Bullet Points, Or Why I Don't Write for a Living (the 1940s)

 Had a chance to reread the Marvel miniseries Bullet Points. Found it a bit a pointless really, but I'll get to that later. 

Ok wise guy, you say, what would you do instead?

Keeping the basic plot (No Captain America or Uncle Ben), what would be different?

Steve Rogers-since Dr. Erskine is killed the day before, no Project Rebirth (or Iron Man). Rogers pleads but he's in no state to be sent through basic training. Peggy Carter notices his heart though and hires him on to work with her at the SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve). From there he spends the war cataloguing the other mystery men that pop up. He ends up married to Peggy and they live into the 1960s when the action shifts. 

Bucky-no Captain America, so Bucky ends up in the regular army. When "Junior" Juniper ends up KIA, Sgt. Nick Fury glances over the scrappy kid and soon "Bucky" Barnes is the latest member of the Howling Commandoes. When Fury is killed near the end of the war, "Dum-Dum" Dugan and his 2nd in command, Bucky, are tasked to head up the new spy group SHIELD

Human Torch-without Cap, the Torch ends up as the hero of the 40s. He and Toro form the Invaders and fight against the Axis scourge until the war's end. The Torch doesn't get buried alive either, fighting crime well into the 60s and overseeing the new generation of heroes. 

Sub-Mariner- without Cap, there's no mediation so Namor and the Torch are still rivals. The Avenging Son fights against the Axis but he is very much not on the Allies side nor does he join the Invaders. Still gets amnesia in the 1950s. He does manage to kill the Red Skull midway through the war however. Yeah, decides to take him to Atlantis to face a trial. Pity said trial was being held at the bottom of the Artic Ocean. 

Other mystery men-No Cap so I imagine most of the patriotic characters wouldn't be around (Patriot aside, as most stories have him working either before or at more or less the same time). Baron Zemo is here, but instead of a hood glued to his face, Toro burns him. 

Magneto-here he gets recruited by the OSS before being picked for the SSR when his powers manifest. He later leaves after the war to hunt Nazis, including taking down Baron Zemo. 

The Invaders:

Human Torch, Toro, the Fin, and the Patriot are founding members. Later members are Union Jack (Lord Falsworth, dies while killing his brother Baron Blood) and his daughter Spitfire. They are later joined by the Whizzer and Miss America.

Liberty Legion-home front team, with Red Raven, Jack Frost, the Thin Man, Major Liberty, the Blazing Skull, with Captain Wonder and Tim joining later. Possibly Rockman or Electro as backup members. 

Next we'll move on the 1960s and the meat of the story.