Wolverine Files AW01: Alternate Universes

AW01 - Alternate Universes

Bryan Hitch and Joe Rubenstein, What If? (Vol. 2) #59.

The Marvel Universe has long featured alternate universes, future timelines and stories that do not fit in the traditional Marvel Universe. But unlike most fictional realms, Marvel explains why these seemingly contradictory stories can coexist alongside the classic Marvel Universe.

What If? #1 (Feb 1977) – “What If Spider-Man Had Joined the Fantastic Four?”

Writer: Roy Thomas; Penciler: Jim Craig; Inker: Pablo Marcos

The Watcher, a being who observes all that transpires on Earth from a secret base on the Moon, states, “Since time out of mind, I have observed the rise and fall of civilizations – of worlds – of galaxies. I know all that is – most that has been – and much of what will be. I have also many windows into the strange parallel worlds of what might have been. For, none save a Watcher can truly know what could have happened – but for the invisible workings of an incomprehensible fate… There are worlds within worlds – and worlds which exist side by side with your own, separated from it only by the thinnest web of cosmic gossamer… There exist even alternative versions of Earth's future...” With that, writer Roy Thomas set the stage for a series of What If? stories that explore paths not taken in the primary Marvel Universe. As Roy Thomas noted in the back of the first issue, “…these stories are ones which actually do take place – not in our dimension or time continuum, but in worlds coexisting alongside ours, of which there are theoretically untold billions. They're as real, in their own way, as any of the parallel-world stories which have appeared in Fantastic Four , Avengers , or anywhere else.”

Paradise X: Heralds #1 (Dec 2001) – “Chapter One”

Plotter: Jim Krueger and Alex Ross; Scripter: Jim Krueger; Artist: Steve Pugh

X-51, the superhero known as Machine Man, explains in a future timeline of the Marvel Universe that the being known as Mephisto, “…created a roadblock of sorts in linear time... with a detour that sent time back in an ongoing series of cycles, creating alternative worlds and histories which eventually allowed him to escape what he perceived to be the end of history.” Interesting conjecture, but only that, since this theory is posited from a future alternate timeline that we will refer to as Earth X.

The Daredevils #7 (Jul 1977) – “Rough Justice”

Writer: Alan Moore; Artist: Alan Davis

In the Supreme Omniversal Tribunal, the Earth of our Marvel Comics Universe is referred to as Earth 616. While other parallel worlds are given their own reference numbers (238, 523, 920 and later 305, 741, 744), none of the alternative realities covered within The Wolverine Files were referenced.

For the sake of readability, I will attempt (for the most part) to list the alternate universes in the order in which they diverge with or impact Wolverine's chronology and designate them with an Earth-numeric directly from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Alternate Universes 2005 . In the instances where there are no official Earth-numerics, I have attempted to supply one based on the implied methods used in the official handbook.

Tony Harris, What If: Wolverine #1.

Earth 602

What If: Wolverine #1 (Feb 2006) – “Public Enemy Number One”

Writer: Daniel Way; Artist: Jon Proctor

In a parallel world discovered by Hector Espejo, a teenage hacker nicknamed “The Watcher," we learn of a biographical novel written by Matteo DiPriggia in the 1940s. In it we find Logan in Rat Portage, Ontario in the spring of 1926 trading furs. Logan is told he has a son from a tryst with a prostitute. The bar owner, the legendarily tough Gerard, offers to take her and the child in if Logan will run his bar. Gerard, it seems, is quite ill, and has agreed to sell bootleg whiskey to the Chicago mob to pay for his treatments. The next day, the bar is burned down, the whisky destroyed and everyone killed, including Logan’s son and his son’s mother. With his last breath, Gerard tells Logan that a mob boss known as Scarface was responsible. Before long Logan is in Chicago looking for Scarface, but after asking too many questions, Logan is beaten up by Scarface’s enforcers. A street thief, Matteo, saves Logan’s life and, for a price, tells him how to find Scarface, acquiring several items Logan needs for his plan. Sneaking into the Metropolis Hotel, Logan turns up the boilers and barricades the basement, giving him time to climb to the top floor while the patrons flee, mistaking the increased heat for an impending fire. As Logan moves to confront Scarface, a large group of Chicago’s finest attacks him, beating him unconscious. When Logan awakes, he is handcuffed in the presence of Scarface, revealed to be Dog from Wolverine: The Origin. Just as Dog threatens to kill Logan, Logan reveals that he set a bomb in the basement. In an instant, the building is destroyed and Scarface killed. Days later, Logan emerges unscathed, ready to clean up the city with the help of Matteo.

Ron Randall and Art Nichols, What If? (Vol. 2) #62.

Earth 9406

What If? (Vol. 2) #62 (Jun 1994) – “What If Logan Battled Weapon X?”

Writer: Kurt Busiek; Penciler: Ron Randall; Inker: Art Nichols

Instead of being knocked unconscious and taken to Experiment X (see 015: Weapon X, the Origin), Logan staves off his attackers at the rural bar in the Yukon . As the Watcher puts it, “This is another world. An alternate reality where possibility and chance saw things occur differently. …In the reality I view today, Logan never became Wolverine, never battled the Hulk, never joined the band of heroes known as the X-Men.” Guy Desjardins, ex-Canadian Mounted Police and ex-Canadian Marine, is the subject of Experiment X, and the result is a truly uncontrollable berserker warrior with malformed adamantium claws. Transferred to Dr. Hudson and his newly formed superhero group, the Flight, Weapon X goes berserk and kills scores of Canadian Mounted Police in Kenora , Canada . When Logan arrives on the scene, he discovers that one of the Mounties was a close friend. Logan then pursues leads with Canadian Intelligence who are reticent to share information with an ex-agent. Logan finally strong-arms an old colleague who tips him off to Department H and discovers that Experiment X is responsible. Arriving at Experiment X headquarters, Logan realizes, much to his horror, that he was intended as the original subject. With information on Weapon X, Logan hunts him down in Calgary , just in time to witness Weapon X slaughtering the last member of the Flight, James Hudson. Armed to the teeth with guns, knives and a samurai sword, Logan engages Weapon X in a lengthy battle. Using his intellect instead of his animal instincts, Logan strips Weapon X of his cybernetic helmet and finally decapitates him with his samurai sword. Logan , badly wounded, escapes into the nearby river when the Canadian authorities give chase. Days later, Experiment X and Department H are shut down due to incriminating documents turned over to the press, courtesy of Logan .

Earth 5021

What If Magneto and Professor X Had Formed the X-Men Together #1 (Feb 2005)

Writer: Chris Claremont, Penciler: Tom Raney; Inker: Scott Hanna

After World War II, Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr (destined to become Magneto in most timelines) fight and defeat former Nazi Baron Strucker. It is here that Xavier and Lehnsherr part company in the primary Marvel continuity. But in this parallel world, Gabrielle Haller, a Holocaust survivor, convinces Lehnsherr to work with Xavier to create a better world. Over a period of years, the world does become a better place where mutants and humans peacefully coexist. But when we meet Logan , he possesses adamantium claws suggesting that he was still forced to endure the tortures of Experiment X. Logan works alongside Mystique stopping a caravan of trucks owned by Bolivar Trask, a well-known mutant hater. The driver pulls a shotgun and shoots both Mystique and Logan before launching five Sentinels from the trucks. Logan and Mystique recover quickly, destroy one of the Sentinels and head for Xavier's estate in Vermont . When they arrive, the four remaining Sentinels are battling Peter Rasputin (in his armored form) and Kitty Pryde. Logan , unfamiliar with Rasputin, asks Peter to throw him at one of the Sentinels (in a recreation of our Earth's “Fastball Special”), resulting in one crippled robot. Jean Grey, as Phoenix , explodes onto the scene, destroying all remaining Sentinels. Xavier then decides to build a mutant team of heroes to help build a brave new world, dubbing them the X-Men. As would be expected, Logan joins alongside Peter Rasputin, Mystique, Kitty Pryde, Jean Grey, Hank McCoy and a mutant known as Sage.

Earth 8221

What If? #31 (Feb 1982) – “What If Wolverine Had Killed the Hulk?”

Writer: Rich Margopoulos; Penciler: Bob Budiansky; Inker: Mike Esposito

In Wolverine's epic first battle with the Hulk, the fight ended in a stalemate (see 022: Department H's Weapon X). In this alternate world, “Wolverine decides to deliberately… kill the Hulk, not capture him.” Wolverine goes for the Hulk's neck and finds a vulnerable spot, hammering at it until the Hulk falls dead at his feet. That night, Logan celebrates at a local Quebec tavern and gets involved in a barroom brawl. When one of his opponents pulls a gun, Logan kills him with his claws. Realizing what he's done, Logan asks James Hudson, his superior at the Canadian military base, to protect him. Hudson informs him that he will need to face the civilian judicial system, and Logan , feeling betrayed, decides to run for it. Not sure where to turn, Logan is abducted by Magneto and offered membership in the Brotherhood. Logan grudgingly agrees and is sent to join the X-Men as a mole for Magneto. When Xavier accepts him, Wolverine joins the team consisting of Cyclops, Iceman, Angel and Marvel Girl. Wolverine soon proves to be an integral part of the team, helping the X-Men to defeat the Sentinels, but later that night, Wolverine disables Cerebro to allow Magneto to attack undetected. When Magneto appears as an astral projection in Wolverine's room shortly thereafter, Wolverine tells him to not touch Jean Grey or the deal's off. The following morning, Magneto and the Brotherhood attack, but when Magneto fires a steel plate at Marvel Girl, Wolverine throws himself in its path to protect her. Wolverine, now on the side of the X-Men, helps to defeat the Brotherhood, fatally eviscerating Magneto. Cyclops pulls Wolverine off, but Magneto uses his last ounce of power to take control of Wolverine's adamantium bones, killing Wolverine with his own claws. Professor Xavier provides Wolverine with a fitting epitaph, “Wolverine came among us an enemy – and died an X-Man.”

Rob Liefeld and Scot Williams, What If? (Vol. 2) #7.

Earth 8912

What If? (Vol. 2) #7 (Dec 1989) – “What If Wolverine Was an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

Writer: Jim Valentino; Penciler: Rob Liefeld; Inker: Scott Williams

Wolverine is approached by Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. after his battle with the Hulk in this parallel world to help root out LMDs (Life Model Decoys -- life-like androids) sent by the evil organization Hydra to infiltrate S.H.I.E.LD. Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier, Wolverine agrees to help and then proceeds to eviscerate Dum-Dum Dugan, Nick Fury's second-in-command, revealing him to be a Hydra LMD. Impressed, Fury sends Wolverine out with a Russian agent, Black Widow, to track down and destroy all LMDs aboard the Helicarrier. 45 minutes later, Wolverine and Black Widow return having decimated hundreds of LMDs and declaring the Helicarrier LMD-free. Shortly thereafter, Nick Fury leads Wolverine and Black Widow to the Hydra base where, after wiping out the Hydra defenses, they find Baron Strucker and Madame Hydra torturing the real Dum-Dum Dugan. Wolverine slices off Strucker's bionic arm, Black Widow knocks out Madame Hydra, and Nick Fury defeats Strucker in one-on-one combat. With the mission a success, Wolverine officially joins S.H.I.E.L.D. helping Nick Fury and Black Widow to take down evil mastermind Modok and his AIM organization. Soon Wolverine rises to the rank of Second-in-Command, an exalted position for one not born in the U.S. , fighting alongside the likes of Captain America . Later when Professor Xavier asks Wolverine to join the X-Men, Wolverine declines but offers to use S.H.I.E.L.D. resources to help the mutant cause. At the same time, Nick Fury is attacked and killed by Baron Strucker. At Fury's funeral, Dum-Dum Dugan informs Wolverine that the feisty Canadian will become the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., despite his nationality. Wolverine uses his authority to stop Steven Lang from re-creating the Sentinels, forestalling Jean Grey's transformation into the Phoenix. He further discredits Senator Robert Kelly and defeats the Mutant Registration Act, helping to teach mutants and humans to peacefully co-exist in this world.

Earth 9208

What If? (Vol. 2) #40 (Aug 1992) – “What If Storm of the X-Men Had Remained a Thief?”

Writer: Ann Nocenti; Penciler: Steve Carr & Deryl Skeleton; Inker: Joe Rubinstein

Storm is never asked by Professor Xavier to join the new X-Men in this reality because of career as a thief. When the X-Men (consisting of Wolverine, Cyclops, Colossus and Nightcrawler) come searching for Storm's mentor, the thief Herman Hassel, Storm attacks the X-Men. Storm holds her own in the battle, electrocuting Wolverine with a lightning bolt. When Xavier calms down the situation, she decides to return to Africa to find her roots.

Earth 9807

What If? (Vol. 2) #110 (Jul 1998) – “Family Ties”

Writer: Bill Rosemann; Penciler: Melvin Rubi; Inker: Rob Hunter

In this alternate world, Piotr Rasputin's sister Illyana is killed by a tractor while Piotr meets with Professor Xavier about joining the new X-Men. Piotr remains in the Soviet Union as Xavier recruits the rest of his new X-Men, including Wolverine. During the X-Men's battle with Proteus (a mutant who can alter reality and possess other beings), Proteus possesses Phoenix , becoming all-powerful. Wolverine attempts to kill Proteus/Phoenix but fails in his attempt. As Proteus/Phoenix defeats Cyclops and Nightcrawler, the Soviet Super-Soldiers (including Colossus) arrive. Amid much melodrama, Professor Xavier convinces Proteus to take possession of his body allowing Colossus to end the threat by killing Professor Xavier with Proteus inside of him.

Earth 9001

What If? (Vol. 2) #9 (Jan 1990) – “What If the X-Men Died on Their First Mission ?”

Writer: Roy Thomas; Penciler: Rich Buckler; Inker: Sam Delarosa

Professor Xavier creates the new X-Men team much the way he did on Earth 616, but in the battle with Krakoa the Living Island in this reality, the X-Men (including Wolverine) are unable to escape the island before it is hurtled into space. Wolverine and the X-Men perish in the airless immensity of space.

Earth 9511

What If? (Vol. 2) #79 (Nov 1995) – “What If Storm Had the Power of the Phoenix ?”

Writer: Sarah Byam; Penciler: Franchesco; Inker: Jeff Albright

In this world, Jean Grey is knocked out in the fight against Steven Lang and his Sentinels (see 028: The Phoenix), and is unable to pilot the space shuttle back to Earth. Instead, Storm uses her elemental powers to guide the vessel and is possessed by the Phoenix Force instead of Jean Grey. But the X-Men are killed in the descent save for Wolverine who is able to withstand the extreme cold temperatures within the shuttle. In the ensuing years, Storm Phoenix builds a brave new world that features neither war nor starvation by stripping the world of flight, automotive transportation and other polluting technologies. All who oppose her are frozen solid as a testament to her power. Wolverine is part of a team of rebels secretly trying to overthrow Storm Phoenix, and as he explores the remains of the space shuttle where his fellow X-Men died, he finds the body of Storm in a cocoon. Black Panther, a fellow rebel, realizes that Storm Phoenix replaced Storm on that fateful day. With the help of Kitty Pryde, Wolverine, Black Panther, Dr. Doom, Nick Fury and the rest of the rebels invade Storm Phoenix's base aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s old helicarrier. Wolverine and Fury set charges aboard the ship as the rebels work to evacuate all of Storm Phoenix's followers. In a deadly battle, Wolverine and Nick Fury blow up the helicarrier, presumably killing Storm Phoenix. In the aftermath, Wolverine and the rest of the survivors pick up the pieces to restore their world.

Earth 9403

What If? (Vol. 2) #59 (Mar 1994) – “What If Wolverine Led Alpha Flight?”

Writer: Steve Furman; Penciler: Bryan Hitch; Inker: Joe Rubinstein

In this reality, after the X-Men's first battle with Alpha Flight in Calgary (see the end of 030: Missing, Presumed Dead), Wolverine voluntarily stays in Canada in exchange for the X-Men's freedom. When Cyclops orders the X-Men's plane to return to Canada to rescue Wolverine, the Canadian military shoots down the jet killing all on board. In a heart-wrenching moment, James Hudson informs Wolverine of the X-Men's deaths, and Wolverine, filled with sorrow, forgives Hudson , agreeing to lead Alpha Flight since he has no other place to go. Soon thereafter, Wolverine learns of a dimensional rift deep in the heart of Department H that results in the kidnapping of Beta and Gamma Flight (aspiring trainees for Alpha Flight) into the Negative Zone, a bizarre anti-matter universe. Wolverine leads Alpha Flight into the Negative Zone and confronts the ruler there, Annihilus. After taking Annihilus' cosmic control rod, Wolverine agrees to a trade, the rod for Beta and Gamma Flight and save passage home. Hudson is impressed with Wolverine's control over his anger and his natural affinity towards leadership. In the ensuing months, Wolverine successfully leads Alpha Flight against Wendigo, the Master, Arcade , Magneto, the Sentinels, Mojo, and Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. Wolverine reveals his continued leadership growth by showing Wild Child how to channel anger to become a better fighter. Just then, Hudson receives a distress call from Professor Xavier concerning Jean Grey and the Hellfire Club. Wolverine leads Alpha Flight on an assault of the Hellfire Club headquarters in New York City and defeats the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. When they find the new team of the X-Men psychically incapacitated, Wolverine realizes that Jean Grey has been brainwashed. Jean Grey, as Dark Phoenix, reveals that the X-Men's death in Canada was caused by Northstar's treachery, goading Wolverine into killing Northstar. As Wolverine gives into his berserker rage, he guts Dark Phoenix, killing her instantly. Later, Wolverine discusses his future with Professor Xavier and decides to stay on as leader of Alpha Flight.

Bryan Hitch and Joe Rubenstein, What If? (Vol. 2) #59.

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