The MCU is full of complex stories of its huge roster of heroes. However, the original comics are even more elaborate, since they have been around for decades. All important superheroes have several versions of their origin stories, since their lives have been updated as time progressed. Combine this with the What If...? comic book series, and the end result can be somewhat chaotic.
The Disney+ show What If...? draws inspiration from the comics to a certain degree, but it also offers its own spin on the already established stories. As a result, even people who watched the entire first season can be surprised to learn how similar themes can be used differently in the comics and on the show.
7 The Avengers Never Got Together
In the rather drastic third episode, all of the presumed original Avengers die (with the exception of Captain America), are killed by the grief-stricken Hank Pym. However, that's not the only reason the Avengers might not form. In the comics, the issue What If...? #3 plays with the idea of the Avengers not getting together as a team.
Iron Man does his best to keep the team together, but Thor, Ant-Man, and Wasp decide it's not for them and leave. They don't come back even when Namor and Hulk decide to work together and fight the Avengers. So Iron Man has to take the duo alone, only with the help of Rick Jones.
It's understandable why the show worked with a different scenario, since both Namor and Rick Jones haven't made it into the MCU just yet. Nevertheless, it's an intriguing alternate version of events.
6 Doctor Strange Works For Dormammu
All comic book readers know Doctor Strange as the hero. So when What If...? introduced a darker version of him, it came as a surprise. That's not the first time something like this happened, though. In another What If? comic, Doctor Strange didn't master his art thanks to this Ancient One, but learned from Dormammu instead after his fateful accident. He began working for Dormammu and tried to get as much power as possible, and even got his hands on the Eye of Agamotto. The Ancient One realized the threat and formed a team that fought Dormammu, Strange, and his evil disciples.
Seeing a corrupted Doctor Strange can be a shock at first, but it's still a fascinating read. This story from the comics shows how little it can take for a person to become someone completely, a villain instead of a hero.
5 Marvel Zombies
One episode of What If...? was dedicated to the idea of Marvel zombies, but this particular storyline is much complex in the comics. It produced multiple books, so anybody intrigued by the idea as it was presented on the show can look up further stories.
It's also interesting to compare the show's version and the comic book story, since it's similar in some ways but different in others. For example, the former hero who keeps Black Panther chained and has him as a living snack isn't Vision in the comics, but Hank Pym instead.
4 Hulk Is Smart
Even though this story isn't connected to What If...?, it's still linked closely to the MCU. Long before he showed up on the screen, the professor Hulk — that is, the Hulk with Bruce Banner's intelligence — had already appeared in the comics.
However, while the result was the same in the film and the comics, the story itself was very different. In the comics, the Hulk merged with Professor X, rather than working on dealing with his rage on his own. Considering Charles Xavier hasn't appeared in the MCU (yet), it makes sense that the films changed Professor Hulk's origins.
3 Jane Foster Becomes Thor
Jane Foster did make her appearance in What If...? but she didn't become Thor — yet. This destiny awaits her in the upcoming live-action movie Thor: Love and Thunder, once again directed by Taika Waititi.
However, for readers who are eager to learn more about the scenario of Jane Foster as Thor, there's a selection of comics to choose from. The original what-if story is simply called What if Jane Foster Had Found the Hammer of Thor?. There's also a longer series titles The Mighty Thor, which develops this idea further and shows Jane's new life as a superhero in greater detail.
2 Ultron Is Too Powerful
Ultron is one of the most powerful Marvel villains, despite the fact that the Avengers did manage to defeat him in Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). But as the first season of What If...? showed, it's not always a given that the good guys will win.
Fans who want to learn more about the implications of Ultron's victory can look out for the book What If? Age of Ultron. This collection of five stories each focus on a different aspect of Ultron's existence. One of the stories sees Ultron killing almost everyone on Earth — which sounds like something Ultron would eventually do in the MCU movies, if ever given the chance.
1 Steve Rogers Never Was Frozen
The first episode of What If...? presented a brand new reality in which Peggy Carter became the new Captain America and was frozen instead of Steve Rogers. The comics present with a similar idea, albeit this time it's still Rogers who's Captain America, not Carter.
Since he never got frozen, Captain America continues living in his original time and goes on to become a new director of S.H.I.E.L.D. after Nick Fury's death. It's interesting to imagine this is what the pre-serum Steve Rogers could have done after Peggy's disappearance in What If...? as well.