Going into the 2026 What If...? titles, What If...? Runaways #1 was the only one where I could plead almost complete ignorance on the source material being subverted. I never read Runaways in any incarnation, I’ve barely read comics where the characters pop up, I never watched the TV series, and it’s never been something that I wanted to go back and get into. Launched as part of the Tsunami line meant to appeal to manga readers, it didn’t seem like my thing. It wasn’t helped by my never getting into Brian K. Vaughan’s work, so it wasn’t even a comic I’d pick up as a completionist of a writer I follow. But, being as ensconced in mainstream superhero comicbooks as I am, it was a comic I was aware of, particularly as became a bit of a cause célèbre when faced with cancellation throughout its initial run. I knew people who really liked it and, so, I absorbed the gist of the series – definitely enough to follow along with this issue of What If...?
The basic premise of Runaways is that a group of kids discover that their parents make up a supervillain group called the Pride that are looking to sacrifice the entire world to these aliens/gods in exchange for the kids gaining immortality/inheriting the Earth. In the original book, the kids discover this when they spy on their parents sacrificing a girl to the gods and, so shocked by what they see, they all run away together. Here, instead of seeing their parents kill someone, they’re caught spying and the truth is revealed in more pleasant terms by their parents, gentler and in a way that sounds far more reasonable. Maybe Rainbow Rowell stretches a little to make the kids as accepting as they are, or it seems that way at first. Eventually, despite seemingly following their parents’ wishes and being trained in their superpowered heritages, the issue ends with the kids deciding to stop their parents – with the twist that they’re still villains rather than heroes. They look to stop their parents because the scheme of being the only six people left alive on Earth sounds ludicrous to them and they’d rather use their powers to rule the world as it currently stands.
Similar to What If...? Jessica Jones #1, this issue goes for the ending where things end up similar to how they happened in the regular continuity. However, where that issue seemed a little forced and obvious. This ending is more organic and logical in how it comes to be; it comes off as rooted in these being the same kids so, even if they’ve been steered towards evil, they’d still see the whole ‘sacrifice everyone alive to so-called gods’ plan as inane. It reads as a legitimate attempt to follow through on the premise in a way that makes sense and is true to the characters. They’re still a core group of six that look out for one another and they’re still trying to stop their parents. As far as trying to go for the ‘wind up in the same place’ finish in What If...?, this is pitch perfect.
The subtler twist is that, under their parents’ instruction, the kids are more confident and proficient in their abilities. Reading this issue, I’m surprised at how legitimate this reads as a valid concept for the title. Not better or worse than the original necessarily; I could see this premise getting a run and being a comic that gains the same sort of following. While there’s the obvious appeal of a teenage friend group of superheroes on the run from their evil parents, I don’t see why a teenage friend group of supervillains overthrowing their evil parents in an effort to conquer the world wouldn’t work either. It’s not often you read an issue of What If...? and walk away convinced that the issue works as a backdoor first issue for an ongoing.
I’m also impressed by the artist chosen for this issue. Zulema Scotto Lavina is a new name for me and their art walks the line between traditional superhero art and clear manga influence, harkening back to the Tsunami line that Runaways began in. There’s a bit of trying to find the right balance for the age of the cast and they do look a bit older than they’re meant to be, which is a problem in a lot of comics about teenagers. Where Lavina really shines is the time jump to two years after the group began training with their parents and are sent on their own solo mission. The costumes designed for each kid have obvious roots in manga with glowing dresses and cool suits. Each of the kids look they came from a different manga or anime series, which strikes me as exactly what the look of this book should be based on what little I know.
Going into this year’s batch of books, What If...? Runaways #1 was the one that I was least looking forward. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s my favourite comic of the year, it impressed me a lot. I’m not sure I’d pick up a series springing from this concept necessarily, falling into the category of something that I can appreciate the quality of while recognising that it doesn’t suit my personal taste. That doesn’t detract from the fact that Rowell and Lavina actually put together an issue that’s a strong enough alternate to the original that I think it would work as an ongoing in its own right. That’s more than I can say for any other What If...? issue this year.
