History ComicBook / BulletPoints

->''"[[WhatIf This is a bullet]], [[ForWantOfANail and this is what it does]]."''

* ForWantOfANail: The whole basic premise is that the history of the Marvel universe plays out differently because of a single bullet being fired at a different time resulting in Dr. Erskine being killed before he can create the super soldier formula and Ben Parker being killed before he could help his wife May raise their nephew Peter. The series does note the limitations on how much the nail can actually change.

* BlessedWithSuck: Being the Iron Man. Since there's no Stark genius in there, and it's WW2, the technology used to make and operate the system is ''much'' cruder than anything Tony might've made. Steve is required to undergo surgery to implant the technology needed to operate it, and it is painful to use.

However, the bullet also made other changes, as you can tell with the cover gallery (sans the 5th cover, not included for both aesthetic and spoileriffic reasons) used as the page image.

Without a paternal figure such as Uncle Ben, Peter Parker became somewhat of an {{Expy}} of Creator/JamesDean's character in ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', and was wandering a wasteland alongside other fellow [[JerkJock bullies]]. Pity his 4x4 ran out of fuel, of all places, where [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk a Gamma Bomb was also going to be tested]].

[[caption-width-right:350: Pictured: [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]] as ComicBook/IronMan, [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] as [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Hulk]], [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] as [[ComicBook/NickFury the head of S.H.I.E.L.D.]] and [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] as Spider-Man.]]

Without a paternal figure such as Uncle Ben, Peter Parker became somewhat of an {{Expy}} of Creator/JamesDean's character in ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', and was wandering a wasteland alongside other fellow [[JerkJock bullies]]. Pity his 4x4 ran out of fuel, of all places, where [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk a Gamma Bomb was also going to be tested]].

** Sure, just keep picking on Parker! [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk You WILL regret it!]]

* UnstoppableRage: [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Guess who.]]

We won't spoil any more of this miniseries -- you only need to know that Creator/JMichaelStraczynski, famous for [[ComicBook/JMSSpiderMan his run on Spidey]], wrote it with a rather brilliant premise: "A bullet can spread lives as if they were balls on a pool."

* WolverineClaws: [[spoiler:Yet [[ComicBook/{{Powerless}} another]] artificial example of the trope, this time equipped by Stephen Strange, who decided to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. instead of going to Tibet, thus never becoming Comicbook/DoctorStrange]]. As a result, [[spoiler:Mordo]] had no rivals, but still, he wasn't pure-hearted enough to become [[spoiler:a Sorcerer Supreme]] and therefore [[spoiler:Dormammu]] kicked his ass. Interestingly the original Wolverine is still around.

* DoNoGoGentle: With the arrival of [[spoiler:Galactus]], Reed notes it's killed thousands of worlds before theirs. The math on their surviving at all are basically slim-to-nil. Doesn't mean he doesn't plan on going out kicking and screaming anyhow.

* BerserkButton: [[WhatAnIdiot Sure, just keep picking on Parker!]] [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk You WILL regret it!]]

* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Baron Mordo]]'s death is only quickly mentioned.

* GodwinsLaw: While not one of Creator/MarkMillar's works, this was pretty much inevitable when the story begins during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

** Note also that while he's taking Nick Fury's place in this universe, he's still Reed Richards -- as a consequence, S.H.I.E.L.D operates less through 'clandestine super-spy antics' and more through 'building super-cool super science wonders'. And it is ''awesome''.

* WolverineClaws: [[spoiler:Yet [[ComicBook/{{Powerless}} another]] artificial example of the trope, this time equipped by Stephen Strange, who decided to work for SHIELD instead of going to Tibet, thus never becoming Comicbook/DoctorStrange]]. As a result, [[spoiler:Mordo]] had no rivals, but still, he wasn't pure-hearted enough to become [[spoiler:a Sorcerer Supreme]] and therefore [[spoiler:Dormammu]] kicked his ass. Interestingly the real Wolverine is still around.

Back to Steve Rogers. The American hero Iron Man needed a technician to work on his suit: said technician wasn't anybody else than, you guessed it, [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] -- and as a result, he had to postpone his space travel. After gaining fame as the man who worked on such an amazing product of technology as Iron Man's suit, when Steve Rogers finally told Reed to focus on his own career, he finally accepted to travel alongside Johnny Storm, his sister Susan and Benjamin Grimm -- but his fame made him an easy target. [[SomeoneSetUpUsTheBomb A man sabotaged the shuttle by setting a bomb on it]] and as a result, the shuttle fell down -- with Richards as the sole survivor, and even then, at the cost of a missing eye. After donning an EyepatchOfPower and a lot of angst over the loss of his friends, Reed TookALevelInBadass when given the opportunity of disappearing from the face of the planet -- [[ComicBook/NickFury by working for S.H.I.E.L.D.]]

See ''ComicBook/TheNail'' for this series' [[Franchise/TheDCU DC universe]] counterpart and ''ComicBook/{{Powerless}}'' for a series that similarly turns the Franchise/MarvelUniverse on its head and as such, for example, in Italy got reprinted together with ''Bullet Points'' in a single book. The concept of Steve Rogers becoming Iron Man was later used in the first episode of WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021, which showed an alternate universe where Peggy Carter was given the super-soldier serum.

See ''ComicBook/TheNail'' for this series' [[Franchise/TheDCU DC universe]] counterpart and ''ComicBook/{{Powerless}}'' for a series that similarly turns the Franchise/MarvelUniverse on its head and as such, for example, in Italy got reprinted together with ''Bullet Points'' in a single book.

* ForWantOfANail: The whole basic premise is that the history of the Marvel universe plays out differently because of a single bullet being fired at a different time resulting in Dr. Erskine being killed before he can create the super soldier formula and Ben Parker being killed before he could help his wife May raise their nephew Peter.

* InSpiteOfANail: Tony Stark still becomes Iron Man, albeit as a successor to Steve instead of inventing the mantle as normal.

* WolverineClaws: [[spoiler:Yet [[ComicBook/{{Powerless}} another]] artificial example of the trope, this time equipped by Stephen Strange, who decided to work for SHIELD instead of going to Tibet, thus never becoming Comicbook/DoctorStrange]]. As a result, [[spoiler:Mordo]] had no rivals, but still, he wasn't pure-hearted enough to become [[spoiler:a Sorcerer Supreme]] and therefore [[spoiler:Dormammu]] kicked his ass.

See "ComicBook/TheNail" for this series' [[Franchise/TheDCU DC universe]] counterpart and "ComicBook/{{Powerless}}" for a series that similarly turns the Franchise/MarvelUniverse on its head and as such, for example, in Italy got reprinted together with Bullet Points in a single book.

!This MarvelComicsSeries provides examples of:

Since Erskine had the formula in his head instead of writing it down -- [[{{Irony}} in order to prevent any spies from taking advantage of it]] -- Captain America never came to be. A discouraged Steve Rogers kept waiting and waiting until he was the sole man remaining in the hall. So, the army noticed such patriotism and thought it was worth something, despite Rogers' weak body. Then they unveiled plan B -- a robotic and then-rudimentary armor -- that could only be worn by someone as thin as Steve Rogers. That was given the InSeriesNickname of "ComicBook/IronMan". There was a downside to that -- to prevent the armor from getting handled by the wrong hands, whoever was given the suit would also have to be linked to an electric device who worked as a sort-of-key for the armor. The device had to be installed within the user's ''[[ThatsGottaHurt heart]]''. And the future Iron Man needed to be awake during the operation. Despite all of the crap to deal with, the patriotic Steve Rogers accepted anyway.

Since Erskine had the formula in his head instead of writing it down -- [[{{Irony}} in order to prevent any spies from taking advantage of it]] -- Captain America never came to be. A discouraged Steve Rogers kept waiting and waiting until he was the sole man remaining in the hall. So, the army noticed such patriotism and thought it was worth something, despite Rogers' weak body. Then they unveiled plan B -- a robotic and then-rudimentary armor -- that could only be worn by someone as thin as Steve Rogers. That was given the InSeriesNickname of "ComicBook/IronMan". There was a downside to that -- to prevent the armor from getting handled by the wrong hands, whoever was given the suit would also have to be linked to an electric device who worked as a sort-of-key for the armor. The device had to be installed within the user's ''[[ThatsGottaHurt heart]]''. And the future Iron Man needed to be awake during the operation. Despite all of the crap to deal with, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome the patriotic Steve Rogers accepted anyway.]]

* ForWantOfANail: The whole basic premise is that the history of the Marvel universe plays out differently because of a single bullet being fired at a different time resulting in Dr. Erskine being killed before he can create the super soldier formula and Ben Parker being died before he could help his wide May raise their nephew Peter.

* AlternateHistory: No ComicBook/CaptainAmerica and no ComicBook/FantasticFour.

* {{Determinator}}: Hulk versus [[spoiler:Galactus]].

* ForWantOfANail: The whole basic premise.

* KilledOffForReal: The casualties include [[spoiler: Doctor Erskine and Hitler, Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Ben Grimm, Johnny and Susan Storm, and Baron Mordo]].

Without a paternal figure such as Uncle Ben, Peter Parker became somewhat of an {{Expy}} of Creator/JamesDean's character in RebelWithoutACause, and was wandering a wasteland alongside other fellow [[JerkJock bullies]]. Pity his 4x4 ran out of fuel, of all places, where [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk a Gamma Bomb was also going to be tested]].

'''''Bullet Points''''' is what can be considered ''the'' ultimate WhatIf story in the greater Marvel multiverse -- specifically, "[[TemptingFate What could possibly go wrong by pulling a bullet 24 hours back in time?]]"

* KilledOffForReal: The casualties include [[spoiler: [[CaptainObvious Doctor Erskine and Hitler]], Steve Rogers, Peter Parker, Ben Grimm, Johnny and Susan Storm, and Baron Mordo]].

[[AlternateHistory The answer is,]] ''[[ForWantOfANail "there are changes by the bucketload"]]''.