Later this year, the Alien franchise gets the What If…? treatment in Marvel Comics and 20th Century Studios‘ Aliens: What If…?.
Per Marvel, Aliens: What If…? launches early this coming March. The five-issue limited series imagines a world where Carter Burke survived the events of Aliens — James Cameron’s beloved sequel to Ridley Scott’s horror classic. The comic is co-written by none other than Paul Reiser, who played Carter Burke in the 1986 film. Reiser’s co-writers include his son Leon Reiser, Adam F. Goldberg, Hans Rodionoff, and Brian Volk-Weiss. Guiu Vilanova draws the series, while Phil Noto provides cover art.
Check out Phil Noto’s covers for Aliens: What If…? #1 and #2 below:
What to expect from Aliens: What If…?
Marvel explains that Aliens: What If…? will “further explore the nature of the man who infamously betrayed Ripley and the lengths he’s willing to go to get his hands on the deadliest species in the galaxy…” The publisher promises a “pulse-pounding journey back to Hadley’s Hope and the twisted escape of a man who should have died.”
A full synopsis reads as follows: “For years, fans of James Cameron’s legendary Aliens questioned whether Carter Burke, a company man more hateable than the Xenos themselves, had actually survived the traumatic events on the terraforming colony Hadley’s Hope. Thirty-five years later, Burke is eeking out a cursed existence on a backwater asteroid. With his once-promising career in the toilet, Burke’s only remaining purpose in life is to care for his daughter, Brie. She hates him, probably for being a horrible person. And when she finds out what he’s up to now? It’s not going to be a friendly reunion. Has Burke learned his lesson, or is he about to get all of his companions killed again?”
“For years, people have asked me about Burke, what it was like to play such a ‘bad guy,’ to which my response was always ‘You say ‘bad,’ I say ‘misunderstood,”” Paul Reiser said. “Now the world will find out!”
Aliens: What If…? #1 goes on sale Wednesday, March 6 from Marvel Comics and 20th Century Studios. Issue #2 follows suit on Wednesday, April 10.
