Marvel's What If? series allows creators to explore lots of unique concepts of the Marvel Universe and twist them on their heads, tweaking serious principals of the core reality. One such constant is Spider-Man's commitment to not killing, which the core Peter Parker has always embraced -- but that's not the case in every reality.
Find out what happened across the Marvel multiverse when Spider-Man became a killer in the pages of What If?
What If Spider-Man Had Killed Burglar?
What If? Vol. 2 #72 by Simon Furman and Craig Brasfield features a world where, enraged by the death of his Uncle Ben, Spider-Man isn't able to restrain himself and ends up beating the Burglar to death. Coming to his senses, a grief-stricken Peter flees the warehouse -- but is spotted leaving, which turns the public against him even more than usual. When he tries to help, his own self-doubt keeps him from using his abilities fully out of fear that he'll lose control and kill again. Even his attempts to save lives blow up in his face, leading to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sandman that sees Flash Thompson be the hero.
Peter gives up being Spider-Man until he's forced to put on the suit to deal with his employer: Curt Conners, aka the Lizard. After helping restore Conners to human form, the pair have a discussion about responsibility that convinces Peter to reveal his identity to the police and face charges for manslaughter. He spends two years in prison before he's paroled for good behavior. He's greeted by May Parker, who gives him a new Spider-Man costume and encourages him to use his abilities to help people as Spider-Man once more.
What If Aunt May Had Died Instead of Uncle Ben?
What If? Aunt May Had Died Instead Of Uncle Ben? by Ed Brubaker and Andrea Di Vito introduced a world where it was May who was shot dead by the burglar instead of Ben. A furious Peter ends up revealing his secret identity to Ben and leaves to hunt down the Burglar. Ben follows after him and arrives just in time to see Peter terrify the Burglar, sending him falling out a window to his death. Ben takes the fall for Peter and is arrested for the murder, ending up in jail. Peter ends up becoming a ward of the state and tries to give up being Spider-Man -- meaning he's not there to save John Jameson when his shuttle crashes.
Peter ends up in juvie and decides to escape, living on the streets and stealing what he needs to survive. Spider-Man still protects people, but with a more brutal edge than he has in most universes. When the Green Goblin bombs a crowd of civilians, Spider-Man seriously injures him in a rage. Peter tries to break Ben out of prison, but his uncle convinces him to live his life and let him serve his prison sentence. Peter ends up being taken in by Mary-Jane's Aunt Anna and falling in love with MJ, and eventually forming a partnership with Ben once he's released. Ben becomes Peter's "guy in the chair" for this reality.
What If Mary-Jane Had Been Shot Instead of Aunt May?
After revealing his identity to the world in Civil War, an assassin for Kingpin arrives and fires a shot at Peter and his family. In the core Marvel Universe, the bullet strikes Aunt May and mortally wounds her. In What If? Back in Black #1 by Steven Grant and Gus Vazquez, the bullet instead kills Mary-Jane. Spider-Man goes on the warpath, telling May to take Mary-Jane's body to the Avengers so she can receive a proper burial while he goes to enact his revenge on the Kingpin.
Spider-Man finds SHIELD agents taking Fisk, who has turned over state evidence in exchange for protection. Spider-Man follows after them and is confronted by Iron Man. Although Fisk is almost able to escape, Spider-Man reveals he has developed a way to disable Tony's Iron Man suit remotely and knocks Tony out. Kingpin threatens to have May murdered if Peter doesn't allow Fisk to kill him, but Spider-Man simply punches a hole into Kingpin's chest, which kills him instantly. Having gotten his revenge, Peter turns himself into the authorities, with May decrying him and saying he's no longer the boy she raised.
What If Spider-Man Had Become a Mercenary?
The only time the core-Marvel Universe Spider-Man ever killed someone was Charlie, an old friend of Wolverine who tricked Spider-Man into slaying her as a form of suicide. While Peter kept that memory with him after returning to New York, What If? Spider-Man vs. Wolverine by Jeff Parker, Paul Tobin and Clayton Henry introduces a world where Wolverine convinces Spider-Man to remain in Europe to help him rescue Charlie's sister, Alex, as a way to repent for the death he caused. Spider-Man agrees, changing the path of his life -- especially after he helps Wolverine kill Russian agents Crimson Dynamo and Bora.
What If Spider-Man Had Become the Punisher?
What If? The Punisher by Carl Potts and Juanan Ramirez introduces a world where Spider-Man's attempts to stop the burglar end with the gun accidentally going off as the pair wrestles around, killing the Burglar. Called the "Punishing Spider" by the Daily Bugle, Peter is able to avoid killing many of his enemies, but trying to use a gun against Green Goblin proves to Spider-Man that he needs to upgrade his gear. He creates a "Web-Shooter" that can fire uniquely designed bullets, allowing the Punishing Spider to mow down the Sinister Six when they kidnap Aunt May.
Eventually, Peter ends up at Empire State University and starts dating Gwen Stacy. When Green Goblin tries to kill her in a bid to hurt Spider-Man, Peter arrives on the scene with tech that could counter the Green Goblin suit. This allows Peter to kill him and save Gwen -- revealing his identity in the process. Seeing the chance for a regular life, Peter tears up his costume and gives up his other identity. However, he ends up inspiring Frank Castle to take up the mantle of the Punisher after the death of his own family.