Writer Gerry Conway and artist Diego Olortegui fundamentally change the nature of everyone’s favorite webslinger in What If? Spider-Man #1 by making bully Flash Thompson the one bitten by a radioactive spider. The Patch Zircher-covered issue is on shelves October 3.
What If? X-Men #1 from writer Bryan Edward Hill and artists Nel Edwards and Giannis Milonogiannis imagines the X-Men in a digital realm, a place dominated by bio-mods where the .EXE/men have been banned and u/Domino and u/Cable take every dirty job there is. Rahzahh covers the October 3 release.
What If? Punisher #1 is written by Carl Potts and drawn by Juanan Ramirez. In the tale, Peter Parker becomes the not-so-friendly neighborhood Punisher after Uncle Ben is murdered by a burglar. The issue is covered by Christopher Stevens and goes on sale October 10.
Writer Sebastian Griner and artist Caspar Wijngaard bring together Robbie Reyes and Nordic black metal in What If? Ghost Rider #1. The first issue, which features a fiery cover from Aleksi Briclot, will be on sale October 17.
Thor gets a new origin story in What If? Thor #1 from writer Ethan Sacks and artist Michele Bandini. Odin falls to the king of the Frost Giants, and young Thor is ripped from Asgard to be raised in brutally cold Jotenheim. Marco Checchetto covers the issue, which is on sale October 24.
What If? Magik #1 from writer Leah Williams and artist Filipe Andrade reimagines Illyana Rasputin, aka Magik, as a girl who’s allowed to embrace her powers early, without the troubles that plagued the original incarnation of the character. The Jeff Dekal-covered issue is in stores October 31.
Marvel’s What If? tales began as a series of stand-alone, non-canon issues published in the 1970s and 1980s, presenting alternate takes on the publisher’s most popular characters. Marvel has published several What If? series over the years and is set to release a True Believers line of classic What If? stories in October as well (see “Preview: 'True Believers: What If?'”).
Click on the Gallery for cover images.