What if Aliens' biggest bastard was still alive? That's something Paul Reiser has wanted to know for decades.

By James On Dec 21, 2023

Marvel Comics has wondered, “What if?” much longer than the beloved Disney Plus streaming show has been on the air. You know, easy questions like “What if Daredevil's Karen Page was still alive?” or “What if Conan was teleported to another historical timeline?” Now the tough question we've all been waiting for is finally asked: what if Paul Reiser had not died?

Or, more specifically, what if Paul Reiser's character in Aliens, Carter Burke, had lived? Fans will find out in Aliens: What if?… #1, coming soon. The best part? It was co-written by Paul Reiser. Expect it to hit shelves on March 6, 2024.

“For years, people have asked me about Burke, what it was like to play such a 'bad guy,'” Reiser said in a press release, “to which my response was always, 'You say 'bad,' I say 'misunderstood.' .' Now the world will find out!”

Reiser is associated with the project with writing credits shared by his son, Leon Reiser, Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs), Hans Rodionoff (The Muppets Chaos) and Brian Volk-Weiss (The toys that made us). Art is provided by Guiu Vilanova (Star Wars: Darth Vader), with covers by Phil Noto, Adi Granov and Peach Momoko.

Here's the full description being released this week with Marvel Comics' requests:

WHAT IF…CARTER BURKE HAD LIVED?

For years, fans of James Cameron's legendary Aliens wondered whether Carter Burke, a corporate man even more hateful than the Xenos themselves, had actually survived the traumatic events on the terraforming colony of Hadley's Hope. Now the actor behind the beloved villain, Paul Reiser, joins a star-studded team of writers and producers (…) for a journey back to Hadley's Hope and the twisted escape of a man who should have died.

Polygon also has your exclusive sneak peek at the variant covers. Click on the images below for a larger version.

Image: Phil Noto/Marvel

A xenomorph standing on its nest, ready to attack.