Aliens: What If...? #2

History

The series originated when producer Brian Volk-Weiss, during an unrelated call, floated the idea of exploiting Disney/Fox's newly consolidated IP library; he proposed 'What if Burke lived?' to writer Adam F. Goldberg, who immediately took it to Marvel — and according to the creative team, Marvel gave an unusually swift greenlight. Paul Reiser, who played Burke in James Cameron's 1987 film Aliens, was then brought aboard and insisted his son Leon Reiser — a lifelong comics reader — co-write the scripts, with Hans Rodionoff (Damage Control) handling the bulk of the actual scripting alongside Leon. Artist Guiu Vilanova, known for his work on Cosmic Ghost Rider and Eternals, drew the interiors for all five issues, while Phil Noto provided the primary covers for issues #1 and #2, with a roster of variant cover artists including David Lopez, Peach Momoko, Adi Granov, Lucio Parrillo, and Skottie Young contributing to the broader run. Editor Sarah Brunstad oversaw the project at Marvel, with the series running from March through July 2024 as a five-issue limited series.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published April 10, 2024 by Marvel Comics as part of a five-issue limited series (issues #1–#5, March–July 2024).
• Written by Paul Reiser, Leon Reiser, Adam F. Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff, and Brian Volk-Weiss; interior art by Guiu Vilanova; primary cover by Phil Noto; variant cover by David Lopez.
• The issue introduces Brie Burke — Carter Burke's estranged daughter — an original character created for this comic series who does not appear in any Aliens film.
• This series marks the first time Marvel's What If...? format has been applied to a licensed, non-Marvel intellectual property (the Alien franchise), making issues #1–#2 historically distinct within the What If...? publishing lineage.
• The story is set approximately 35 years after the events of James Cameron's 1987 film Aliens, depicting Burke surviving LV-426 and living in exile on a remote asteroid.
• Paul Reiser — who portrayed Carter Burke on screen in Aliens — is credited as a co-writer, making this one of very few Marvel comics written by the original actor of a licensed character; Reiser has stated his contribution focused specifically on Burke's voice and psychology rather than action plotting.
• The series was conceived as a corporate dark comedy set within the horror framework of the Alien universe, described by the creative team as intentionally the first comedic work set in the Aliens franchise.
• Key Collector Comics lists all issues in the series as non-key, indicating no recognized first appearances or story events in this specific issue that have achieved consensus key-issue status in the collector community.

Full credits

Variants (3)