Chad Burdette
For 50 years, Marvel Comics has dared to ask WHAT IF?, putting bold twists on major Marvel moments and opening the floodgates to the multiverse!
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original What If? series, Marvel will publish eight all-new WHAT IF…? one-shots this summer.
Crafted by some of today’s biggest talents, the new one-shots shake the foundations of every corner of the Marvel mythos beginning with startling stories starring the X-Men and Thor and continuing with epic reimaginings of pivotal storylines like Secret Wars and Kraven’s Last Hunt!
Along with the previously announced specials, here is what to expect for the final three installments of WHAT IF…? one-shots hitting stands in August
- WHAT IF…? RUNAWAYS, Rainbow Rowell returns to Runaways alongside artist Zulema Scotto Lavina to reveal what would happen if the iconic group of teenagers boldly followed in the footsteps of their supervillain parents!
- WHAT IF…? CAPTAIN AMERICA, acclaimed writer Marc Guggenheim and X-Men 2099 legend Ron Lim unfreeze Steve Rogers in a world he never saved!
- WHAT IF…? X-MEN, rising stars Ashley Allen and Sumit Kumar imagine a world where Professor X was never born and mutantkind’s fate was left in the hands of his evil twin sister, Cassandra Nova!
On Sale June 3, 2026
WHAT IF…? UNCANNY X-MEN #1
WHAT IF…CYCLOPS HAD STAYED WITH MADELYNE PRYOR?
Imagine a world where Madelyne Pryor, the Goblin Queen, had survived the Inferno. What would have happened if Cyclops had saved her soul. What would have happened if he and Maddie had raised their son, Nathan Summers? What would that world look like? And why would that be the most terrible thing to happen to mutantdom and Earth itself?
- Written by GERRY DUGGAN
- Art by JAN BAZALDUA
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
- Promo Variant Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
On Sale June 17, 2026
WHAT IF…? THOR #1
WHAT IF…THOR GOT SPIDER-MAN’S SYMBIOTE SUIT?
Amid the chaos, there comes a costume – but not to the hero you know! Legend has it that bonding with the symbiote suit made Thor mightier still. But what shadows lurking in the Ten Realms would take interest in such a powerful pairing?
- Written by TORUNN GRØNBEKK
- Art by SERGIO DÁVILA
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
On Sale July 1, 2026
WHAT IF…? SECRET WARS #1
Alex Paknadel and Cafu reverse the ending of Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribi?’s universe-breaking Secret Wars, giving the original Ultimate Universe a chance to live on!
- Written by ALEX PAKNADEL
- Art by CAFU
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
On Sale July 15, 2026
WHAT IF…? JESSICA JONES #1
Justina Ireland and David Messina introduce an all-new—not-so-friendly—Spider-Girl, A.K.A. Jessica Jones
- Written by JUSTINA IRELAND
- Art by DAVID MESSINA
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
On Sale July 29, 2026
WHAT IF…? SPIDER-MAN #1
J.M. DeMatteis, returns alongside artist Yildiray Çinar for a bold reimagining of the aftermath of his legendary “Kraven’s Last Hunt” storyline.
- Written by J.M. DEMATTEIS
- Art by YILDIRAY ÇINAR
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
On Sale August 5, 2026
WHAT IF…? CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
WHAT IF…CAPTAIN AMERICA WAS REVIVED IN 2099?
Captain America’s time during World War II ended with him frozen in ice, out of commission for decades. In the 616, he was revived and joined with fellow heroes the Avengers. But what if he missed the Heroic Age altogether? What evils would rise without the Sentinel of Liberty?
- Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
- Art by RON LIM
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
On Sale August 19, 2026
WHAT IF…? RUNAWAYS #1
WHAT IF…THE RUNAWAYS HADN’T RUN AWAY?
Every year, a group of philanthropists gather for a charitable fundraiser…or so their children Alex Wilder, Chase Stein, Gertrude Yorkes, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes and Nico Minoru thought. When they discover their parents form the Pride, a sinister, sacrificial group that answers to a godly race called the Gibborim, the teens are terrified, shocked and…intrigued? Their destiny awaits, and there’s no running away.
- Written by RAINBOW ROWELL
- Art by ZULEMA SCOTTO LAVINA
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
On Sale August 26, 2026
WHAT IF…? X-MEN #1
WHAT IF…CASSANDRA NOVA KILLED PROFESSOR X?
In a world where Cassandra Nova killed Charles Xavier in the womb, telepaths are hunted and experimented on – and what she’s making from them is far worse than what she’s taking.
But when telepaths Jean Grey and Emma Frost escape, Cassandra Nova will stop at nothing to bring them back! Bring on Cassandra’s X-Men!
- Written by ASHLEY ALLEN
- Art by SUMIT KUMAR
- Cover by LUCAS WERNECK
Secure a copy of these issues at your local comic shop today and avoid asking What If…
