the dark Doctor Strange Supreme are proof that no one is inherently good or bad, but instead that their character is strengthened or led to certain goals depending on the circumstances surrounding them. The Darker Doctor Strange who wants to save his beloved Christine isn’t as much a villain as he is amoral, he simply does away from the teachings of the Ancient One and Obeng’s advice out of his own arrogance leading to think he’s above the naturals laws that govern Marvel’s Multiverse.

Thanos T'Challa Yondu and Korath drinking

Thanos's case is perhaps even more interesting since the purple titan retains all of his genocidal theories and impulses, yet out of the nature of simply encountering T’Challa Star-Lord (and possibly a different childhood), he chooses to live a normal life as a space bounty hunter with Yondu’s ravagers. When Avengers: Infinity War was released, countless articles were written about Thanos’s relatively rational worries about resource insufficiency, overpopulation, and suffering, all of which are -to some extent- real-life problems humans have to deal with.

This wavering characterization is not even exclusive to What If…?, as WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier also showcased how the actions and experiences of super-powered individuals can lead to having a foggy vision of what's right or not. In the Scarlet Witch’s case, her depressive state and deep grief caused her to be become a threat to national security and that of many universes even if she wasn’t aware of it, a plot device that could be reused in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness if Wanda Maximoff turned out to be a villain.

As for former Captain America turned U.S. Agent John Walker, the path is quite similar. An exemplary and upstanding individual for his entire life, a true American hero who only wanted to follow the steps of Steve Rogers, ends up becoming an antihero due to his inability to cope with the trauma that his own heroic path gave him.

Dark Zombie Captain America in What If...?

The only person who would appear to be exempt from any type of inner moral debates with himself would be Steve Rogers, who even without any superpowers is virtuous enough to fight side by side with his sweetheart Captain Carter. Of course, as What If…?’s trailers have shown, even then there’s still the option of triggering a zombie apocalypse clause on Rogers as a definitive way to turn Cap into an evil being.

Marvel’s best villains have consistently proven to be those that are not evil for the sake of being evil, but those with many layers of complexity to their character and choices, and it’s precisely that composition that allows for any of its heroes to be instilled with enough experiences to cause them to turn to the dark side. Remarkable people indeed they are, but What If…? -just like the Snyder Cut’s Knightmare Superman- is the perfect way to show that any of Marvel’s finest can crack if something goes terribly wrong.

MORE: Marvel Fan Shows Off Incredible Black Cat Cosplay