EARTH-8610(Earth-The Gates of What If?)
EARTH-8610
(Earth-The Gates of What If?)
Type: Divergent Earth
Environment: Earth-like
Usual means of access: Dimensional/time
travel, vibrational attunement
Dominant Life Form: Humans, Inhumans, mutants,
Skrulls
Significant Inhabitants: Adam-II, Attuma, Black Panther, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Captain America (Steve Rogers), Captain America (William Nasland), Captain America (Jeff Mace), Captain America (unidentified partner of Jack Monroe), Captain America (Jack Monroe), Defenders (Ant-Man/Dr. Henry Pym, Hawkeye, Human Torch/Jim Hammond, Iron Man, Quicksilver, Wasp/Janet Pym), Doctor Octopus, Doctor Strange, Elektra, Flare (Alison Blaire), Fantastic Four (Crystal/Crystal Storm, Daredevil/Matt Murdock, Sue Grimm, Johnny Storm, Thing/Ben Grimm), Galactus, Daniel Red Grimm, Jennifer Elaine Grimm, Hercules, the Hulk (Bruce Banner), Hydra, the Inhumans (Black Bolt, others), the Kingpin, Ulysses Klaw, Commander Geoff Krubb of Earth-616, the Liberty Legion (Miss America, Patriot/Jeff Mace, Whizzer), Mad Thinker, Magneto, the Mandarin, Alicia Masters, Mephisto, Mole Man, Franklin Benjamin Murdock, the New Invaders (see comments), Nomad (Rick Jones), Puppet Master, Owen Reese, Reed Richards, Scarlet Witch, S.H.I.E.L.D. (Sharon Carter, Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan, Col. Nick Fury, Gabriel Jones, Mockingbird/Bobbi Morse, others), the Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Tony Stark, Rainbow Storm, Sub-Mariner (Namor), Super-Skrull, Swordsman, Thor, Valor (Valeria von Doom), Victor (Victor von Doom), Cynthia von Doom, Jennifer Walters, X-Men (Angel, Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Professor X/Charles Xavier)
First Appearance: Marvel Super Heroes Official
Game Adventure: Gates of What? (1986)
History: (Marvel
Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If? (fb)) - Reed
Richards was a brilliant
student. As a graduate student, he met the equally brilliant Victor von
Doom at
Empire State University. Entering von Doom's quarters, he noticed the
private
research von Doom was conducting when the exchange student entered the
room. Richards
pointed out a small mistake von Doom made in his equations and the pair
decided to
pool their efforts, and soon, Doom succeeded in his mission to find his
mother's soul.
Meanwhile, other events unfolded. With Richards
dead, Sue Storm
found herself growing attracted to Reed's best friend Ben Grimm, who
joined the Air Force after college and later became a test pilot. At
some point, mutants emerged on Earth and were viewed with a high degree
of suspicion.
When
the Mole Man attacked
the
surface world, the armored hero Victor (Victor von Doom) arrived and defeated the
underground ruler.
The world rejoiced but hope soon turned to panic as the alien Skrulls
attacked. The
invasion subsequently brought Earth under the fold of the Skrull
Empire.
Eventually, the cosmic Silver Surfer arrived with
full fanfare and announced
the coming of his master, the world-devouring Galactus. The Defenders
and Spider-Man managed to
sway the Surfer to Earth's side, however, and tricked the Destroyer of
Worlds
into devouring the Skrull fleet. The ten-day war ended with the Earth
freed but
with a heavy cost, as Spider-Man died in the battle and Professor X was
slain by the Super-Skrull.
Seemingly unrelated to the Skrull invasion and
aftermath, the Acme Atomic
Corporation declared bankruptcy and laid off most of its employees,
including a
long-time worker named Owen Reece (see comments) while, behind the
scenes, Victor von Doom worked almost obsessively on
building a robot army, his goal to storm the underworld and rescue his
mother's soul. His actions were soon noticed by S.H.I.E.L.D, however,
causing many
heroes to start to distrust the secretive European hero. Earth-616's
A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) soon, with equipment stolen from their
Roxxon Corporation's Nth Command, invaded Earth-8610 as part of their goal to invade and conquer other realities, their first
strike capturing many of Earth's heroes. Mephisto watched the events of
the heroes' placement in non-space prisons by A.I.M. with care,
unaware of von Doom's plans, making the mercenary Swordsman into his
willing agent on Earth.
Earth-616's A.I.M. eventually found the remnants
of the Skrull Empire hiding in northern Indiana, commanded by the
Super-Skrull, who agreed to work with A.I.M.
(Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?) - After
tracing Earth-616's A.I.M., who had been laying low for a month
following a robbery at the Overton Storage Company, Earth-8610's Victor
von Doom sent two robots resembling both Valor (Valeria von Doom) and
himself to Earth-616, where they recruited two small groups of Earth-616
heroes to assist against Earth-616's A.I.M. on Earth-8610, teleporting them off Earth-616 in a
flash of light.
The larger robot, revealed
to the heroes as resembling Victor von Doom, arrived on Earth-8610 with four of
Earth-616’s
heroes at the Latveria embassy, where the heroes met Valor (see
comments).
Having arrived on the Helicarrier, the smaller
robot and
the other four Earth-616 heroes met with
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s High Command (Earth-8610’s Col. Nick Fury, agents
Gabriel Jones and Sharon
Carter, and Special Director Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan), unaware that the
entire High Command had been replaced by Skrulls, who were working with the other
dimensional
invaders of A.I.M. for revenge against the Earth and their actions against the
Skrull
Empire (see comments).
Valor introduced herself
properly to the 616 heroes and introduced the real Nick Fury to them as he arrived
(see
comments).
The mission to
Indiana was
simply to get in, find the heroes and get
out in one piece (see comments) but the Mad Thinker and his androids
stood at
guard at the A.I.M. base, which was disguised as a simple house in the suburbs. A battle
between the Thinker and the assembled heroes ensued (see comments).
The second group of
heroes
were flown to Latveria in a S.H.I.E.L.D. jet, where they found Victor
von Doom with
his hand on a button, ready to send his robot army to Mephisto's realm.
Seeing
the heroes, he explained his backstory to them and the reasons for his
actions
(see comments). With a push of a button, Victor von Doom then declared
war on Hell
and took everyone with him (see comments). With the heroes and robots
occupied, von Doom sought out Mephisto for personal combat.
The heroes ultimately reunited and took the fight directly to A.I.M., where the heroes defeated the group and used the portal in the Indianan base to return home (see comments).
Comments: Created by Roger E. Moore, Jeff
Butler and the Marvel Bullpen.
Since the actual
RPG campaign can be different based on player choices, the 616
references within the actual campaign (such as Spider-Man wearing his
black costume at the time) would topical, plus any 616 heroes that von
Doom meets would
be the choices made by the player(s) as well as their
actions throughout the story. In terms of this reality being an
official story that crosses over with 616, this story would have
occurred at a time when Spider-Man actually did have his alien costume
but the specific heroes Doom met are best left vague.
Also, the
story makes it clear that events in the flashback
would mirror 616 at the time (i.e. Ben Grimm as a test pilot in
1961, etc.)
and should be considered topical due to Marvel's sliding time scale.
With Owen Reece being laid off on Earth-8610, he never becomes the Molecule Man like his Earth-616 counterpart and as such, the Secret Wars never occur on Earth-8610.
The Gates of
What If? story campaign was separated into chapters, with some chapters
offering different courses of action. For example:
The New
Invaders' full roster is never mentioned aside from
Captain America (Mace, later Monroe), Bucky (Rick Jones) and the Human
Torch,
so presumably the players could come up with other members.
The heroes listed as potential Earth-616 heroes that travel to Earth-8610 (depending on players' desires) could be the east coast Avengers (the Wasp, Sub-Mariner, Captain America), Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, She-Hulk, Human Torch or the Thing) and Spider-Man. The Earth-616 Super-Adaptoid could be used for a potential villain as well.
Profile by David Lawrence.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Earth-8610 has no known connections to:
A barbarian warlord and ruler of Atlantis. Born in
the
outlaying barbarian tribes of Atlantis, Attuma united them and
conquered the
undersea kingdom, fulfilling a prophecy. When the Skrulls invaded, he
threw in
with them but he uneasily allied himself with the Sub-Mariner, although
neither
man trusted the other.
He possessed the same powers and abilities as his 616 version.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If?
Captain America
(Steve Rogers)
The Earth-8610 version of the golden age hero,
Captain America's
full history was unrevealed but vanished in 1945 much like his
Earth-616
counterpart.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If? - BTS
Captain America
(William Nasland)
Originally known as the hero Spirit of '76, Nasland took over the role of Captain America in 1945 much like his 616 counterpart and like his 616 version he too died at the hands of Adam II.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If? - BTS
Captain America
(Jeffrey Mace)
Originally known as the Patriot, Mace was a
reporter for the Daily
Bugle. He met Steve Rogers in a similar fashion to his 616 counterpart
and later
formed the Liberty Legion, fighting on the home front during World War
II.
When Adam-II killed the then-current Captain America, Mace took on the
mantle but
retired in 1950. When the Skrulls invaded in the 1960s, Mace returned
to
action as the Patriot but had to rely on special chemicals developed by
Dr. Pym
to restore his vitality and strength. He later returned to the mask of
Captain America
and started to train a new Bucky (Rick Jones) before forming the New
Invaders
(see comments) to destroy Skrull resistance.
Mace had the same powers and abilities as his 616 version.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If?
Originally known as Bucky, Jack Monroe was picked
to be the
sidekick to the man who wore the Captain America mantle during the
1950s. The
man was trained by the government to fight in the Korean War but the
war ended
before either of them could be deployed. Made unstable by the Super
Soldier
treatment, the pair attacked anyone they suspected of being a Communist
before
they were put in suspended animation. Thawed out by Hydra, they were used
as
weapons against the Defenders and S.H.I.E.L.D. with the 1950s Captain America
dying in
the fight. Monroe was able to be cured of his madness and later
became the new
Patriot with Jeffery Mace's blessing and joined the New Invaders.
Monroe had the same powers and abilities as 616's Nomad.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Crystal (Crystal
Amaquelin Storm)
Having a similar background to her
616 counterpart, Crystal was an Inhuman who possessed control over the
elements. When the Skrulls invaded, Crystal and the Royal House, under
the
leadership of Black Bolt, battled against the invaders alongside the
Defenders.
Crystal lost her family when the Skrulls, mistaking them for Kree
agents,
blasted Attlian and killed everyone there. Crystal alone survived and
soon
met and married S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Johnny Storm. They have a daughter,
Rainbow
Storm.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Matthew Murdock was the son of a boxer. As a
teen, he was involved in a traffic accident and exposed to toxic waste.
Found by
Tony Stark (who was following the truck) and taken to a nearby
S.H.I.E.L.D HQ, Matt learned the accident had granted the youth a kind
of radar
sense. Trained as an agent, Matt joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and soon went to
Columbia
University. It was there that he took on the name Daredevil when he
tried to rescue
the Greek ambassador and his daughter Elektra from kidnappers. Despite
his best
efforts, the ambassador died and Elektra left America for Europe.
Daredevil
and his wife have a son, Franklin Benjamin Murdock.
Daredevil had a radar sense, much like his Earth-616 counterpart.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
The premier super hero team of Earth-8610.
Founding members
included Ant-Man (Hank Pym), Hulk (Bruce Banner) and Thor. The team was
formed
to battle the Skrulls. Membership eventually swelled to the point where
the team split
into two, Defenders East and Defenders West. The X-Men were also
absorbed into
the roster after the death of Professor X.
The most recent roster included Quicksilver, the
Human Torch
and Hawkeye.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Alison Blaire was a mutant with the ability to
turn sound waves
into light. Manifesting her powers during high school, Alison tried to
make a
go of it as a professional singer but pressure from family and friends
made
her switch to a X-School and take the path of a professional hero
instead. It
was during this time that she met Rick Jones and the two similarly aged
heroes
fell in love. Her singing career took a backseat to various heroics but
she
sings occasionally in small venues.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Nick Fury's background mirrored that of his 616 counterpart until the Skrull invasion. Taking command of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury grew more cynical. Fury oversaw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power growing and made plans to counter most threats. He also noticed von Doom building a robot army, which made him distrust the European hero. Replaced by a Skrull and later rescued, Fury was shocked when he met the Earth-616 Captain America, which made him think about his own Earth's Steve Rogers and the possibility of him still being alive.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Running away as a youth with his older brother,
Clint Barton joined
the circus where he met the man who would become the Swordsman. Clint
learned
archery and worked with the Swordsman but when he caught his mentor in
the
middle of a robbery, the Swordsman chased Clint onto a tightrope and
then cut it,
breaking Clint's legs. When he healed up and saw Iron Man fighting the
Skrulls, Clint was inspired to become a hero.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
The Olympian demigod Hercules was a member of the
Defenders West
until his capture and brainwashing by A.I.M.
He had the same powers and skills as the 616 Hercules.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Much like his 616 counterpart, Bruce Banner was caught in the explosion of his own Gamma Bomb. Despite founding the Defenders, the Hulk continued to be hunted and hated in equal measure. While in Los Angeles one day, Banner tried to see his cousin Jennifer Walters but the Hulk was being stalked by a Skrull patrol while Walters was attacked by a gangster she had put away and died in the crossfire. Trying to end his life by gamma overload, he succeeded in a way. Bruce Banner died but the Hulk lived. Now a violent and uncontrollable monster, the Hulk was finally imprisoned in a dimensional void by Dr. Strange. Freed by A.I.M., the Hulk was made into little more than a guard dog for the group.
Hulk possessed superhuman strength and durability, much like his 616 counterpart.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
The android Human Torch's history mirrored his 616 counterpart until the 1960s when the Mad Thinker revived him from his hibernation after being shut down by Soviet agents and buried in the desert. The Mad Thinker tried to use the hero against the Defenders but Hank Pym took charge and freed the Torch from his programing. The Torch then joined the New Invaders and later the Defenders. It was there that he met the mutant heroine the Scarlet Witch and married her in the 1970s. When she was kidnapped by A.I.M., he focused all his energy on finding her.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If?
Ulysses Klaw's backstory was similar to his 616's counterpart, except that after battling the Black Panther he wasn't turned into a being of pure sound. Klaw instead became a mercenary, selling his sonic blaster to the highest bidder.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Commander Geoff
Krubb of Earth-616
A.I.M. Commander Geoff Krubb saw the heroes of
Earth-616 and Earth-8610 team up,
and oversaw the kidnapping of the Earth-8610 natives. He had an intense
dislike of
super powered human despite his love of comic books.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If? - BTS
Much like his Earth-616 counterpart, the Mad Thinker was a criminal genius. At one point, the Mad Thinker found the android Human Torch and tried to reprogram him for evil but ultimately failed. He later stood guard over an Earth-8610 base for Earth-616's A.I.M.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Much like his 616 counterpart, Mephisto ruled over a dimension designated Hell. Thanks to a previous deal, he claimed ownership of Cynthia Von Doom's soul upon her death and kept it. He occasionally sent demons to torment Victor von Doom and remind him of his mother's fate.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Formerly the hero known as Bucky, Rick Jones
became involved
with superheroes when he fled a state home and sought refuge on what he
later learned
was a Gamma Bomb testing site. It was there that he witnessed Dr. Bruce
Banner transform into
the Hulk for the first time. He later helped form the Defenders.
Nomad had peak human physical abilities, much like Earth-616's Captain America.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
A mutant, Professor Xavier formed the X-Men to
fight for mutants.
His death at the hands of the Super-Skrull ultimately galvanized the
public and helped
gain equal rights for mutants across the globe. Schools called Xavier
(or X-) Schools
would be named after him and helped train mutants in the use of their
abilities.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If? - BTS
The former hero known as Ant-Man, Dr. Henry Pym
was a founder of
the Defenders but quit full time heroics in order to devote himself to
research. Under his eye, the legendary Super Soldier Serum from
Project:
Rebirth was rediscovered as well as the android known as the Human
Torch.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Quicksilver was a mutant. After the death of Magneto, Quicksilver and his sister the Scarlet Witch joined the Defenders. For a time, Pietro thought he and Wanda were the children of former Liberty Legion members the Whizzer and Miss America but this was later proven false under unrevealed circumstances. Quicksilver subsequently became a member of Defenders East.
Quicksilver possessed superhuman speed like his Earth-616 counterpart.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
The Scarlet Witch
(Wanda Maximoff)
The Scarlet Witch was a mutant. She and her
brother
Quicksilver were members of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants (and
his
children, unknown to all parties). When Magneto was slain during the
Skrull
invasion, Wanda and her brother were taken in by the Defenders and
Wanda
eventually fell in love with the android Human Torch, ultimately
marrying him. She, along with many
other heroes, was kidnapped by A.I.M.
She had the same powers as the 616 Scarlet Witch.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
An unidentified teen with spider-like powers. After his uncle was slain by a Skrull patrol, the young hero was on the front line to fight the Skrulls, ultimately dying shortly before the war's end.
Spider-Man had the same proportionate strength and
agility of a spider that his Earth-616 counterpart had.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If? - BTS
Namor the Sub-Mariner's backstory was identical to his 616 version, save that he rejected the path of a hero and swore vengeance against the surface world.
The Sub-Mariner had the abilities that his Earth-616 counterpart had.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If?
The Super Skrull was trained to be a superior
agent of the
Skrull Empire. Arriving on Earth, the Super Skrull mimicked the powers
of the
X-Men and battled the mutants, cumulating in the murder of Professor
Xavier during the Skrulls' war on Earth. When
the Skrulls were driven from Earth, the Super Skrull went into hiding and took command of all remaining Skrulls on Earth,
swearing
vengeance against the Earth.
The Super Skrull had the optic blasts of Cyclops, the dexterity and strength of the Beast, ice generation of Iceman, the telekinesis of Marvel Girl, and the wings of the Angel.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
A long-time career criminal, the Swordsman had
battled
various heroes across the planet, including trying to murder a young
Clint
Barton when the youth saw him committing a robbery. Joining the
Defenders while
under the orders of the Mandarin, the Swordsman fell in love with the
Scarlet
Witch. Exposed, he fled to Europe where he met and fought with Victor.
Humiliated by his defeat, he sold his soul to Mephisto. Later
regretting it, the Swordsman
sought to free himself from his deal.
The Swordsman was a masterful swordsman, much like his 616 version.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Ben Grimm was Reed Richards' college roommate.
After Richards
died, Grimm grew closer to Sue Storm, marrying her after college.
Joining the
Air Force, Grimm was transferred to S.H.I.E.L.D. after the Skrulls
invaded. He
and Sue went on missions alongside fellow agents Matt Murdock and Sue's
brother
Johnny, earning them the nickname "the Fantastic Four."
Ben was married to Sue Storm and father to two children, Daniel Reed Grimm and Jennifer Elaine Grimm.
Thing wore a sophisticated power-suit that augmented his strength.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
Valeria was in love with Victor von Doom ever since childhood. When he returned from America, she married him as he took the throne of Latveria. After several attempts on her life, Victor built her a suit of armor to mirror his own and trained her to fight. Distrusting magic, Valeria worried for her husband in his war against Mephisto.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
The defender of Latveria, Victor (Victor von Doom) was dedicated to defending his people. A master of both science and magic, Victor sought to save his mother's soul as well as save his world from the A.I.M. invasion.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
A former member of the Defenders East, Janet divorced her husband Hank Pym after finding herself lost in his husband's shadow. Turning to drinking, she drunkenly fought several supervillains, endangering the public. After the divorce and resigning from the Defenders, she vanished from the public eye with the A.I.M. invasion being the only thing to get her back into fighting crime.
--Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?
images: (without ads)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, front
cover (Victor, surrounded by Earth-616 heroes, main image)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p21
(Attuma, Ulysses Klaw, Sub-Mariner & Swordsman)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p23
(Captain America/Jeffrey Mace & Wasp)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p26
(Captain America/Jack Monroe, Hercules & Scarlet Witch)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p30
(Crystal, Daredevil & Thing)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p34
(Flare & Nomad)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p25
(Nick Fury & Hank Pym)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p35
(Hawkeye)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure:
Gates of What If?, p27 (Hulk & Mad Thinker)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of
What If?, p32 (Human Torch)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p29
(Mephisto)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p33
(Quicksilver)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p24
(Super-Skrull)
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If?, p28
(Valor & Victor)
Appearances:
Marvel Super Heroes Official Game Adventure: Gates of What If? (1986) -
Roger E. Moore (writer), Jeff Butler, the Marvel Bullpen
(illustrations), Karen S. Martin (editor)
First Posted: 07/18/2019
Last updated: 08/25/2019
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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