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The MCU’s What If? wasn’t actually the first time a variant of Steve Rogers ended up suiting up as Iron Man over the course of World War II.
One of the opening episodes of What If?, the new Marvel Cinematic Universe animated series inspired by the long-running series, imagines a world where scrawny Steve Rogers never became Captain America and instead served alongside an enhanced Peggy Carter in proto-Iron Man suit. But What If? isn’t the first time a variant of Steve Rogers became Iron Man, with a similar premise playing out on Earth-70105, the setting of Bullet Points by J. Michael Straczynski, Tommy Lee Edwards and John Workman.
In this reality, a single bullet was able to change the course of history — namely because of whom the bullet killed. In most versions of the Marvel Universe, the bullet that kills Doctor Abraham Erskine — the creator of the Super Soldier Serum — is fired on December 9th. It strikes Erskine alone after he’d successfully administered the Serum to Steve Rogers. But in this reality, the fateful shot was fired a day earlier — part of a hail of bullets that killed Erskine and a nearby recent recruit named Ben Parker.
Unable to be administered the Serum and take part in Project Rebirth, Steve Rogers is left in his relatively frail birth body. But the determination that impressed Erskine also catches the attention of other scientists in the program including Reed Richards, who instead realize the smaller Rogers might work perfectly for a scrapped program dubbed the Iron Man Option. A massive armor that appears similar to the original Iron Man armor of the core-Marvel Universe, this version of the Iron Man armor has two design complications: the size constraints for the pilot, and the need to hook the suit’s battery system directly into the heart of the pilot to ensure the technology, isn’t lost to the enemies (ensuring a self-destruct if captured).
Agreeing to the procedure, Rogers is converted into the Iron Man Soldier and joins the war effort in 1942 — helping turn the tide of the conflict against the German army. Steve becomes crucial to the American victory in the conflict. Rogers is even able to save his fellow soldier Bucky Barnes. The pair never become close friends, but Rogers does allow Barnes to return to the United States in one piece. Steve never disappears during the conflict and is never frozen to be found decades later. Instead, Rogers is eventually able to leave the suit behind after the war — although the technology remains firmly planted in his heart and in constant need of monitoring. He instead goes on to become a Pentagon Consultant while the army tinkers with the technology.
Meanwhile, Peter Parker — who in this timeline grew up to be a more rebellious young man without the guidance of his Uncle Ben — wandered into a test site for a new Gamma Bomb and was affected by the radiation. Affected by the radiation, Peter becomes the Hulk of this reality and goes on a rampage when May witnesses his new form and has a heart attack. Steve is called back into active duty to try and subdue the Hulk, despite the risk it poses to his body.
Confronting Parker when he comes to see his Aunt, Rogers is quickly drawn into a brutal battle with the Hulk. The fight grows more and more hectic, with an increasingly injured Rogers barely saving nearby civilians from Peter’s rage. But in the process, he’s fatally wounded and dies in Peter’s arms — leaving this Hulk to realize the full severity of what he’s done and to flee into the desert into a brief self-imposed exile. But the legacy of Iron Man continues on when Reed Richards — now the head of SHIELD after the rest of the potential Fantastic Four were killed during their sabotaged flight — eventually works with Tony Stark and Bucky Barnes to help restart the Iron Man Program, showing the inspirational influence of Steve Rogers carries on even when he doesn’t become Captain America.
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