In an alternate world where Marvel never had to sell off the film rights to stave bankruptcy, and would launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the complete arsenal. Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, are here from the beginning, with all that it entails.

What changes?

People like to think the MCU was only good because their options were limited they were forced to be creative, but let's give Feige some credit. He knows and loves the source material, and it could be better with everything they had. The DCEU had complete access, but squandered it, because the people didn't know jack about it and only saw dollar signs.

I won't deny it would be different, but in what way?

As I think about it, there are some things to note.

  • For one, they have mutants, and the X-Men side of the universe is absolutely massive. There would probably be the main X-Men series, spin-offs for stuff like New Mutants, solos like Wolverine, and so on.
  • Black Panther and Wakanda would be introduced through the Fantastic Four.
  • Spider-Man would debut much earlier, and perhaps would become a post-graduate like his normal comic status. He'd be closer to the FF than the Avengers.
  • The Coming of Galactus would definitely be a movie. It would give way to the cosmic side of Marvel, and if the Guardians of the Galaxy got in, they would be side characters and not headliners.
  • As a general rule, the lynchpin of the MCU wouldn't be the Avengers -- they'd be just another team. There would actually be two: Fantastic Four for the general MU, and X-Men for the mutant MU. The Avengers would be a dumping ground for misc heroes, like how they were in the comics.
  • Doctor Doom would be a massive recurring villain, perhaps even taking the spot of Thanos as the MCU big bad.
  • Likewise, we'd have Magneto being very important and bouncing between evil and good at a moment's notice.
  • Carol would be Ms. Marvel, and just another hero. She would not be Captain Marvel, shilled to no end as the greatest ever. Remember, this only came about because Marvel wanted a heroine to be their Wonder Woman that they had the film rights to back then. Beforehand, she was a B-lister, and the X-Women were the most widely celebrated heroines with Marvel treating them that way. Thus, in this world, there would be no "need" to act like Carol is the best.
  • Overall, more focused on teams and storylines, with individuals being a relative rarity.

Here's how I predict the first three phases would go, based on the MCU's release schedule.

Phase One

  • Fantastic Four (the official starting point of the MCU, like how they are in the comics)
  • Spider-Man
  • X-Men (origin story, focused on the original team of Cyclops, Beast, Angel, Iceman and Jean Grey)
  • The Avengers (consisting of Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and the Wasp, teaming up to fight Loki)
  • Fantastic Four 2 (introduces Black Panther and Wakanda)
  • The Coming of Galactus (FF-focused crossover featuring everyone else in a limited role)

Phase Two

  • Spider-Man 2
  • X-Men 2 (expanding to Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Kitty Pryde; becomes a school)
  • Captain America (prequel, largely the same as The First Avenger)
  • Fantastic Four 3
  • Avengers 2 (Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Beast, Black Panther, and Ms. Marvel join the team; Hulk is gone at this point. Ultron is the main villain)
  • Infinity Gauntlet (building off of Fantastic Four, which adapts the story and features everyone, but the impact isn't quite as large as the MCU we know)

Phase Three

  • X-Men 3 (expanding to Rogue, Gambit, Psylocke, Jubilee; Magneto reforms and joins)
  • Spider-Man 3
  • Doctor Strange (introducing the supernatural)
  • Wolverine (solo spin-off)
  • Avengers 3 (Vision joins the team, and the storyline takes elements of the Kree-Skrull War)
  • New Mutants (spin-off of X-Men, starring Magik, Wolfsbane, Mirage, Magma, Sunspot, Cannonball, Cypher and Warlock)
  • Daredevil (spin-off, he debuts first in a Spider-Man movie)
  • Days of Future Past (focused on Kitty Pryde, introduces Rachel Summers)
  • Silver Surfer (spinning out of Fantastic Four)
  • Future Foundation (featuring Spider-Man joining the team, and them expanding into an organization)
  • Secret Wars: Part 1 (adaptation of the 1984/2015 events, featuring everyone)
  • Secret Wars: Part 2 (the second part, where everyone is on Battleworld and has to contend with the Beyonder-powered Doctor Doom)

Then, I imagine Disney+ rolls around and we finally get shows for "lesser" characters like Iron Man and Thor.

Anyways, how do you imagine this alternate world going? I you have anything to add, please do so.

Discuss.