The series is a themed sequel to Marvel's previous What If? comics, starting with four Alternate Universe stories in which variants of Miles Morales take up familiar roles: Captain America, Wolverine, the Hulk and Thor.
The fifth and final issue then brings the story back to the main Marvel Universe, with the variants joining the Miles Morales Spider-Man in an Alliance of Alternates against a common threat.
Stories
- What If... Miles Morales ...became Captain America?! (#1). Written by Cody Ziglar and illustrated by Paco Medina, Walden Wong, Sean Parsons and Victor Olazaba.
- What If... Miles Morales ...became Wolverine?! (#2). Written by John Ridley and illustrated by Farid Karami.
- What If... Miles Morales ...became the Hulk?! (#3). Written by Anthony Piper and illustrated by Edgar Salazar.
- What If... Miles Morales ...became Thor?! (#4). Written by Yehudi Mercado and illustrated by Luigi Zagaria.
- What If... Miles Morales (#5). Written by Cody Ziglar and illustrated by Paco Medina and Walden Wong.
Chris Sotomayor provides color art for the whole series.
The first issue was released on 02 March, 2022.
What If...? Miles Morales contains the following tropes:
- Alliance of Alternates: Miles and his variants band together in the final issue, facing off against Aaron's own variants.
- Alternate Universe: Each of the first four issues is set in a different alternate universe, with a different costumed identity for Miles.
- Big Bad: The final issue reveals that the three different Aarons have been gathered by a fourth alternate Aaron, this time with the power of the Blue Marvel.
- Color Character: The Captain America issue features the Grey Skull.
- Composite Character: In the Miles as Wolverine's issue, Miles's friend, Ganke Lee, introduces himself as Professor X. In the main continuity, they are separate characters.
- Death by Origin Story: In the Hulk issue, it's Aaron's murder by Emil Blonsky that unlocks the Hulk's full power for Miles.
- Dragon with an Agenda: In the Captain America issue, the Prowler is the Gray Skull's enforcer, but when their plan comes to its end, he's more interested in claiming the Cosmic Cube for himself than aiding the Gray Skull.
- Flat World: In the Miles as Thor's issue, the Warriors Three discuss the possibility that Asgard is a flat world, and Ganke (reinterpreted as Volstagg) is mocked as being a "round-realmer".
- In Spite of a Nail:
- In any universe where Miles becomes a superhero, whichever superhero that might be, his uncle Aaron seems destined to take a darker path as an antagonist.Aaron (Captain America's Prowler): We wouldn't be in this mess if you didn't cause me to lose sight of the vision, Miles. To become lost in the shadow of your greatest achievements. Throughout every universe you were always given a power while the rest of us had to fight for scraps!
- The exception to Aaron's usual path is the universe where Miles becomes the Hulk, in which Aaron tries to quit his career as the Prowler so that he can set a better example for Miles, and then dies trying to stop Emil Blonsky from threatening the Morales family.
- In any universe where Miles becomes a superhero, whichever superhero that might be, his uncle Aaron seems destined to take a darker path as an antagonist.
- Internal Reveal: In the Captain America issue Miles's uncle Aaron, long believed dead, is revealed to be the Prowler. Given that Aaron is also the Prowler in the Ultimate Marvel setting that originally introduced Miles as a character (and in some of its well-known adaptations), this isn't really a twist for readers, but it certainly surprises Miles.
- Legacy Character: In the Captain America story, Steve Rogers was still the original World War II Captain America. But in this universe he was Killed Off for Real and Miles is the first other person the super-soldier serum has worked on without significant side-effects.
- Power Incontinence: As the Hulk, Miles initially suffers from this. He turns green and makes a partial transformation whenever something hurts or annoys him - including treading on Lego bricks in bare feet, or a classmate dismissing him as a dork.
- Redemption Equals Death: In the Hulk issue, Aaron is trying to quit his role as the Prowler and go straight. He's forced into one last job when Emil Blonsky threatens the Morales family, then dies trying to kill Blonsky, to ensure he never threatens them again.
- Related Differently in the Adaptation: Zigzagged. In the main continuity of the Marvel Universe, Thor and Loki are adopted brothers. In Miles as Thor's issue, Miles is Thor (obviously) and Loki is reinterpreted as Miles's uncle Aaron and Odin's adoptive brother. However, the latter relationship is more in line with Nordic literature, wherein Loki is Odin's blood brother.
- Rhymes on a Dime: In Miles as Thor's issue, the opening narration is given in verse.
- Skull for a Head: In the Captain America issue, the Grey Skull now has this appearance, due to side-effects from the super-soldier serum he took.
- Small Role, Big Impact: In the Captain America issue, versions of two Black Widows, Yelena Belova and Natasha Romanoff, briefly appear as adversaries. Natasha's only in two panels and gets no dialogue, but she's responsible for Aaron's apparent death when she tries to shoot down the helicopter he's in.
- Spared by the Adaptation: The Thor issue shows that the wolf god Hrimhari is alive and well, whereas his main Marvel Universe counterpart died a long time ago and, as of 2022, is still dead.
- There Are No Therapists: Averted. The Hulk issue is told as a Whole Episode Flashback during Miles' session with Doc Samson.
- Variant Cover: Every issue has at least one. The first issue has six different variants as well as the standard cover.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The Hulk issue is told in flashback, framed by Miles' therapy session with Doc Samson.
