Marvel Unveils August 2026 Mary Jane Watson Anniversary Variants and Final What‑If? One‑Shots

Marvel Comics announced the first six of twenty variant covers celebrating the 60th anniversary of Mary Jane Watson’s debut in Amazing Spider‑Man #42 (August 1966). The covers, illustrated by artists such as Kris Anka, Miguel Mercado, Annie Wu, and others, will appear across titles like Amazing Spider‑Man, Captain America, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Moon Knight, Uncanny X‑Men, Deadpool, and more, with release dates staggered from August 5 to August 26, 2026.

In the same release window, Marvel also revealed the final three one‑shots of its What If? 50th‑anniversary series. The August 5 issue, “What If… Captain America #1,” is written by Marc Guggenheim with art by Ron Lim and explores a 2099 revival scenario. The August 19 issue, “What If… Runaways #1,” written by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Zulema Scotto Lavina, reimagines the Runaways never fleeing their parents. The August 26 issue, “What If… X‑Men #1,” by Ashley Allen and Sumit Kumar, asks what would happen if Cassandra Nova killed Professor X before birth.