Posted in: Avengers, Comics, Marvel Comics, Spider-Man, Venom, X-Men | Tagged: cyclops, kraven, madelyne pryor, what if
Marvel brings back What If..? For Cyclops’ marriage to Madelyne Pryor, Kraven’s Last Hunt, Cassandra Nova and more at ComicsPRO
Published Thu, 19 Feb 2026 19:58:13 -0600 by Rich Johnston
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Last updated Thu, 19 Feb 2026 20:12:34 -0600
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Article Summary
Marvel revives What If…? for its 50th anniversary with new alternate universe comic specials.
Upcoming issues explore pivotal Marvel events, like Cyclops staying with Madelyne Pryor or Kraven surviving.
New creative teams tackle intriguing scenarios, including Thor getting the symbiote suit and Cassandra Nova’s victory.
What If…? returns to its roots, honoring its legacy of bold, multiverse storytelling and wild possibilities.
At ComicsPRO, David Gabriel talked about a return to What If…? for the fiftieth anniversary of the first What If comic book series (almost, 2016 is the 49th anniversary, but what’s a year between friends). You can follow along more comic book announcements with ComicsPRO right now
Marvel’s What If presentation at ComicsPRO screencap
David Gabriel says, “We have for this big summer promotion, we will have a bunch of oversize issues where we’re going back to the roots of What If, taking some popular stories, and we’re showing what might have happened if that story had gone a different way.” And the creative teams are just as interesting as the concepts…
Marvel’s What If presentation at ComicsPRO screencap
“So the first two that you’re going to see will be What If… Cyclops stayed with Madeline Pryor? [with Gerry Duggan] A second will be What If… Thor got Spider-Man’s symbiote suit? [with Torunn Gronbeck, Sergio Davits] These are a little different than what we’ve done in the past, we’re really trying to honour the 50th anniversary of What If.”
Marvel’s What If presentation at ComicsPRO screencap
After that, we’ll have What If… Kraven survived his Last Hunt? [by JM DeMatteis and Yildray Cinar] We’ll have What If Captain America… was freed in 2099? [by Marc Guggenheim and Ron Lim] What If… The Runaways had not run away? [with Rainbow Rowell and Zulema Lavina]I know a lot of you have asked that, you will finally know the answers. And then What If…. Cassandra Nova killed Charles Xavier? [from Ashley Allen and Summit Kumar]So over the coming months you’ll see these all in the previews with all the creative teams that we have there but we’re very excited for this 50th anniversary.”
Marvel’s What If presentation at ComicsPRO screencap
Marvel’s What If…? comic book series is a long-running anthology title from Marvel Comics that explores alternate realities and “what if” scenarios in the Marvel Universe. It asks how key events from Marvel’s mainstream continuity (Earth-616) might have played out differently if a single pivotal moment had changed. The concept pioneered the idea of the Marvel multiverse in a structured way, allowing wild, consequence-heavy stories that could kill heroes, turn villains victorious, or create bizarre crossovers, without affecting the main timeline. Stories are typically narrated by Uatu the Watcher, the cosmic observer from the Moon, who describes the divergence and its fallout. It launched in February 1977, created and conceived by writer/editor Roy Thomas, but has changed formats, approaches and publishing appearances a myriad of times since, and some of its flights of fancy have become established continuity over the decades. What If also gained greater awareness from the Disney+ cartoon What If…? that took a similar approach to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And now, it’s back…
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