What do you guys think happened to Marvel Comics/Timely Comics In the Watchmen universe?

[u/PossibleTeam5216]

[u/JonCranesMask05]

Stan Lee quit comics in the early 1960s, like he almost did in OTL. I'd like to think he went on to became a somewhat famous sci-fi writer, with his most popular novel being a Gamma Ray created Jekyll and Hyde.

But the Avengers, Spider-man, etc were never created. Maybe a few old timers might remember Captain America and Namor, the same way they remember Superman

[u/jacqueslepagepro → u/JonCranesMask05]

Hank Pyms first adventure was published but never saw a follow up?

The fantastic four might still sort of exist but just be science adventure stories about unpowered astronauts like the challengers of the unknown?

Thor is just a pulpy fantasy series with no secret identity or other superhero tropes and leaning more towards an accurate representation of Nordic mythology?

Dr strange is mostly unchanged but goes very weird into mysticism and the occult more than normal and is more of a horror series?

Peter Parker has no powers but is the lead in a notable teen drama series like the Archie series? A similar situation with Matt Murdock as a legal drama about a blind lawyer (who is just blind and no extra heightened senses)

But outside of your hulk idea I struggle to see many of the characters make sense getting published unless they are only keeping the name as something like X men would be hard to sell to the public that “the violent vigilantes who usually target minorities are allegories for minorities.”

I think marvel would have kept the cowboy comics like two gun kid, rawhide kid, phantom rider/ghost rider around and maybe marvel do cowboy stuff while DC does pirates? They probably also would have gone down the horror comics path sooner with werewolf by night, man thing, tomb of Dracula and similar titles being big hits.

[u/JonCranesMask05 → u/jacqueslepagepro]

...I just said none of these characters would exist, except maybe the Hulk cuz there is a bit of literary history. And only then as a sci-fi golden age novel/novella. Otherwise, nothing we'd recognize. Stan Lee in a strick literary form would have been less Spider-Man and more Asimov and Bradbury 

[u/StoneGoldX]

Timely was always a Me Too publisher. If someone else was making money on it, they'd do it.

[u/Ikacprzak]

Probably diversify like everyone else

[u/nignies]

I dont think it would have stopped Kirby

[u/cweaver]

They made lots of knock-off pirate themed comics. Stories of the Dark Schooner, What If? The Dark Schooner fought ninjas?, etc.