Marvel has released a "What If" one-shot comic that imagines a reality where the Runaways did not flee their parents' sinister schemes. In this alternate timeline,the teenage heroes chose to embrace their roles as heirs to a global conspiracy rather than escaping it.
The 25-year promise of the Pride
In the standard Marvel continuity, the Runaways are defined by their rejection of their parents' evil. However, according to the report, this version of the story sees the children stay after witnessing a sacrifice to the Gibborim, who are described as six-fingered mystical giant deities. Instead of running, the teens allowed the Pride to explain their long-term strategy: the parents would rule the world for 25 years, after which the children would inherit the Earth.
This shift transforms the narrative from a story of survival into one of groomed succession. By accepting this destiny, the Runaways were not only integrated into the Pride's hierarchy but were actively trained to master their powers. This creates a fascinating inversion of the team's dynamic, where the bond between parent and child is reinforced through shared secrets and the promise of ultimate power, rather than shattered by betrayal .
Breaking Victor Mancha out of prison to hunt the Avengers
The narrative takes a darker turn as the Runaways transition from students to soldiers. As the report says, the team—led by Alex—undertook a mission to break Victor Mancha out of a secure prison. this liberation was not an act of heroism, but a strategic move to bolster their strength for a far more violent objective: assisting their parents in a mission to kill the Avengers.
This plot point elevates the stakes of the "What If" scenario by pitting the Runaways against the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. It suggests a world where the Pride's influence extended far beyond local conspiracies, granting them the resources and intelligence to target the Avengers directly. The inclusion of Victor Mancha as a key asset highlights how the Pride viewed their children as weapons to be deployed against any obstacle to their global hegemony.
The Gibborim's visioon of an empty planet
The climax of the story hinges on a moral awakening led by Alex. Despite their training and the promise of inheritance,Alex realized that the Gibborim's "new age" was a lie. He challenged his teammates to consider the reality of their destiny: a future of non-stop butchery resulting in an empty planet where the only remaining inhabitants would be the apocalyptic elder gods.
This realization led the Runaways to betray the Pride and stop the Gibborim , even though the act resulted in the death of their parents. The story concludes with a meta-commentary from the Watcher, who notes that the children of the Pride are destined to rebel because their parents made the mistake of raising them to think for themselves. This framing suggests that intellectual autonomy is an evolutionary trait that the Pride could not suppress, even through indoctrination.
Which Avengers would have fallen to the Pride's heirs?
While the comic establishes the intent to kill the Avengers, the source does not specify which members of the Avengers were targeted or how the battles unfolded. it remains unclear whether the Runaways actually succeeded in eliminating any heroes before their change of heart,or if the "mission" was primarily a psychological catalyst for their rebellion.
Additionally, the report does not detail the specific nature of the training the Runaways received under the Pride. Given the diverse power sets of the team, the methods used by the Pride to weaponize these abilities—and whether those methods involved further mystical pacts with the Gibborim—remain an intriguing gap in the narrative.
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