After a rocky 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is gearing up for a massive 2026, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday poised to break records. But while the big-screen heroes grab headlines, one of Marvel's most beloved teams is quietly making a comeback in the pages of comics—and this time, they're asking a tantalizing question.
The Runaways, a group of West Coast teens who discovered their parents were part of a sinister supervillain cult called The Pride, are returning for a standalone What If issue on August 19, 2026. Written by acclaimed novelist Rainbow Rowell, the one-shot explores an alternate universe where the young heroes never actually ran away. Instead, they stay home—and the consequences could be darkly intriguing.
For those unfamiliar, the Runaways were created by Brian K. Vaughan in 2003, with later runs by Joss Whedon, Terry Moore, and Kathryn Immonen. The team gained a devoted following, and their live-action adaptation ran for three underrated seasons on Hulu from 2017 to 2019. Now, with this new comic, fans can revisit these characters in a fresh, thought-provoking scenario.
Rowell is no stranger to the Runaways. She penned a celebrated 38-issue run from 2018 to 2021, which served as a soft reboot and introduced new members like Victor Mancha, the cyborg son of Ultron, along with an alien named Gib and a special Doombot. She returned for a five-issue miniseries in 2025 as part of Marvel's "One World Under Doom" event, and now she's back with this What If one-shot.
The official synopsis teases: "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."
This alternate reality could take the story in countless directions. Will the teens embrace their parents' villainous legacy? Are they in danger, or are they the danger? And what about the romances that blossomed in the original series—between Nico and Karolina, and Gert and Chase? By rewinding to the beginning, Rowell has the freedom to reshape everything fans thought they knew.
Interestingly, this isn't Rowell's first foray into alternate universes. She previously wrote a tattoo shop AU short story featuring Simon Snow and Baz Pitch from her Carry On series, and the Carry On books themselves are a meta-adjacent spin-off of her novel Fangirl. So she's well-versed in playing with narrative possibilities.
While you wait for the issue to drop, you can catch up on the original Runaways TV series, which is currently streaming on Tubi. And if you're hungry for more Marvel alternate takes, check out our breakdown of Marvel's dark new What If for Kraven's Last Hunt. For a deeper dive into the MCU's upcoming slate, don't miss our hidden Easter eggs in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Mark your calendars for August 19, 2026, and get ready to see the Runaways like never before—staying put, and facing the consequences.
