Let me first say this: Every comic story matters if you loved it, regardless of whether it’s ever referenced again or whether it’s even still in-continuity. ‘Course, some of them come back around, which can be especially entertaining when it comes to the alternate universes of ‘What If?’. Welcome to Ten Things!
Whooshman-Bicarbonate Films, in conjunction with ‘An Amateur Comics Historian’ and Uatu The Watcher, Presents:
TEN ‘WHAT IF?’ STORIES THAT MATTERED!
10) “WHAT IF THE INVADERS NEVER DISBANDED?” – VOL. 1 #4
An oddity from the beginning as it was explicitly part of the mainstream Marvel Universe, the fourth issue of ‘What If?’ gave us a story that was less “alternate universe” than “quiet retcon”, dealing with a slight continuity oddity of years past. The oddity? When Captain America was revived back in the ’60s, his story was given an ending point chronologically BEFORE the adventures of Captain America ended in the actual Golden Age issues. This ‘What If?’ takes place in between the freezing of Steve Rogers and the retirement of Captain America, as patriotic hero The Spirit of ’76 took over the role. When he tragically fell in battle, with a third red-white-and-blue hero, The Patriot, took up the role until the end of the ’40s. (Another Captain America had been previously created to explain the 1950s Communist-smashing adventures of Cap, thus finally explaining the entirety of the missing years of Captain America’s career.)
