Yeah, the Watcher is breaking the rules by telling all of us about one of them there alternate reality thingamabobs.
Long story short? On this Earth, when Hulk quit the Avengers (in Avengers #2 (1963), natch), Thor also quit, because he thought Tony Stark was being a jerk--go figure. So Giant-Man and the Wasp quit, too, because without Thor and Hulk, they think "'the Mighty Avengers' is a joke!"
Ahh, but Namor and the Hulk still team-up to conquer the world, and still need to be stopped. So like a man with a hammer who sees every problem as a nail, Stark "fixes" things by making suits of armor for Rick Jones & Pym & Jan.
They're reluctant, so Tony super-charges his own armor and goes off to face the terrible twosome alone. He puts up a good fight, but ends up getting beat badly.
Fortunately, the others come to their senses, and come to help. But are they too late?
Just as in "our" world, the Avengers manage to break up the alliance. But in this world, the cost is higher...
Spacebooger wants the next Marvel Event to be Tony making armor for literally every hero.
Mark Waid's favorite Avengers story is from What If? #3 (1977), by Jim Shooter (writer, co-plot), Gil Kane (pencils, co-plot) and Klaus Jansen (inks)
Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Why? Consider the cruel outcome in an alternate universe where you voted for someone else!! So go and vote!!
And this issue of What If was so influential, Iron Man dies every second issue after that! (Not literally, but close enough...)
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