The sadistic killer Muse played a big role in Daredevil: Born Again season 1. And though he didn't make it out alive, his memory still looms large in season 2, particularly for psychiatrist Heather Glenn (Margarita Levieva) who nearly fell victim to Muse.

But is Muse's haunting legacy hinting at something far more sinister for Heather as Daredevil: Born Again season 2 goes on? There's some comic book precedent to suggest we're looking at a big evolution for Heather Glenn.

We'll explain it all below, but beware, we'll be getting into spoilers for Daredevil: Born Again season 2, so turn back now if you're not caught up with the currently ongoing streaming show.

There's a growing theory among fans that Heather Glenn may find herself compelled to become a new Muse, with the name 'Lady Muse' bouncing around for her potential new identity.

Though Heather isn't a character from comics, Muse does indeed have a successor who is a woman, though the circumstances of how his identity is passed on are far different from what may be happening in the MCU. Here's everything you need to know about how Heather Glenn could become the next Muse.

Lady Muse in comics

Muse is a bit different in comics than his Daredevil: Born Again incarnation. Though the MCU version of Muse seems to be a normal human who is possessed of sadistic bloodlust, his equally vicious comic book counterpart is actually a super-powered Inhuman.

Along with physical abilities like super speed and strength, the comic Muse also has a power that is kind of an inverse of Daredevil's radar sense, allowing him to absorb sensory information from his entire environment leaving everyone in the vicinity unable to perceive him. These powers also seem to have a secondary aspect that triggers after his death.

Just like in the show, Muse dies dramatically, but in comics he goes straight to Hell where his soul continues to dwell and scheme – not a particularly uncommon fate for villains in Marvel Comics. While in Hell, Muse encounters a fragment of the soul of a still living artist named Morgan Whittier (it's comic book magic, best not to try and explain it too much), opening the door for him to possess her.

As told in 2025's Daredevil: Unleash Hell, Morgan becomes a new Muse – she doesn't actually call herself Lady Muse – taking on Elektra who is currently also operating as Daredevil. Though Elektra gains the upper hand, she's stabbed with her own sai by Muse, echoing her first death back in the '80s at the hands of Bullseye. In response, Elektra kills Morgan as her last act, with their fight continuing in hell as they both die.

Their path back from Hell involves Elektra saving Morgan from their evil, demonic counterparts, with none other than Ghost Rider carrying them back to Earth. We're guessing those parts of the comics probably won't make it into the relatively grounded Daredevil: Born Again, but the story still sets a precedent for a woman to follow the original Muse as his successor.

Will Heather Glenn become Lady Muse in the MCU?

In the episodes of Daredevil: Born Again season 2 released so far, Heather has become a shill for Kingpin's anti-vigilante agenda, offering up damning psychological profiles of any so-called vigilantes she's ordered to condemn despite their innocence of the charges.

Her motivation goes back to her arc in Born Again season 1 in which she starts treating Muse as a patient before he reveals his true identity to her by attempting to murder her in cold blood. Though Matt Murdock intervenes as Daredevil, Heather ends up killing Muse by shooting him in self-defense.

Her very understandable trauma leads her to end her burgeoning relationship with Matt in a disagreement over whether Muse and Daredevil are equally dangerous because they both wear masks.

This has resurfaced in multiple scenes, including one in episode 3 in which Heather is secretly holding onto Muse's mask, reminding her of how she nearly died. Her reaction is a mix of fear and fascination, indicating that she's somehow become obsessed with his secret identity and how it may have allowed him to indulge in his brutal crimes.

So far we haven't seen Heather show any sign of Muse's capacity for horrific murder, but the subtle clues that have been piling up and her turn as Kingpin's newest lackey have fans concerned that it's only a matter of time before the troubled psychiatrist does something drastic.

Daredevil: Born Again season 2 is now streaming on Disney Plus, with new episodes dropping weekly. Make sure you never miss an episode with our Daredevil: Born Again season 2 release schedule, or get up to speed with the rest of Marvel Phase 6 with our guide to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows.

Marvel and DC are in the midst of a series of crossovers bringing together the best loved characters of both universes, with Spider-Man/Superman #1, the next one-shot in the series, arriving later this month. If you're ready for it now, you're in luck, as we've got your first look at one of the stories in the anthology one-shot.

The story, titled 'Metropolis Marvels,' is written by Dan Slott, who has written more Spider-man comics than anybody else, along with Marcos Martin, one of the best modern Spidey artists who has worked with Slott multiple times. 'Metropolis Marvels' brings together Spider-Man Noir and the original Golden Age Superman as Noir comes face-to-face with Lex Luthor.

Here's the page:

Marvel's Spider-Man/Superman #1 follows DC's Superman/Spider-Man #1, on shelves now. Spider-Man/Superman #1 contains nine stories, each of which features not just the two main characters but others such as Steel, Supergirl, Gwen Stacy, Thor, Wonder Woman, and more.

"Everyone here at Marvel is excited to be re-teaming with our friends at DC for another colossal crossover, this time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our two icons, Spider-Man and Superman, first teaming up!" Marvel editor-in-chief CB Cebulski said when Spider-Man/Superman #1 was announced. "I can't wait for fans of every generation to read these spectacular stories that our titanic talent are telling, featuring all-new, easily accessible stories about the ever-growing Spider-Man and Superman families meeting for the first time."

Spider-Man/Superman #1 goes on sale April 22. Meanwhile, Prime Video's Spider-Noir live-action show premieres on May 27. And after that, DC's Supergirl movie hits theaters on June 26. For more, check out the best Marvel Comics events ever and the best DC events ever.

There's a new era of the Avengers on the horizon for Marvel Comics which will coincide with the release of Magic: The Gathering's new Marvel card set. It all starts with Avengers: Armageddon #1, which will include a special edition Magic card that is exclusive to the comic.

The card included with Avengers: Armageddon #1 is called 'Warstorm Surge,' and features art by Ryan Stegman that shows Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Iron Man trying to tame the rampaging Red Hulk, seen below along with the text of the card:

"A dramatic turning point in Avengers history, Avengers: Armageddon promises to change the face of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in a way not seen since Avengers Disassembled and leads directly into a new era of Avengers kicking off later this year," reads Marvel's description of the comic event and its Magic tie-in. "With Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes, players can add the Avengers and other Marvel heroes to their deck with cards that feature unique artwork inspired by the pages of Marvel Comics. Avengers: Armageddon #1 celebrates both exciting launches with a bonus card insert, creating a can't-miss collectible for both comic readers and Magic: The Gathering players to find right at their local comic shop!"

Magic: The Gathering has increasingly brought pop culture characters from non-Magic franchises into the fold, with Marvel being an ongoing collaborator. That connection makes sense considering Magic producer Wizards of the Coast is a subsidiary of Hasbro, which holds the Marvel action figure license. Hasbro's Marvel Legends line even released a set of figures that had exclusive Magic cards packed in.

Avengers: Armageddon #1 goes on sale June 10, just ahead of the June 26 release of the Magic: The Gathering | Marvel Super Heroes card set. For more, check out the best Marvel Comics events of all time.

Disney's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge attraction is undergoing some changes in April with an influx of classic characters and a new story to boot. Just as the new Galaxy's Edge debuts, Marvel is publishing a tie-in comic that sets up the new adventure.

Titled Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire #1, the five issue limited series is written by Ethan Sacks, writer of the original Galaxy's Edge comic from 2019, and drawn by Jethro Morales and Roi Mercado. It will touch on some of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars mythos, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Chewie, Boba Fett, and more.

Here's a gallery of unlettered pages along with the main cover for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge – Echoes of the Empire #1 by Phil Noto:

"NEW SECRETS OF GALAXY'S EDGE REVEALED! Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Chewbacca head to Batuu in search of important intel and stumble upon a dangerous relic – one that puts them on a collision course with the Empire!" reads Marvel's bare bones description of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge – Echoes of the Empire #1.

"We're returning to Batuu and we're bringing the biggest stars in the Star Wars galaxy with us," writer Ethan Sacks says in a statement. "A major new era is dawning at Galaxy's Edge and consider Echoes of the Empire a Holocron that reveals the secret story behind that experience. It's going to be epic and Jedi (drawing) Masters Roi Mercado and Jethro are making sure every page looks amazing."

Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge – Echoes of the Empire #1 arrives on April 22, just a month ahead of the theatrical release of The Mandalorian & Grogu on May 22. For more, dig into our guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies and shows that are in the works.

X-Men '97 season 2 premieres this summer, but you'll be able to return to the beloved series a little bit early with a comic book prequel that fills in some of the gaps between season 1 and season 2. The five issue limited series is written by Steve Foxe and drawn by Salvin Espa, the creative team of the first volume of the X-Men '97 comic that accompanied season 1.

The comic will directly set up X-Men '97 season 2, introducing some of the biggest plotlines and characters that will feature in the new season, including multiple new teams. In the end of season 1, most of the main team of X-Men were sent hurtling through time on a collision course with Apocalypse, while a few X-Men were left behind with no idea what happened to their teammates.

"Extinction-day has come and gone, and your favorite X-Men are lost in time!" reads Marvel's official description of X-Men '97: Season 2 #1. "Spinning out of Marvel Animation's X-Men '97 series, follow the X-Men left behind in a world that hunts and hates mutantkind! Can they survive? And just where - or when - are the X-Men now?! No X-Men '97 fan can miss this one!"

Here's a gallery of both covers for X-Men '97: Season 2 #1 including the main cover by Todd Nauck and a variant by Jhony Caballero:

"I feel exceptionally grateful that Salva Espin, Matt Milla, and I get to tell more stories fleshing out the world of X-Men '97! Everyone who watched Season 1 knows the team left us one heck of an era-spanning cliffhanger, and our prequel for Season 2 doesn't take any cheats or shortcuts around that wild status quo," says Foxe in a statement. "We got to work closely with the series team to make sure this comic is a vital, additive experience for our mutants - what's left of the X-Men, anyway…"

X-Men '97 Season 2 #1 goes on sale June 3. The animated series premieres sometime this summer, though no specific premiere date has been announced. In the meantime, check out the best X-Men stories of all time.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in theaters this summer, and the three main stars of the movie, Punisher, Hulk, and Spidey himself, are colliding in a new comic that kicks off just in time for the film's release.

The five issue limited series is titled Spider-Man: Long Way Home, borrowing the naming conceit of the first three MCU Spider-Man movies. It's written by Marvel superstar Jonathan Hickman, who spearheaded the X-Men's Krakoa era and the latest incarnation of the Ultimate Universe, including writing Ultimate Spider-Man. The new series is drawn by long time Marvel artist Adam Kubert, who has had memorable runs on many Marvel heroes, including Hulk and Spider-Man. Colorist Frank Martin rounds out the creative team.

Spider-Man: Long Way Home is billed as "unrestrained" by mainstream Marvel Comics continuity, telling a standalone story about Spidey, Punisher, and Hulk all adventuring in the South American jungle in search of a reality-altering Cosmic Cube – to keep it out of the hands of the villainous AIM organization.

Here's a gallery of uncolored interior pages from Spider-Man: Long Way Home along with the main cover by series artist Adam Kubert along with a variant cover by Dave Johnson:

"A DARK HOMECOMING AWAITS… It's a world before the Punisher. A world where the existence of the Hulk is but a whisper of a rumor. A world where A.I.M. has just developed a Cosmic Cube in the jungles of South America," reads Marvel's official synopsis for Spider-Man: Long Way Home. "Frank Castle, Bruce Banner and Peter Parker are all on a mission to keep the Cube out of the wrong hands – including each other's. In this three-way free-for-all for the power of the cosmos, who will come out on top?"

"I'm so happy to be working with Adam Kubert again and even happier that we're getting to work on Spider-Man: Long Way Home," Hickman says in a statement. "Absolutely no one is going to see this one coming."

"[Editor Jordan D. White] barely got the words out before I yelled 'Yes!' to Spider-Man: Long Way Home," adds Kubert. "A five-issue Hickman saga with Spidey, Hulk, and Punisher? Total no-brainer. With Frank Martin making the mayhem pop! Just Make Mine Marvel!"

Spider-Man: Long Way Home #1 goes on sale June 17 followed by the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. While we wait, it's a perfect time to dig into the best Spider-Man comics of all time as well as the best Spider-Man movies of all time, ranked.

After more than 20 years, DC and Marvel's biggest and best crossover JLA/Avengers (or Avengers/JLA depending on the issue) is returning to print as a monthly comic with a new facsimile edition re-release that recreates the original 2003-2004 series in its entirety.

This is only the second reprint of the crossover, following an extremely limited re-release in a single volume after the 2022 death of George Pérez, the legendary artist of JLA/Avengers, who created the comic alongside writer Kurt Busiek in a landmark run on the monthly Avengers series.

The original release of JLA/Avengers was decades in the making, with Marvel and DC initially planning the comic for the early '80s before it was canceled, with George Pérez, already a superstar artist for both publishers even creating promotional art with the two teams squaring off. While JLA/Avengers does indeed feature the two top-tier superhero teams duking it out, it naturally leads to the JLA and Avengers joining forces.

Here's a gallery of the original covers of the four issue JLA/Avengers limited series:

"It's the grandest Marvel and DC comics crossover of them all and an icon-packed event decades in the making!" reads the official description of JLA/Avengers. After years of anticipation, JLA/AVENGERS reunited acclaimed writer Kurt Busiek (Marvels) with his AVENGERS collaborator George Pérez - an artistic legend for both companies - to assemble every single member of Earth's Mightiest and the World's Greatest in one blockbuster book! Universes collide as the Justice League fights the towering Terminus and the Avengers face the awesome menace of Starro! Each team must undertake an epic quest on the other's world, with the fate of both realities in the balance!"

DC will republish JLA/Avengers #1 on May 27, followed by Marvel's Avengers: JLA #2 on June 24. The reprint then jumps back over to DC for JLA/Avengers #3 on July 22, finally wrapping up with Avengers: JLA #4 on August 26. They'll all get new variant covers which have yet to be revealed.

Dig into the best Marvel stories of all time as well as the best DC stories of all time,

Marvel video game fans rejoice, there's a new collection of classic Marvel games coming to modern consoles courtesy of Limited Run Games. Titled Marvel MaXimum Collection, the package will include 13 retro games, headlined by X-Men: The Arcade Game.

Other games announced so far include Spider-Man/X-Men: Arcade's Revenge, Captain America and the Avengers, Spider-Man/Venom: Maximum Carnage, Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety, and the controller-smashingly difficult Silver Surfer NES game.

"MARVEL MaXimum Collection is action-packed, featuring 13 comic-to-console and handheld counterpart titles from the past! And of course, arcade perfection is delivered with the legendary X-Men: The Arcade Game!" reads Limited Run's description of the collection. "With all new music from legendary game composer Chris Huelsbeck and robust new features, MARVEL MaXimum Collection is the perfect assortment of nostalgia for fans everywhere!"

Here's the announcement trailer:

That leaves six more titles to be revealed, and there are some great options out there. LJN made a whole series of Marvel games for the Sega Genesis, NES, and SNES including 1989's notoriously frustrating Uncanny X-Men and its follow up, Wolverine, as well as Spider-Man for the Genesis, and Spider-Man: Return of the Sinister Six.

All four of those would be more than welcome additions, as would Sega's 1993 X-Men game and its 1995 sequel X-Men: The Clone Wars, both of which I personally poured countless hours into. I'd also be shocked but pleasantly surprised if 1994's Incredible Hulk, originally released on the Genesis, made the collection.

In terms of what's announced, I am of course completely pumped for a rerelease of X-Men: The Arcade Game, especially as the collection version will allow up to six players in multiplayer mode, recreating the definitive arcade experience. This has been a difficult game to come by in recent years. There was a port to PS3 and Xbox 360, but that was delisted back in 2013. I'll be excited to snag the collection, as it'll be a perfect companion to 2024's Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection.

No release date for Marvel MaXimum Collection has been announced. It is slated to be available on PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S/X, and Steam.

For more, check out our picks for the best Marvel video games of all time, and take a look into the future at our rundown of all the upcoming Marvel games that are currently in the works.

Thor has become a human man living on Earth, with no memory of his origin as an Asgardian. But he's still dealing with mythical problems, including the return of one of his most bloodthirsty mythical foes, Dario Agger, the Minotaur, in The Mortal Thor #11 by writer Al Ewing and artist Juann Cabal.

The Mortal Thor follows the ending of The Immortal Thor, which concluded with Midgard being totally cut off from Asgard, the existence of which has been forgotten by everyone on Earth. That includes Thor, who now believes himself to be a normal human named Sigurd Jarlson, an alias he previously used while hiding among humans.

Now he's got to take on one of the most dangerous enemies Thor has ever faced, with the corporate monster Dario Agger coming back into the picture. And though he doesn't remember Asgard either, he does still feel an inexplicable hatred of Sigurd Jarlson.

Check out the newly revealed cover for Mortal Thor #11 by Alex Ross:

"HORNS OF THE MINOTAUR! Dario Agger doesn’t remember the Gods of Asgard. He doesn’t remember what it is about Sigurd Jarlson that...irritates him," reads Marvel's official description of Mortal Thor #11. "But when Dario Agger is irritated - with a man or a god - he has a very simple solution. Murder. Somewhere in the city, a man with a hammer has nowhere to go but down…"

Dario Agger was a primary enemy for Thor in Immortal Thor as the leader of the destructive and domineering corporation Roxxon, even going so far as to buy the rights to Thor's existence by purchasing the fictional version of Marvel Comics that exists within the Marvel Universe, rebooting him as 'Chad Hammer,' a vapid, slogan-spouting himbo.

The Mortal Thor #11 goes on sale June 10. While we wait, check out our picks for the best Thor stories of all time.

Everything old is new again as Dan Slott, the creator who has written more Spider-Man than anyone, is back writing the wall-crawler in a new comic series that revives the 2008 era Brand New Day branding. The comic kicks off in May, just ahead of the theatrical release of Spider-Man 4, which borrows the Brand New Day name for its subtitle.

Much like the movie, Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day involves the Punisher, who is confirmed to be part of the film, along with Mr. Negative, who is rumored to be one of its villains. The central villain in the comic story, however, is Kingpin, who possesses an important object known as The Lexicon that everyone, including Spider-Man, wants for themselves.

Joining Slott is one of Marvel's top artists, Marcus To, while classic Spidey artist from the original Brand New Day era Marcos Martin will draw back up features in each issue. It seems that the comic is intended to be ongoing, running alongside the main Amazing Spider-Man series. It's not exactly clear whether the comic flashes back to the original Brand New Day era, though it appears to be a revival for modern continuity.

"Spider-Man discovers one of the most valuable items the Kingpin, A.K.A. Wilson Fisk, possesses - THE LEXICON. This directory of the Kingpin’s criminal enterprise could destroy the criminal landscape of New York City and that’s Spider-Man’s goal when he takes it," reads Marvel's official description of Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #1. "But Fisk isn’t the only person who wants the Lexicon… Mr. Negative would love his competitor’s secret information, but so would Frank Castle himself, the Punisher. Taking the Lexicon sure seemed like a good idea to make the city safer, but it’s painted the biggest target ever on Spider-Man’s back! DO NOT MISS THIS IN-COMICS CONTINUITY ADVENTURE THAT WILL ECHO FROM SPIDER-MAN’S PAST INTO SPIDER-MAN’S PRESENT AND FUTURE!"

"We've got the killer art team of Marvel's biggest secret weapon, Marcus To, and new shorts by the Inkpot Award-winning legend, Marcos Martin!" says Slott in a statement. "With Marcus, this is going to be one of the best looking books on the stand, and with Marcos, we're going to have these incredible short features that will ensure that NEW readers can jump right in, even if they've never read a Brand New Day issue!"

Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day #1 goes on sale May 13, followed by the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31. In the meantime, learn about all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that are in the works.

Spider-Man and Venom are about to cross over in Marvel's Death Spiral event, but it's what happens when the smoke clears in May's Venom #258 by writer Al Ewing and artist Carlos Gómez that could have the biggest impact on Spidey and Venom's world.

As readers likely know, Mary Jane is the current host of the Venom symbiote after bonding with it in a life-or-death crisis. She's been operating as Venom for some time now, and despite her close relationship with Peter Parker, it seems the symbiote anti-hero still has some beef with Spider-Man.

On the newly revealed cover of Venom #258 by interior artist Carlos Gómez, seen below, Peter and MJ walk along a bridge together, while a vision of their alter egos locked in combat hangs in the sky above them.

Check it out:

"THREE’S A CROWD! In the aftermath of Death Spiral, Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker have a long overdue heart-to-heart...but when the masks go on, Venom and Spider-Man have some unfinished business!" reads Marvel's official description of Venom #258. "And one way or another, this is going to lead to a BIG change for Venom and MJ!"

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson have been unable to get it together as a couple for years now, with every reunion seemingly ruined by circumstances beyond their control, usually due to Peter's secret life as Spider-Man. With their relationship now strained by MJ's own secret identity as Venom, it may take a miracle to bring them back together.

Venom #258 goes on sale May 20. For more, check out the best Venom stories of all time.

The X-Men are about to embark on one of their weirdest adventures ever in X-Men Annual #1, which pits them against a villain known as The Creationist with power over "imagination itself." The team will venture into a drawing to defeat the villains, appearing as unfinished pencil drawings among a fully rendered world.

X-Men Annual #1 is written by Ryan Stegman and drawn by lead artist Steve Skroce along with additional pages from Sanford Greene and Stegman himself.

We've got your first look at pages from the annual here by Skroce, showing off the members of the Uncanny X-Men alongside special guest star Jean Grey, the Phoenix. It also gives a glimpse of how the X-Men will look as unfinished art in a world of stories in a page by Stegman.

Check it out:

"When an all-new mutant menace known as the Creationist forces four artists to visualize monsters that tear through reality, the X-Men must survive an attack where imagination itself becomes the enemy," reads Marvel's official synopsis for X-Men Annual #1. "Now they have to stop the Creationist before his nightmare visions consume the world."

The annual spins out of the ongoing Uncanny Gail Simone and artist David Marquez which focuses on a team based out of Louisiana led by Gambit and Rogue who are training a squad of mysterious young mutants.

The entire X-Men line is about to enter a new era known as 'Shadows of Tomorrow' that brings some shake-ups to the series that are part of the franchise, though Uncanny X-Men remains as one of the flagship X-Men titles.

X-Men Annual #1 goes on sale March 4. For more, check out the best X-Men comics of all time.

Marvel Studios has been billing its upcoming Wonder Man streaming series as something different from the usual MCU fare, and it's already bringing in some seriously eccentric characters and concepts from comics. That includes taking what could be the next step in assembling the weirdest incarnation of Earth's Mightiest Heroes ever – the Great Lakes Avengers.

Doorman, a relatively obscure mutant hero with the ability turn his body into a portal of dark energy, is confirmed as part of the cast of Wonder Man, making him the second member of the GLA to make it into the MCU alongside the unkillable Mister Immortal, who appeared in an episode of She-Hulk as a scummy ex-husband.

Along with Mister Immortal and Doorman, the original Great Lakes Avengers includes three other heroes, each of them oddballs, including Dinah Soar, a pterodactyl-esque human-hybrid; Flatman, whose body is 2-dimensional and incredibly pliable; and Big Bertha, a super model who can inflate her body to massive size.

The Great Lakes Avengers in comics

Introduced all the way back in 1989's West Coast Avengers #46 by writer/artist John Byrne, the Great Lakes Avengers are an aspiring team of heroes who decide to borrow the Avengers name to declare themselves the protectors of the middle of the US, with the standard Avengers headquartered on the East Coast, along with the previously mentioned West Coast squad protecting the other side of the country.

Though their use of the Avengers name is unsanctioned, West Coast Avengers members Hawkeye and Mockingbird take the Great Lakes team under their tutelage to help them become heroes in their own right. However, they're never fully given actual Avengers status.

The GLA do eventually change their name away from calling themselves Avengers, however, they keep up their gimmick of borrowing another team's moniker. First, they take on the name The Lightning Rods, after the Thunderbolts. Then, after discovering they're all mutants, the GLA founders decide to change their name to the Great Lakes X-Men.

Finally, they settle on the name Great Lakes Champions, borrowing a team identity that has been used several times in Marvel continuity, most recently as the name of the Marvel Universe's premier team of teenage heroes.

All that said, the team's last appearance brought them back to the Great Lakes Avengers name – still not sanctioned, but at least tolerated thanks to their continued heroism despite not exactly being great at it.

The Great Lakes Avengers in the MCU

We won't know exactly what role Doorman plays in Wonder Man, but we know he's got a key connection to the story thanks to the so-called "Doorman Clause," an insurance waiver that actors within the reality of the MCU are required to sign to certify they don't have super powers, meaning he almost certainly will have some kind of abilities in the show.

That still leaves the question of whether Marvel is actually assembling a new team of lovable misfits not as dysfunctional as the Thunderbolts/New Avengers, nor as powerful as the main squad. The unsatisfying answer is, no matter the clues or cameos that Marvel peppers into its shows, we won't know exactly who's going to show up until Marvel tells us.

It's entirely possible there's some kind of payoff building for the introduction of multiple members of the Great Lakes Avengers. But there's just as much likelihood that both Mister Immortal and Doorman could be one-off appearances meant to expand the MCU and bring in longtime fans.

The trouble is, if Marvel is building yet another team – even a jokey one – there's no telling how long it will take. It seems a bit unlikely Marvel would put much energy into the Great Lakes Avengers while there are still so many errant characters already waiting to be brought into the MCU at large, such as Hercules, Clea, and Skarr (son of the Hulk).

Nonetheless, I've personally been delighted to see some of my favorite Marvel weirdos make it into the MCU, and if Marvel Studios does somehow decide to assemble the GLA, I'll be there in the front row. Heck, they made a Wonder Man show, a hero whose profile is only just above the Great Lakes Avengers. Anything is on the table.

All eight episodes of Wonder Man premiere on January 27 on Disney Plus. For more, stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that are in the works.

Jeff the Land Shark is one of the heckin' cutest li'l guys in the whole Marvel Universe. But as his many fans know, he's got a bit of a mischievous streak, and now it's landed him in some hot water (pun intended) as he faces his day in court.

Thankfully, he's got Matt Murdock along for the ride to help him avoid jail time in It's Jeff Meets Daredevil #1 by Jeff's co-creator, writer Kelly Thompson, and longtime Jeff artist Gurihiru. We've got your first look at the one-shot right here, featuring Jeff all dressed up in a fine suit with Matt hard at work defending him.

Check it out:

"THE ADVENTURES OF JEFF THE LAND SHARK CONTINUE WITH DAREDEVIL! In this special new story from star Jeff team Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru, Jeff the Land Shark learns the meaning of courage from THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR!" reads Marvel's official description of It's Jeff meets Daredevil #1. "Plus, the latest season of IT'S JEFF appears in print for the very first time so you can enjoy all the adorableness and chaos the way Daredevil himself would - without a phone screen!!! Don't miss what happens when Jeff wins the lottery, goes to the groomer, and best of all…TAKES ON THE HULK!"

It's Jeff is one of the longest running of Marvel's current crop of digital first Infinity comics, which are first released on the Marvel Unlimited app before being collected in print.

It's Jeff Meets Daredevil #1 goes on sale February 18. While we wait, check out the best Daredevil stories of all time.

Lin Lie is the current Iron Fist, though he's not carrying the mantle alone as he's got his predecessor Danny Rand (now known as Ghost Fist) and his protege Pei at his side. Now all three will have to join forces with White Tiger, White Fox, and Elektra of Daredevil fame to defend the mystical city of K'un-Lun, where the power of the Iron Fist originates.

They'll all unite in Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun, a new five-issue limited series written by Yifan Jiang, one of the writers of the hit video game Marvel Rivals, in which Lin Lie appears as Iron Fist, and drawn by veteran Marvel artist Paco Medina.

Jiang describes Deadly Hands of K'un Lun as a "mini event" which brings the story of Lin Lie and his arch-enemy, the demonic Lin Feng, to its "climax."

"It's like a mini event in scope, it's about an unlikely group brought together by a shared crisis, in this case, Lin Feng's invasion," Jiang tells Newsarama. "Without spoiling anything, we're going to see how Feng is able to pull it off, and how each step of his plan forces someone to rise up and stop him. Feng has his own path to walk, what's waiting for him at the end of the road is... well, it's not what you'd expect."

And it's an ensemble not unlike Rivals. That's the magic of the vast stage for storytelling the Marvel U provides. I still can't believe I got to write Karnak and Elektra. I never thought I got White Tiger before and yet here I am, having way more fun with her than I ever expected, can't wait for you to see how cool we made her!"

"At the center of it all is Lin Lie," the writer continues. "We're drilling deeper than ever before, we're exploring who he really is through his relationships with these characters, and how his choices would shape him beyond DEADLY!"

Along with Elektra, White Tiger, and White Fox, the Iron Fists will be joined by Karnak of the Inhumans and newer hero Aero, with Jiang saying Deadly Hands is "an ensemble, not unlike Marvel Rivals."

"That's the magic of the vast stage for storytelling the Marvel U provides," Jiang explains. "I still can't believe I got to write Karnak and Elektra. I never thought I got White Tiger before and yet here I am, having way more fun with her than I ever expected, can't wait for you to see how cool we made her!"

And though Jiang didn't work on Iron Fist while writing for Marvel Rivals, the game still informs aspects of how Deadly Hands comes together.

"What I am carrying from writing for Marvel Rivals, is my attention to the dialogs. Because you have to make a personality pop in just a few lines, across almost every map and with almost every possible character pairing. It really pushed me to dig deep, find their similarities and differences, experiment, and make them shine."

Artist Paco Medina, who has drawn everyone from the X-Men, to the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and just about everyone else in the Marvel Universe, is instrumental to bringing Deadly Hands of K'un Lun to life.

"I adore his amazing work on Spider-Boy and X-Men! As soon as I found out we got Paco, I told my editors Mark and Lauren that he's too good for me and I don't deserve him. I asked for a refund but they said get the hell out!" Jiang jokes. "His lines are clean and precise, the action is dynamic as you'd expect in a kung-fu book, and his ability to draw facial expressions! Paco is absolutely the best partner I could hope for, every day is a blast, and I do feel sorry for all the crazy scenes I'm throwing at him."

Along with some of Medina interior pages from Deadly Hands of K'un Lun #1, we've also got a gallery of character design sheets, as well as the newly revealed cover of Deadly Hands of K'un Lun #3.

Here's the cover:

"THE IMMORTAL IRON FIST GAINS AN INHUMAN EDGE…BUT AT WHAT COST?! IRON FIST, ELEKTRA and WHITE FOX are overrun as the conquering army of WAR FISTS descend upon Manhattan!" reads Marvel's official solicitation text for Deadly Hands of K'un Lun #3.

"Even with the help of the INHUMAN’S most powerful fighter, KARNAK, and promising upstart, AERO, Iron Fist makes a desperate gamble at great personal cost – but is he prepared for the repercussions?! Meanwhile, PEI has uncovered the secret of how the War Fists are gaining their powers, and the truth is even more horrifying than they could have ever imagined and could spell the end to the Iron Fist Legacy - forever!"

And here's the character gallery:

"I'm an Iron Fist fan from way back, just like y'all. And you have no idea what's waiting for you! K'un-Lun has always had a very special place in my heart because I'm Chinese, I'm rooting for it by default. And it's not just Lin Lie, it's Danny and Pei, too," Liang concludes.

"DEADLY brings Lin Lie's story that's been cooking for years to a climax. Like I said, it's a mini event. Long-time fans are in for a feast; for the new readers, we're making it as accessible as we can, so don't hesitate, jump on board with us. From the bottom of my heart, I'm pouring everything into this book, and I sincerely hope you like it!"

Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun #1 goes on sale February 18, followed by #2 on March 25, and #3 on April 29. Release dates for Deadly Hands of K'un-Lun #4 and #5 have yet to be announced. For more, read up on the best Marvel Comics events of all time.

The Merc With a Mouth is getting a new ongoing comic series titled, appropriately, Wade Wilson: Deadpool. Written by Benjamin Percy with art by rising Marvel star Geoff Shaw, the new story catches up with Deadpool following some horrible misdeed for which Wade is seeking not absolution, but punishment.

We've got a new preview of interior pages from Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1, showing Deadpool taking on a warehouse full of villainous scientists who chase him down in a small crop duster airplane, dosing him with poison.

Here's the full gallery of pages:

Deadpool's race against the crop duster is reminiscent of one of the most iconic scenes famed horror/suspense director Alfred Hitchcock ever filmed. In the movie North by Northwest, Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill flees from a small airplane that pursues him across a field - the comic panel (seen above) even uses a very similar angle to the scene. The moment has been referenced countless times.

"DANGEROUS. UNHINGED. DEADLY. Deadpool is a man on the brink, and that means the jobs are deadlier, the stakes are higher, and the humor is darker than ever before," reads Marvel's official description for Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1. "But Wade Wilson isn't laughing. A dark memory haunts Deadpool, as a mysterious client leads him down a troubling path. This way lies redemption? No, something far worse. Wade can never be forgiven for what he's done... the new ongoing series begins!"

What has Wade done? We won't find out until Wade Wilson: Deadpool #1 goes on sale on February 11.

Ready for more of Wade Wilson's adventures? Dig into our picks for the best Deadpool stories of all time.

I've been reading Marvel Comics basically my entire life, starting with the ones my dad would hand me as a young kid in the early '80s. It's been close to 40 years since I fell in love with the House of Ideas, none of which have passed without me devouring as many comics as I could get my hands on – with Marvel perennially at the forefront of my superhero taste. Well, almost none. Then 2025 happened.

I've been just about as "Make Mine Marvel" as it gets. Even my career has largely focused on covering Marvel. But as the year has rolled on, I've found myself less and less engaged with the majority of the publisher's output. You could say I've been disenchanted, disconnected, and just a little tired by Marvel's 2025 comics, to the point that I struggled to find many worthy titles to submit for consideration on our best of the year list.

The world outside your window

That's a first for me, and it's definitely disappointing. With most of the Marvel Universe stuck in the One World Under Doom status quo, the X-Men line saddled with an ineffective, nostalgia-locked overarching philosophy, and many other series simply failing to develop compelling stakes, Marvel has felt far too static for the bulk of 2025.

It's also a little baffling, as Doctor Doom is my favorite character. I love the idea of him taking over as Sorcerer Supreme, the central conceit of One World Under Doom, and writer Ryan North's Fantastic Four took our top spot in our ranking of the best comics of 2024.

But the plotline of Doom as world conqueror stuck around far too long, with much of Marvel's output steeped in the event, something that can easily turn into the doldrums for a story with its own potential. And the X-Men line, while enlisting some talented creators, has floundered in the shadow of the age of Krakoa, which set a nearly impossible-to-surmount bar for any new X-titles arising in its wake.

Meanwhile, other popular characters such as the Scarlet Witch are stuck in a never-ending cycle of limited series that take the place of a monthly ongoing series, a sales gimmick that reflects the publisher's apparent inability to offer timeless, compelling comics in favor of grasping for the meager sales of a dwindling core customer base.

Creative woes

This brings me to Marvel's other major issue in 2025: a dearth of new talent. Yes, there have been a few folks who have dipped their toes in the water, but it feels increasingly like Marvel is circling the wagons around just a handful of writers who each helm as many titles as they can cram in.

I won't name names or try to parse the deeper hows-and-whys of this apparent strategy, but it's likely got something to do with the publisher's overall skittishness at swinging for the fences. The larger point is that the House of Ideas is starting to feel like it has threadbare walls that do little to prop up even the most dedicated and put-upon of its creators.

It's hard not to interpret it all – static stories, creative downturn – as the effect of a craven, sales-driven outlook in which the corporate side of Marvel seems to have more pull over where the line goes than the editors and talent who actually make the comics.

Perhaps that's merely one reader's insight. I'm certainly basing that analysis on my own opinions and my reading of current Marvel titles rather than stone-cold facts. It seems, though, like Marvel fans as a whole are having a harder and harder time not turning up their nose at series that once wouldn't have just moved the needle, but buried it.

Post-Krakoa blues

The X-Men line is a compelling example of what not to do with Marvel's most groundbreaking characters. The Krakoa status quo changed everything for Marvel's mutants, pushing them forward into a futurist nation of unkillable X-Men with fateful stakes that could upend the entire Marvel Universe.

Following an act like that is hard, especially when simply repeating Krakoa's big twist would certainly fall flat. But taking the X-Men franchise back to a purely nostalgia-driven line and reviving the idea of mutants being "hated and feared" by humanity has put an albatross on the one Marvel property that simply cannot go backwards and still feel credible.

Perhaps it's the success of X-Men '97 that has driven the current approach to the X-Men. Even that is indicative of Marvel taking the wrong lessons, however, as the animated revival series won over fans both old and new by saying something new with the cartoon versions of the characters.

Though the X-Men line is hardly the only corner of the Marvel Universe to feel stuck in a rut, it does come across as a case study in making sausage purely from the gristle, with its otherwise talented creators apparently struggling to find a big breakout moment.

The future of Marvel

So what's next for Marvel? For the embattled X-Men line, the answer has been to suspend or cancel every title in the line for the parlor trick of relaunching everything as a wave of alt-reality titles set in a possible future for the X-Men. But it's a paltry transformation when the core line is so bruised, even with yet another relaunch on the horizon.

At the same time, much of the rest of the Marvel Universe is still tied to the aftermath of the recently concluded One World Under Doom event, which has yielded diminishing returns throughout 2025. I'll stick one feather in its cap – it did deliver some great Doom moments, even if they were spread out a bit too thin by the extended run of the core One World Under Doom series.

My hope is that 2026 brings a return to creator-driven stories that build stakes for the characters in the comics rather than lassoing every title into gimmicky events, which have the potential to stand the test of time among the best Marvel runs ever, rather than simply doubling down on relaunches and variant covers to make an impact.

Marvel would do well to remember what made it the number one superhero publisher for so many decades – its unique and vulnerable characters who can become the vehicle for tales that no other publisher can tell.

Stories like Infinity Gauntlet and Civil War are fine touchstones for the power of a good Marvel event, but what we need right now is a fundamental backbone: great pairings of characters and creators with the runway to build something truly spectacular, like Walt Simonson's Thor or Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye.

What Marvel needs most of all are stories people want to read not just once, but again and again, that excite fans and make new readers feel included in something bigger than themselves.

For a taste of what the House of Ideas is capable of at its high points, check out our picks for the best Marvel stories of all time.

Superman/Spider-Man is on the horizon this spring, and we now know the story details and creative teams of DC's side of the big crossover event with Marvel.

The main story by writer Mark Waid and artist Jorge Jiménez will feature the two lead characters teaming up against a pair of their arch-enemies as Doctor Octopus and Brainiac, while a slew of back-up stories will bring together different iterations of Spider-Man, Superman, and their allies.

"When journalists Clark Kent and Peter Parker find themselves chasing the same story, the conspiracy they uncover could change the world – especially if Brainiac and Doctor Octopus have anything to say about it. (And we bet they do!)" reads DC's official description of Superman/Spider-Man #1. "Good thing our intrepid newshounds are secretly Superman and the amazing Spider-Man. To bring this clash of reporters‑turned‑heroes to life, Mark Waid and Jorge Jiménez join forces to headline DC's Superman/Spider-Man #1 with an unforgettable lead story."

Here's DC's rundown of the rest of the stories and creative teams in their side of the crossover, which will also include a number of reprint stories:

• Tom King and Jim Lee tell a tale of Lois Lane and Mary Jane Watson, Matt Fraction and Steve Lieber revisit Superman’s pal Jimmy Olsen…and Carnage
• Sean Murphy takes us to the future with Superboy (Legion) and Spider-Man 2099, Gail Simone teams up with Belén Ortega for a look at what happens when Power Girl meets Punisher
• Christopher Priest and Daniel Sampere show us a time when Superboy Prime (who reads all the comics!) decided to visit Spider-Man right after he got the black suit
• Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott take us on an exciting race between the Daily Planet and the Daily Bugle
• Plus, we finally get to answer the age-old question of who would win in a fair fight: Pa Kent or Uncle Ben! (Just kidding, those guys are too nice to fight each other, but Jeff Lemire and Rafa Sandoval will take us deep into the past to see the two men bond in the face of adversity).

And here's a gallery of covers for the event by Jorge Jiménez; Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair; Daniel Sampere and Tomeu Morey; Dave Johnson; David Nakayama, Gabriele Dell'Otto, Mikel Janín; Raphael Albuquerque; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, David Talaski, Clayton Crain, and Raphael Albuquerque:

The one-shot will also feature more yet-to-be-revealed covers by Arthur Adams, Chrissie Zullo, Josh Middleton, Scott Koblish, Olivier Coipel, Adam Hughes, Mitch Gerads, Jeff Spokes, Evan "Doc" Shaner, Steve Lieber, J. Scott Campbell, Rafael Sandoval, and more.

Superman/Spider-Man #1 goes on sale March 25. For more, check out the best Marvel stories ever, and the best DC stories of all time.

Hulk: Smash Everything is all about the not-so-jolly green giant attempting to defeat, well, everything. And in Hulk: Smash Everything #2, he's taking on "history" as he tangles with dinosaurs in the prehistoric era.

We've got an early preview of pages from Hulk: Smash Everything #2 by writer Ryan North and artist Vincenzo Carratu showing off not just Hulk's battle with a horde of dinos, there's also an appearance by his arch-foe the Leader disguised as Doctor Strange, having previously used this guise to trick Hulk into fighting the Sorcerer Supreme himself - a close ally of the Hulk from their days on the Defenders.

Check it out:

"HULK SMASHES HISTORY! Pencils down, TRUE BELIEVERS, and pay attention to this next history lesson!" reads Marvel's official description for Hulk: Smash Everything #2. "For centuries, scholars believed DINOSAURS to be among some of the fiercest creatures to ever roam Earth during its prehistoric age - until HULK arrived… Pangea? Evolution? Forget it! History as we know it is about to get SMASHED!"

The concept of Hulk defeating even the very concept of history (while a slight exaggeration) is exactly the kind of charming superhero weirdness I've come to love from Ryan North, whose previous Fantastic Four title topped our list of the best comics of 2024. Who doesn't love the Hulk on a rampage, especially when we get to see him fight dinosaurs? I'm here for it.

Hulk: Smash Everything #2 goes on sale January 26. For more, check out the best Hulk stories of all time.

Marvel Comics' Black, White & Blood anthology series is back with a new volume focusing on stories of Logan - better known to some as Wolverine - in the years before he became a superhero and joined the X-Men. We've got an early preview of all three tales from Logan: Black, White & Blood #1, featuring the kind of over-the-top hack-and-slash action promised by the title.

Here's Marvel's description for story one: "Tom Waltz and Alex Lins reveal Logan’s never-before-revealed military service during the 1950s – with a secret connection to a fan-favorite Marvel character!"

And story two: "A mission in seedy 1970s Times Square puts Logan on the trail of a deranged serial killer, as told by Saladin Ahmed and Adam Kubert."

And finally story three: "Survival is the name of the game after Logan escapes from Weapon X – by Larry Hama and Dave Wachter."

Here's a gallery featuring one page from each story, in the order listed above:

Marvel has also revealed the solicitation text Logan: Black, White & Blood #3. Check out the solicit text below, followed by a gallery of the main cover for the issue by Sara Pichelli and a variant by Phil Noto:

LOGAN: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD #3 (OF 4)

Written by PHIL NOTO, KARLA PACHECO & MARC BERNARDIN
Art by PHIL NOTO, PERE PÉREZ & JAN BAZALDUA
Cover by SARA PICHELLI
VARIANT COVER BY PHIL NOTO
BEFORE YOU SEEK REVENGE, DIG SIX GRAVES!
• Logan took work on a farm to get away from the violence…but when his peaceful neighbors are killed, he’ll need a bumper crop of revenge, courtesy of Karla Pacheco and Pere Pérez!
• Phil Noto reunites Logan with a former brother-in-arms, who needs a favor that will save one life…and end another!
• The man who will be Wolverine stands up for right in the face of a crime against innocents, as told by Marc Bernardin!

Logan: Black, White & Blood #1 goes on sale January 14, followed by #2 on February 4, and #3 on March 11. For more hardcore Wolverine action, check out the best Wolverine comics of all time.

Marvel's X-Men line is closing in on the end of its current 'Age of Revelation' storyline that flashes forward to a possible future for mutantkind. But with the story coming to its end, the publisher is setting the stage for what comes next in X-Men #23, the epilogue for 'Age of Revelation.'

The issue marks the return of artist Tony Daniel to Marvel Comics for his first interior work for the publisher in decades. Daniel's return to the X-Men franchise is especially cool coming on the heels of 'Age of Revelation,' as some of his last Marvel work was part of 1995's 'Age of Apocalypse' the precursor to the current event.

Here's an exclusive preview of X-Men #23, which is written by Jed MacKay, featuring several pages of Tony Daniel's art along with a new variant cover for the issue by Ivan Talavera:

"It's a bit of a pinch-me moment for me! It seems my career has turned full circle, having started my career at Marvel on X-Force, when I was fresh out of high school. It was a dream back then as it is for me right now, on X-Men!" says Daniel in a statement. "I couldn't be happier putting pencil to paper on the series that inspired me to pursue this profession since I first laid eyes on a tattered copy of Giant-Size X-Men a classmate brought to school in the fourth grade. I fell in love immediately and began drawing my favorite mutants on whatever paper I could find."

"And it is incredibly exciting to work with Jed MacKay, who I've been a big fan of for several years now. Reading his stories, I thought of how great it must be for his artists to work with him," Daniel continues. "The way Jed constructs his stories is an artist's dream! Jed has an amazing balance of big action and character development that I think is not just fun for the artists, but also for the fans. Jed gets what makes great comics. If we're having fun, the fans will too. I think there's a lot of fun coming from X-Men!"

X-Men #23 goes on sale January 7. In the meantime, check out the best X-Men comics of all time.

The general manager of Marvel Games has acknowledged Marvel's place in the fighting game canon, and says Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was made with the goal of reinstating it as a pillar of the genre.

While Street Fighter, Smash Bros., Tekken, or Mortal Kombat is likely the series that sticks out to you when it comes to fighting games, Capcom titles based on Marvel super heroes (including Marvel Super Heroes) could be argued as one of the main pillars of the genre. While Mortal Kombat is more successful commercially, if EVO entrance numbers are anything to go by, Marvel vs Capcom is a far bigger deal to the fighting game community. And while Capcom is not at the helm, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls marks the return of the brand to fighting games.

Haluk Mentes, general manager of Marvel Games, spoke to Game Informer about the fighting game connection, saying that "from inception, the goal was to reinstate Marvel as a pillar of the fighting game community." And with Guilty Gear and Dragon Ball FighterZ developer Arc System Works developing it, another goal was "to do it with a unique, anime-inspired art-style and some of the best tag-team fighting mechanics out there."

Mentes also speaks about the fairly drastic redesigns of some iconic Marvel characters in the game – with characters feeling ripped straight from a Tokusatsu show. He says that "from the get-go, we collectively started pushing the envelope in terms of design to bring out that unmistakable ArcSys identity," adding that "I particularly love how Iron Man looks in the game – super unique but instantly recognizable."

Marvel wanted the new Wolverine game to bring Logan back in "spectacular and visceral fashion," and Insomniac was "the perfect choice" after the Spider-Man games

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is currently in production as the fourth film in the Tom Holland starring Spidey franchise. And though the plot of the film hasn't been revealed, the indication that the sequel will be a more "street level" story could point to the influence of the 2023 Marvel Comics event Spider-Man: Gang War.

There are some clues that could indicate the connection between Spider-Man 4 and Gang War, especially with the addition of characters like Punisher, Tombstone, Scorpion, and Hulk to the cast, as well as the rumored inclusion of even more villains such as Mister Negative.

Though nothing is confirmed, the comic history of the Gang War event could offer up some potential details about what to expect from Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Spider-Man: Gang War in comics

Gang War kicks off following the wedding of Peter Parker's friend Randy Robertson and Janice Lincoln, the villain known as the Beetle, who is also the daughter of Tombstone (played by Marvin Jones III in Spider-Man: Brand New Day). The wedding is interrupted by Shotgun, a street level assassin, who opens fire on the crowd, shooting Tombstone with special bullets that pierce his usually bulletproof skin.

With Tombstone out of commission, a power vacuum forms in the criminal underground of New York City, with numerous gangs all blaming each other for the attack on Tombstone, which violated their tenuous peace. Gangs from all over the city quickly take to the streets to battle each other, with villains such as Madame Masque, the Rose, Hobgoblin, Mister Negative, and many more fighting to claim territory.

Desperately fighting against the tide, Spider-Man calls together a team of his allies from around the city to help him quell the uprising. She-Hulk, Miles Morales, Spider-Woman, and Elektra (as Daredevil) all join Peter's cause, with Luke Cage, who was mayor of NYC at the time, also providing support by suspending the city's laws against vigilante superheroes. Jackpot, Cloak & Dagger, and Shang-Chi also become embroiled in Gang War, fighting their own battles.

In the end, it turns out the Madame Masque is behind the attempted assassination of Tombstone, who returns to power after recovering from his injuries. Tombstone becomes the unquestioned leader of New York's criminal network (at least until the return of Wilson Fisk), while New York City's anti-superhero laws, instituted by Fisk in his time as mayor, are finally repealed, allowing Spider-Man and his allies to continue their fight against crime without interference.

Will Spider-Man 4 adapt Gang War?

We already know that Spider-Man: Brand New Day will include many of the characters involved in Gang War, notably Tombstone whose near-fatal shooting kicks off the whole event. The movie will also feature Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, who is of course adjacent to She-Hulk, who is part of the comic story. Crime boss Scorpion is also one of the villains of the movie, with Mister Negative rumored as well.

With Jon Bernthal's Punisher and potentially his comic book protege Rachel Cole also in the mix, it's easy to see how Spider-Man 4, which is said to be far more street level than the world-saving stakes of No Way Home, could be influenced by Gang War, potentially setting up a war between criminal syndicates.

The comic also brings in characters such as Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Shang-Chi, all of whom exist or potentially exist in the MCU. Considering the film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also directed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, it's not so far-fetched to wonder whether the Master of Kung-Fu could pop in for a cameo.

There's still a lot we don't know about Spider-Man: Brand New Day (which takes its name from a different Spider-Man comic story), but with new set photos cropping up and new theories and rumors making the rounds all the time, it's seeming more and more likely that Gang War could indeed provide some of the basis for the film.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2026. While we wait, read up on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows in the works.

Marvel's Ultimate Universe is about to come to an end partway into its third year of publication, following the impending battle between the world's heroes that its maniacal creator the Maker. Before that, an upcoming one-shot titled Ultimate Universe: Two Years In will set the stage for Ultimate Endgame, the story that will mark the end of the story and of the comic line.

Ultimate Universe: Two Years In #1 is written by Deniz Camp and Alex Paknadel, with art credited to "superstars from across the Marvel Universe." Going by the pages in the gallery below, those artists include Javier Pulido, Phil Noto, Francesco Manna, Lee Ferguson, and Pat Boutin.

The preview follows the Ultimate Guardians of the Galaxy as they travel the cosmos recruiting characters for the battle against the Maker, including Ultimate Daredevil, Ultimate MODOK, Ultimate Phoenix, and more.

Check it out:

"ALL PATHS LEAD TO ENDGAME!" reads Marvel's official description of Ultimate Universe: Two Years In #1. "In preparation for the Maker's return in ULTIMATE ENDGAME, the Ultimate Guardians have been traveling all across time and space, recruiting members new and old… Travel across all the corners of the Ultimate Universe! Don't miss the dawn of many new characters, including ULTIMATE DAREDEVIL!"

The Ultimate Universe line currently consists of ongoing titles Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Black Panther, The Ultimates, and Ultimate Wolverine, all of which will come to an end after Ultimate Endgame, which will conclude the story of the new Ultimate Universe. It's unclear if Marvel will eventually attempt another relaunch of the Ultimate Universe, but the current version will not continue.

Check out the best Marvel Comics events of all time.

Sadie Sink's character in Spider-Man: Brand New Day remains a mystery, but a new photo from the set of the film may offer up some clues at her role. In the image, she's seen wearing camo fatigues and combat boots - not exactly a fashion sense associated with many of Peter Parker's love interests or allies from comics. Instead, this may indicate that she's playing a comic book character with more ties to the Punisher than to Spidey himself.

We're talking, of course, about Rachel Cole, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who Frank Castle takes under his wing in his crusade against crime. Created by writer Greg Rucka and artist Marco Checchetto, Rachel Cole is one of Punisher's closest and most trusted allies, meaning that Sink could be working closely alongside Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, who is already confirmed to appear in Spider-Man 4.

Rachel Cole in comics

Rachel Cole first appeared in 2011's Punisher #1, with the former marine initially encountering Frank Castle while both of them were hunting a criminal organization known as The Exchange. The group was responsible for the death of Rachel's fiance at their wedding when they were caught in a crossfire between two rival gangs.

This leads Rachel to begin a mission of revenge, eventually taking her into the path of the Punisher when they both attack the same gathering of Exchange leaders. After a face-off between the two, they part ways, with Castle warning her not to interfere with his plans.

However, Rachel later saves Frank from the criminal group known as Black Spectre, with the pair then forming a tenuous alliance, eventually growing to trust each other as the only two people who truly believe in their mission.

Through her association with Punisher, Rachel becomes embroiled in the saga of the Omega Drive, a computer drive with information on numerous criminal agencies that is protected by Daredevil, Spider-Man, and more.

Eventually, when Rachel is put on trial for murder, she's defended by none other than Matt Murdock, going on to escape from prison with the help of Frank Castle.

Rachel Cole hasn't shown up much in recent comics, but she's definitely still out there in the Marvel Universe, meaning that if she is indeed part Spider-Man 4, there's every likelihood that she could come back in comics sooner rather than later as well.

Rachel Cole in the MCU

It's still unconfirmed whether Sadie Sink is actually playing Rachel Cole in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but considering her appearance in the set photos and the involvement of Jon Bernthal's Punisher, it's not a stretch to imagine she could indeed be playing Frank Castle's trusted ally.

While we don't know a ton about the plot of Spider-Man 4, we know that it's set to be a much more street level movie, dealing with Spidey getting down and dirty not just with Frank Castle, but with Tombstone, the Scorpion, and even Mark Ruffalo's Hulk.

With all that in mind, it might make a lot more sense for Sadie Sink to be playing a more active role in the story than a simple love interest for Peter Parker - though it's also possible she could become that as well. It's not a comic precedent, but it's also not unheard of for the MCU to shake things up in that way, especially because Sink is much younger than Rachel Cole in comics.

That could be a mark against the idea that Sink is playing Rachel in Spider-Man 4, or it could be an indication that her place in the movie isn't so cut-and-dried, or even that she could be some kind of composite of characters. And of course, there's also the potential that Marvel Studios will play up her connection to Daredevil as well.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2026. While we wait, stay up to date on all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows in the works.

It's been 30 years since the classic X-Men event Age of Apocalypse rewrote mutant history with an alt-reality ruled by Apocalypse. To celebrate the milestone, writer Jeph Loeb, one of the architects of the original event, is returning to the world of AoA for a story that brings a new team of X-Men out of the dystopian reality and into the Marvel Universe proper.

Working with artist Simone Di Meo, who handles everything from pencils to colors himself, Loeb is telling a new Age of Apocalypse tale that he's had in mind since the original event ended that seems to involve a conflict between the AoA X-Men and their mainstream Marvel counterparts.

Newsarama spoke with Loeb about his return to Age of Apocalypse and his plans for returning to the venerable story decades later. Along the way, we've also got some interior pages by Simone di Meo, as well as covers by Di Meo, legendary X-Men artist Art Adams, and original Age of Apocalypse artist turned Darksiders video game co-creator Joe Madureira.

Newsarama: Jeph, did you ever imagine you'd be returning to the Age of Apocalypse all these years later?

Jeph Loeb: LOL! Of course not! I have to give credit where credit is due - first, to Scott Lobdell who built the AoA universe and gave me the chance - as a rookie in the X-Men office - to play in it. All the good ideas were his, I was lucky enough to play with them.

Then, thirty years later, Marvel editor in chief CB Cebulski called out of the blue and asked if I wanted to come back to the X-Men. We talked for a while about how AOA ended and how I had something else in mind.

Next thing I knew I was on the phone with X-Men group editor Tom Brevoort talking about what X-Men of Apocalypse could be after all this time. So it was a lot of steps to get me back into this world.

How has your perspective on the concept changed over the years?

Loeb: This was a story I had always wanted to tell, but it required what I pitched as "making it count." It had to affect continuity, which (let's be fair) AOA when it flipped back to Xavier's Timeline... Other than Nate "X-MAN" was now here, had not affected the then current continuity. Our hope - our plan - is that this time it will.

X-Men of Apocalypse brings back some of the most popular characters of the original story. Who have you connected with this time around? Have your favorites changed?

Loeb: It was more like a lot of reconnecting. I loved Scott and Joe Madureira's creation of Creed and Wild Child; I get to play with X-Man and Forge again and that relationship; Blink and Morph are so much fun and still very real - and Gambit is the heart of the team which is different from the first time around.

X-Men of Apocalypse deals with a threat that could "doom" the world. What can you tell us about what this team is up against?

Loeb: Ah, that would be telling - but it becomes very clear in X-MEN OF APOCALYPSE #1 - out in November! (Unabashed plug!)

You're working with Simone Di Meo on X-Men of Apocalypse. What makes him the perfect collaborator for a story like this?

Loeb: I'm so fortunate to be working with Simone on this. He is pencilling, inking AND coloring the stories which elevates everything I write. When I first saw his artwork, it reminded me so much of how Joe Mad changed the look of Marvel comics (Joe really came into his own on AOA - 30 years ago).

So when Simone signed on, I called Joe to see if he would do the covers and he asked who was drawing the book - and I assumed that Joe hadn't been keeping up with comics because he's like a billionaire video games creator now. But, he drew first blood when he said "It better not be Simone Di Meo - because that guy is too good for comics - I want him for games!" Sorry, Joe - get in line! (laughs).

Actually it's why Joe agreed to do the variant covers - to help more people see what Simone is capable of!

X-Men of Apocalypse marks 30 years since the original story. Did you have any idea at the start that the concept would have the impact it's had? How does this comic continue that legacy?

Loeb: I'm incredibly grateful to the fans, new readers, old readers who have discovered and rediscovered a different take on an amazing/astonishing group of characters - the all new, all different X-Men! This time - it counts! Thank you all!

Check out our picks for the best X-Men stories of all time, Age of Apocalypse included.

The Predator franchise has taken its titular hunters the Yautja all across the galaxy, and to many different time periods on Earth. But in Predator: Badlands, we'll get a window into their culture like never before. Though we'll have to wait a little while for the film, we can get our first glimpse of the Yautja in their home environment in a new preview of interior pages from Marvel's Predator: Badlands one-shot comic.

Check out the pages by writers Ethan Sacks and artist Elvin Ching, and covers from Juan Ferreyra and CAFU, as well as a movie variant taken from the Predator: Badlands poster:

The Predator: Badlands prequel comic is "produced in close collaboration" with the film's director Dan Trachtenberg. It focuses on a young Yautja named Dek (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi in the film) as he prepares for his first hunt.

In the movie, Dek will be joined by Elle Fanning's Weyland-Yutani synthetic, Thia, representing a crossover between the Predator and Alien franchises.

"Badlands is the first Predator movie to draw inspiration so heavily from the comic books," says Trachtenberg. "So it's with great delight that you and I now get to look at splash pages, from the minds of Ethan and Elvin, of a formative adventure for our characters that serves as a perfect companion to the film. Dek kicking ass in his very own comic book is a dream come true."

Predator: Badlands #1 will be released on November 12, just a few days after the movie's November 7 theatrical release.

Stay up to date on all the sci-fi movie news you need to know.

MCU breakout star Echo is taking the spotlight in a new comic book one-shot that will introduce a new power for the Indigenous hero which Marvel states will "redefine her adventures in the Marvel Universe."

Written by Taboo of Black-Eyed Peas fame, and his regular co-author B. Earl, who previously co-wrote a Daredevil and Echo limited series, and drawn by Jim Terry, Echo: Seeker of Truth celebrates Native American Heritage Month by sending Echo to new stomping grounds and upgrading her abilities with a "mysterious new gift."

The one-shot will also include the print debut of Echo's digital first Echo: Dream Descent Infinity Comic by writer Melissa Flores and artist Kyle Charles. It also features an intro by artist Jim Terry as well as an interview with Ray Taken Alive, Cyril Archambault, Lawrence Archambault and Dallas Nelson, the team behind the Lakota language dub of the original 2012 Avengers movie.

We've got an early look at interior pages from Echo: Seeker of Truth, along with covers for the issue by Echo co-creator David Mack, Carmen Carnero, and Maria Wolf. Check it out:

"When her cousin goes missing in Los Angeles, Echo goes to the City of Angels to find out what happened to her," reads Marvel's official description of Echo: Seeker of Truth #1. "But what she discovers is a series of disappearances centered around a mysterious wellness cult called Wisteria Meadows. As Echo dives deeper into the mystery, she’ll discover a truth about herself she never imagined. But who is the faceless puppet master behind the cult, and what is their sinister plan?"

Echo's usual comic powers include being able to mimic the movements of others on top of being a highly-skilled hand-to-hand combatant and an expert in multiple weapons. In the MCU's Echo streaming series, she also develops the ability to channel the power of her ancestors into enhanced strength and other effects.

"Being able to write our second Echo story feels like a super power or strength," Taboo states. "As a proud Native American/ Mexican storyteller, having that platform to co-write about super heroes that resonate within our Marvel Universe, is what I call 'good medicine' and much needed to inspire our readers."

"Being a storyteller who loves to marry myth to pop culture, it's exciting to be able to revisit Echo in a tale that will bring another dimension to her abilities," adds B. Earl. "When our editors asked us to develop a new power for her, we made sure to build it into our own mythic language that was revealed in a previous series."

Echo: Seeker of Truth #1 goes on sale November 5.

Read all about Echo's comic book history.

Sue Storm is known as the Invisible Woman, but this December she'll become the Invincible Woman, as Galactus sends the entire galaxy after her. As for what that entails, Sue will transform back into her villainous Malice persona, her dangerous dark side that was originally awakened by the Psycho-Man way back in the '80s.

Malice has been on the minds of fans since Marvel Rivals introduced an extremely popular variant skin for Sue Storm based on the design. What's more, the issue in which Malice returns, Fantastic Four #6 by writer Ryan North and artist Humberto Ramos, will include a code for a free Malice spray that shows her looking particularly menacing.

Here's a gallery of covers for Fantastic Four #6, along with Humberto Ramos' character design for Malice and the spray itself:

"'GET SUE STORM. SO SAYS GALACTUS!' When a message hidden in the structure of reality is decoded, Sue Storm becomes the most wanted super hero in the universe. And that makes both her – and planet Earth – a target for invasion!" reads Marvel's official description of Fantastic Four #6. "The Fantastic Four venture into space to answer Galactus' call, and together, they'll discover the terrifying mystery of the INVINCIBLE WOMAN, forcing Sue to confront possibilities of her powers that she never dared to imagine! Meanwhile, back on Earth, the junior Fantastic Four step up in the main team’s absence!"

Marvel's announcement goes on to explain that the story kicks off when "Extremophile Aliens" invade Earth, leading the FF to leave the Baxter Building unguarded. Their old enemy the Wizard will take advantage of the situation to break in. But a new discovery will "change the fate of the Fantastic Four forever."

Fantastic Four #6 also seems to be introducing a new incarnation of the Future Foundation, based around the "junior FF members" left behind when the main team ventures into space to investigate the mystery of Sue Storm and Galactus.

"Sue has played a lot of roles over her lifetime, and I think she's a really fascinating character,” says writer Ryan North in a statement. "She's smart, she's funny, and she's determined. The Invincible Woman isn't our Sue Storm - and our Sue Storm isn't going anywhere - but she is a version of her that had different things happen over the course of her life. Of course, we've seen a similar situation with The Maker, but the true danger of the Fantastic Four was never an evil Reed Richards - it's an unchained Susan Storm."

Fantastic Four #6 arrives on December 3. The story continues in January 17's Fantastic Four #7 and February 18's Fantastic Four #8.

Check out the best Fantastic Four stories of all time.

Marvel's White Tiger has risen to a new level of prominence thanks to the inclusion of the original version Hector Ayala in Daredevil: Born Again along with his niece Angela Del Toro, who is his successor as White Tiger in the show.

With the hero now on the minds of fans, Marvel Comics is bringing the current White Tiger Ava Ayala, Hector's sister, to the forefront in White Tiger: Reborn, a new one-shot that celebrates the character's legacy while setting the stage for Ava's future as the hero.

White Tiger: Reborn includes two stories, one by writer Daniel José Older and artist Bruno Abdias, and one by writer Cynthia Pelayo and artist Moises Hidalgo, each of which explore different aspects of White Tiger's comic history, and future.

Newsarama caught up with both Older and Pelayo to discuss White Tiger's future in the Marvel Universe, and how Ava Ayala's future is informed by the ongoing legacy of Marvel's first Puerto Rican hero. We've also got a gallery of pages from the one-shot, along with a 'Hidden Gem' variant cover by White Tiger's legendary co-creator, artist George Pérez.

Newsarama: White Tiger: Reborn #1 has been described as a "major turning point" for the character's history. How will this impact the current White Tiger, Ava Ayala?

Daniel José Older: Ah yes, the turning point aspect is one of my favorite parts of this story! And it really marks a new era for both Hector and Ava. It's Ava's story, but she's always grappling with the difficult legacy that her brother left behind and what it means for her. This was an opportunity to step forward for all of them, and I'm thrilled I got to be part of it.

Cynthia Pelayo: Ava Ayala experiences significant growth in White Tiger: Reborn #1 and it’s going to be exciting for readers to witness how she’s evolved and confronted her powerful family legacy. This issue tackles a number of questions from the character’s history while providing a new way forward for Ava.

Jhony Caballero's cover for White Tiger: Reborn #1 features multiple incarnations of the character seeming to team up against D'Spayre. How much do these clues indicate what we can expect from the story?

Older: First of all, how cool is D'Spayre? I love that we got to go deep into the vault for this incredible, terrifying villain. In many ways, this is a story about honoring our ancestors, and giving light to how they lift us up and we lift them up as we evolve together. All of us are here because of our ancestors, and those can also be tricky relationships to navigate, make peace with. I wanted to get into some of those challenges with an action packed, modern noir story.

Pelayo: I wanted to honor the history of White Tiger, particularly Hector’s love of Puerto Rico, the importance of his family, and of course his commitment to helping people. My story tackles each of these elements.

Daniel, you're working with artist Bruno Abdias who is making his Marvel debut on White Tiger: Reborn, and Cynthia, you're working with Moises Hidalgo. What's it been like working with them, and how do they embody the artistic legacy the legendary George Pérez kicked off 50 years ago?

Older: I can't even begin to describe what a pleasure it was working with a talented powerhouse like Bruno! He seemed to intuitively read my mind. I tend to be somewhat sparse with description in my scripts, because I want the artist to bring their vision to the page alongside mine. But of course, I have certain visual concepts in my head. Bruno surpassed anything I could've dreamed up and went above and beyond. And I also want to shout out legendary editor Lauren Amaro, whose thoughtfulness, creativity, and passion really brought this whole project to life. Dream team!

Pelayo: Moises Hidalgo is an artistic genius. It’s been wonderful watching the process unfold and their artistic interpretations. Moises approached the character with such excitement and commitment to maintaining the legacy of White Tiger, while also acknowledging Ava’s new dedication to the role.

Here's everything we know about Daredevil: Born Again season 2, which will include the White Tiger.

The first gameplay trailer for Marvel's Wolverine is here, and the absolutely brutal, bloody gameplay is punctuated by the presence of many of Wolverine's arch-enemies, including a whole host of cyborgs and mecha villains for him to tear through.

We combed over the trailer to spot all the villains present in the clip, and we've also got three top Wolverine villains who don't appear, but who we hope appear in the game.

The Reavers

The cyborg soldiers that Wolverine tears through in the trailer seem to be Reavers, a militia of mutant-hating extremists who alter their bodies with cybernetics. Led by Donald Pierce, the Reavers are responsible for the creation of Lady Deathstrike, and were the villains of 2017's Logan.

Omega Red

A classic '90s X-Men villain designed by legendary artist Jim Lee, Omega Red is a Russian mutant who is also a serial killer. Captured by the KGB, Omega Red is turned into a kind of twisted super-soldier with Adamantium tentacles that enhance his mutant ability to release deadly pheromones known as "death spores."

Prime Sentinel

The big guy who has Wolverine in a chokehold looks a lot like a Prime Sentinel, as seen in X-Men '97. Prime Sentinels are humans who are infected by nanites that turn them into sleeper agents who can be activated to become mutant hunting cyborgs.

Mystique

Mystique appears in the Wolverine trailer, shedding a disguise to take on the Reavers in what seems to be their home base. It's unclear whether Mystique will be friend or foe in the game, or a combination of both.

Bastion

It looks a lot like Mystique's initial disguise in the trailer may be another X-Men '97 character, Bastion, the cyborg creator of the Prime Sentinels who has an agenda to wipe out mutantkind through his advanced weaponry.

Sentinel

There's no mistaking the massive Sentinel that caps off the trailer for Marvel's Wolverine. These are the original mutant-slaying robots, massive killing machines that are all but unbeatable. That's right in keeping with the trailer's themes of anti-mutant cyborgs and mechs.

The Wolverine villains we want to see in the game

Silver Samurai

Silver Samurai is one of Wolverine's most visually striking enemies. A mutant with the power to channel energy through his sword, Silver Samurai would be a perfect addition to a combat heavy game.

Lady Deathstrike

With the Reavers in play, the inclusion of Lady Deathstrike feels almost inevitable as an eventual boss character. An assassin with a vendetta against Wolverine, Lady Deathstrike undergoes an Adamantium bonding process that leaves her with massive, gnarly talons.

Sabretooth

If there's any single villain that absolutely needs to be in Marvel's Wolverine, it's Sabretooth. The bloodthirsty Sabretooth is Wolverine's biggest arch-enemy, a feral killer with a healing factor that rivals Wolverine's who has enigmatic ties to Logan's past.

Learn about all of the best Wolverine villains of all time.

We're just days away from the new season of Marvel Rivals, which brings another new Marvel character to the roster. This time it's Angela, known in Marvel Comics as "Asgard's Assassin," who is the long-lost sister of Thor. But that's not where her story starts. In fact, it doesn't even start at Marvel, as Angela first debuted at Image Comics as a supporting character for Spawn.

Angela's jump to Marvel is one of the most fraught and interesting real world tales of the comic book industry. On the eve of her Marvel Rivals debut, we're digging into both her comic book story, and the real life backstory that brought her from one publisher to another - a rare feat for a comic book character.

Angela in Image Comics

Angela's life begins as a supporting character in Spawn. For those not in the know, Spawn is one of the biggest and best selling comics of the '90s, setting massive sales records and becoming a huge global sensation.

First appearing in 1993's Spawn #9 by writer Neil Gaiman and Spawn creator/artist Todd McFarlane, Angela is a renegade angel who operates as a bounty hunter outside the purview of the strict hierarchy of Heaven and its celestial warriors.

Angela first encounters Spawn, a human who is bound to a hellish symbiote and who is cursed to a nightmarish eternal life, as an antagonist, attempting to slay him for his demonic nature. But they quickly form an uneasy alliance against the devil lords of Hell, even leading to Angela and Spawn sharing a surprising romantic connection.

This version of Angela is kind of a quippy badass - a bit like a way more cheesecake-y Wolverine - operating on her own and occasionally acting in ways that defy her angelic nature. Sadly, Angela dies in Spawn #100 while fighting Malebolgia, the demonic overlord responsible for Spawn's condition. With Malebolgia defeated, in large part thanks to Angela, Spawn returns her body to Heaven.

How Angela came to Marvel

And that's the comic book history of Angela's time at Image Comics. However, her transfer from Image Comics to Marvel is a saga all its own. As mentioned, Angela was co-created by Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane, Spawn's creator. Angela continued on at Image for years, but Gaiman eventually decided to look into the amount of money he was getting from royalties for co-creating the character, who had since become a hit toy.

McFarlane would regularly pay Gaiman royalties every so often, though they had no formal agreement. This led Gaiman to realize his end of the deal wasn't being totally held up, as he believed McFarlane was giving him a smaller share of Angela's profits than he deserved.

Gaiman began a lawsuit against McFarlane that would last for years, with Gaiman even agreeing to create the title 1602 for Marvel Comics, who had their own beef with McFarlane, in exchange for help with the legal costs.

Gaiman eventually won sole ownership of Angela in 2012, selling her to Marvel as part of their agreement to help with the lawsuit. Thus, Angela became a Marvel Comics character with a totally different backstory, and a new history alongside Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.

Angela in Marvel Comics

Angela's life at Marvel Comics began quite differently from her original backstory. Rather than being a warrior angel who left Heaven to fight on her own terms, the Marvel version of Angela is actually the long-lost sister of Thor, who was kidnapped as a baby and taken to the secret Asgardian realm of Heven, a kind of Norse twist on Heaven itself.

Her real name, it's later revealed, is Aldrif Odinsdottir, who was believed to be killed as an infant in a war between Asgard and Heven, leading Odin to seal Heven off from the rest of the Marvel Universe.

When she first arrives in the Marvel Universe thanks to ripples through the so-called "omniverse," Angela meets the Guardians of the Galaxy, quickly joining the team. Things would soon become complicated however when the armies of Heven returned, leading Angela to capture Thor, before winning her own freedom from service to Heven and helping Thor defeat Loki, who was engineering the conflict.

From here, Angela would go onto star in her own comic title, Angela: Asgard's Assassin, in which she and her lover Sera, another angel, kidnap Odin's newborn son in order to prevent him from becoming the reincarnation of Surtur, the fated destroyer of Asgard.

Sadly, Sera is killed in battle, leading Angela to travel to Hel, the Asgardian realm of the dead, to steal the throne of Hela (herself a popular Marvel Rivals hero) and bring Sera back.

Since then, she's appeared sporadically, though her Marvel Rivals return could lead to a resurgence in comics as well.

Angela in Marvel Rivals

In Marvel Rivals, Angela is a Vanguard (the Rivals equivalent of a tank), and let's be real: she's an absolute muscle mommy in the game, a massive brickhouse of angelic power that combines different elements of her many incarnations over the years.

Along with carrying her Lance, an angelic weapon that, in her original Image Comics incarnation, had the power to erase demons and hellish entities from existence, Angela is also the first flying tank in Marvel Rivals, thanks to her one big ol' wing.

In fact, her attacks change somewhat whether she's flying or hanging out on the ground, as she trades in her Lance for a pair of axes. She also carries a shield that helps her survivability, alongside her movement abilities.

All in all, Angela is shaping up to be one of the most interesting new additions to the Marvel Rivals roster, especially since she's something of a dark horse candidate for inclusion in just about any Marvel game, considering how long it's been since she was regularly appearing in comics.

Angela debuts in Marvel Rivals on September 12. While we wait, check out our picks for the best video game based comics of all time.

Marvel's Black, White & Blood series offers up anthology tales of some of its most hardcore heroes in stories rendered only in, as the title implies, black, white, and red. Now, just in time for the spooky seasons, the publisher is upping the game with an extra-gory new spin on the anthology series, titled Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1.

The inaugural issue of the anthology limited series features three stories: a Blade tale by writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Devmalya Pramanik; a second helping of Marvel's most famous vampire hunter by writer Al Ewing and artist Kev Walker; and a mystical Iron Man story by writer Chris Condon and artist Claire Roe.

We've got a preview of unlettered pages from all three stories here, in that order, along with EM Gist's main cover for Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1.

Check it out:

"FACE FRONT, HORROR FANS! It's October! You know what that means…it's the season for ghouls, goblins and other horrifying haunts - and unfortunately for your favorite heroes and villains (but frightfully fortunate for you readers out there in Mighty Marveldom), the Marvel U is far from immune to the effects of this time of year!" reads Marvel's official description of Black, White & Blood and Guts #1.

"FIRST! The terrifyingly talented creative team of AL EWING & KEV WALKER brings you a blood-curdling story starring BLADE! THEN! We're not done with BLADE yet, as industry powerhouse G. WILLOW WILSON and your new favorite artist DEVMALYA PRAMANIK have their own daring vision of the daywalker!" it continues. "BUT WAIT! Because you simply cannot afford to miss the final scintillating story in this issue, starring IRON MAN from breakout star CHRIS CONDON! What? You thought we were going to let the horror characters of the Marvel U have all the fun? WELL, YOU WERE WRONG!"

Marvel: Black, White & Blood and Guts #1 goes on sale October 8.

While we wait, check out our picks for the best horror comics of all time.

Marvel is taking advantage of being owned by Disney with a new crossover between the Fantastic Four and Disney's beloved '90s action franchise Gargoyles. Now, we've got an early look at interior pages from Fantastic Four/Gargoyles #1, and as a super fan of both the FF and Gargoyles, I can say they're everything I hoped they would be.

Though the script by Gargoyles creator/long time Marvel writer Greg Weisman isn't yet on the page, the art by Enid Balám is pitch-perfect, showing off scenes of the FF and the Manhattan Clan coming face-to-face, Tony Stark taking on David Xanatos in his Steel Clan armor, the series' main villain Diablo, and of course, a battle with classic marvel baddie the Grey Gargoyle.

Check it out:

"MARVEL'S FIRST FAMILY UNITES WITH THE MANHATTAN CLAN IN THIS EXCITING CROSSOVER! GARGOYLES creator and acclaimed Marvel writer Greg Weisman brings the Gargoyles to the Baxter Building alongside star artist Enid Balám!" reads Marvel's official description of Fantastic Four/Gargoyles #1. "Danger strikes when the super villain Diablo learns stone gargoyles may hold the secret to eternal life…but the Gargoyles aren't about to let him leech the blood of his own! Fortunately, they've got the help of expert Diablo-bashers - the Fantastic Four! Plus: Tony Stark and David Xanatos compare facial hair, Marvel's own Gargoyle, Isaac Christians, bonds with his new kin, and more! You won't want to miss this collision of beloved universes!"

Fantastic Four/Gargoyles is shaping up to be exactly what I want to see from a crossover like this, with plenty of characters from both franchises, art that deftly splits the difference between Marvel's art style and the look of the Gargoyles animated series, and a plot that ties into the mythos of both universes.

Fantastic Four/Gargoyles goes on sale October 15.

Check out the most unlikely comic book crossovers of all time.

Hulk is known as the strongest one there is in the Marvel Universe, and this winter, he's going to set out to prove it by taking on all manner of unexpected opponents in a new comic titled Hulk Smashes Everything.

Consisting of five issues, Hulk: Smash Everything is written by Ryan North of Fantastic Four fame, and Psylocke artist Vincenzo Carratù. Marvel states the limited series will feature Hulk "battering his way through the cosmos and beyond the very limits of reality."

"A GUARANTEED SMASH HIT! Is Hulk really the strongest there is? Sure, he's stronger than most PEOPLE…but is he really stronger than EVERYTHING?" asks Marvel's official description of Hulk: Smash Everything #1. "Dinosaurs? Planets? Gravity? Cosmic forces? Find out here because when we say Hulk takes on all-comers in this new miniseries, we really mean it! It's non-stop action in the classic mighty Marvel manner!"

Hulk has taken on opponents far beyond his apparent physical limits before, including a story by writer Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley in which Hulk is forced to fight enemies as powerful as the Celestials themselves in a psychic reality designed to push him to the absolute highest capacity of his strength.

"Hulk is a perfect character, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson is doing incredible things with him in Incredible Hulk," says writer Ryan North in a statement. "This series is an evergreen (no pun intended) story that features an ever-increasing series of things being smashed by Hulk across all five issues. It goes to some wild places that I promise you are not expecting (and one, if you know me, that you are) and, through all the chaos and smashing, also tells what I think is a pretty sweet story about this big green guy."

"I think Bruce's mind is one of the most fascinating in the Marvel Universe," adds artist Vincenzo Carratù. "Since Peter David's introduction of his multiple personalities, Hulk has been a constant rediscovery, and drawing him right now means a lot to me. Who among us, in a moment of rage, hasn't thought about smashing everything? We'll explore this facet of his identity and this time, we're giving him free rein. It'll be a lot of fun and truly crazy as Ryan and I push him into the most absurd corners of the universe with no limits!"

Hulk: Smash Everything #1 goes on sale December 3 with a cover by Adam Kubert, seen above.

While we wait for Hulk: Smash Everything, check out the best Hulk comics of all time.

Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, is back in her own ongoing comic. And though her new series has her trying to walk the straight-and-narrow as a crimefighter, she's still about to cross paths with none other than Daredevil in Black Cat #2.

Will he be friend or foe to the Black Cat? It's hard to say, especially since she's been busy making enemies of a whole host of classic Spider-Man villains in her quest to become a true blue superhero.

We've got a preview of some unlettered pages from the issue, showing Felicia coming face-to-face with Matt Murdock, while also doing some of her usual sneaking around, though apparently for good reasons rather than burglary this time.

Check it out:

"FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD…BLACK CAT?! FELICIA HARDY is a changed woman. She's STOPPING robberies instead of planning them," reads Marvel's official description of Black Cat #2. "But all her super heroing is leaving a trail of wronged super villains in her wake. Lizard. Sandman. Tombstone. The list's getting longer by the day. And it's only a matter of time before those nine lives of hers run out…"

The Black Cat has long walked the tightrope between villain and antihero thanks to her rivalry with Spider-Man - and also their mutual attraction. And while she's often had noble intentions behind her heists, she's now trying to reform and go full superhero.

Black Cat #2 is written by G. Willow Wilson with art by Gleb Melnikov and colorist Brian Reber and letters by Joe Caramagna, and a cover by Adam Hughes. The issue goes on sale September 24.

Check out the best Daredevil comics of all time.

Predator: Badlands will mark a new era of the Predator franchise, following a Yautja warrior on his first big hunt as the movie's protagonist rather than a nigh-unstoppable adversary for a group of humans.

Joining the Yautja, named Dak (played by Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), is Elle Fanning's Weyland-Yutani synthetic, Thia, representing a crossover between the Predator and Alien franchises.

Predator: Badlands #1, a comic prequel, will be "produced in close collaboration" with Predator: Badlands director Dan Trachtenberg. The one-shot is written by Ethan Sacks with art by Elvin Ching and a cover by Juan Ferreyra, seen below:

"THE HUNT BEGINS," reads Marvel's official description of the Predator: Badlands prequel comic. "In the one-shot, a young Yautja warrior is given a seemingly simple task by his father: retrieve a piece of technology from a derelict spaceship that crashed years ago. Inside, however, an ancient and deadly threat lies in wait."

Marvel has produced a number of Predator comics, mostly pitting the mighty alien hunter against Marvel superheroes in out-of-continuity stories. Predator: Badlands #1 will be the first time the publisher has created an official tie-in comic for a Predator movie.

"For a writer who grew up a lifelong fan of the Predator franchise, there is no bigger game than the chance to hunt with the Yautja," Sacks says in a statement. "Working hand in hand with the filmmakers behind Predator: Badlands, we made sure this prequel story fits into the cinematic saga like a puzzle piece. It's going to give fans a deeper, richer experience – especially when they get to feast their eyes on Elvin Ching's art."

"Badlands is the first Predator movie to draw inspiration so heavily from the comic books. So it's with great delight that you and I now get to look at splash pages, from the minds of Ethan and Elvin, of a formative adventure for our characters that serves as a perfect companion to the film," adds Trachtenberg. "Dek kicking ass in his very own comic book is a dream come true."

Predator: Badlands releases in theaters on November 7, while the prequel comic hits shelves just a few days later on November 12. While we wait, check out our list of the best sci-fi movies of all time.

We're still on the verge of the Halloween season, but Marvel Comics is already looking ahead to the winter holidays with a special one-shot starring Spider-Man. Titled Spider-Man: Holiday Spectacular #1, the issue is written by Rainbow Rowell with art by Luciano Vecchio, Bob Quinn, and more artists to be named.

Marvel is no stranger to holiday comics, with Santa Claus himself – who is believed to be a mutant in the Marvel Universe – even occasionally showing his bearded face. Of course, in recent years in particular, the publisher's winter specials have begun to incorporate numerous different celebrations in their stories.

"HOLIDAY PLANS NO MORE! Peter Parker is all alone for the holidays… Luckily, the Spectacular Spider-Man has some amazing friends he can celebrate with!" reads Marvel's official description of Spider-Man: Holiday Spectacular #1. "But can the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil and more handle winter with the wisecrackin’ Web-Head? Or will the Thing have to send Spidey packing to ensure a silent night? Rainbow Rowell and a bevy of Marvel’s finest artists deliver a holiday romp to all the good boys and girls who read magnificent Marvel mags!"

Marvel has yet to reveal the full list of heroes Spidey will team up with, though it has named the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, and Daredevil. The one-shot's cover, by Luciano Vecchio, seen above, also shows Spider-Man alongside the Thing, Ironheart, Storm, and Daredevil. Judging by all that, it seems like there are few corners of the Marvel Universe that will be untouched.

Spider-Man: Holiday Spectacular #1 goes on sale November 19. While we wait, check out the best Spider-Man comics of all time.

DC has now revealed the further details of the stories that will appear in its side of the publishers upcoming crossover with Marvel Comics, Batman/Deadpool #1. Marvel has already revealed the exciting list of stories, including a Wolverine/Batman tale by the legendary Frank Miller.
But DC is also rising to the occasion by bringing all-time-great writer Grant Morrison back to Batman, a character they revolutionized with a formative run in the early '00s, who will join up with one of DC's current top artists, Dan Mora, for the issue's main story. And that's just scratching the surface of the stacked line-up of characters and creators filling out the rest of the stories.

Alongside Morrison and Mora's main story, writers Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Joshua Williamson and artist Hayden Sherman will present a team-up between magical maestros John Constantine and Doctor Strange. Then writer Tom Taylor will team up with the artist of his Nightwing run, Bruno Redondo, for a crossover between Dick Grayson and Laura Kinney Wolverine.

Meanwhile, in a story by writer Mariko Tamaki and artist Amanda Conner, Harley Quinn and Hulk will have a "showdown" that apparently involves a hot dog eating contest. And finally, Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan's co-creator writer G. Willow Wilson and Static co-creator artist Denys Cowan bring together the two young adult heroes for a shared adventure.

Here's a gallery of all 22 covers for Batman/Deadpool #1, followed by a list of the artist of each cover:

• Dan Mora – Batman/Deadpool wraparound
• Lee Bermejo – The Joker/Doctor Doom
• Mark Brooks – Zatanna/Scarlet Witch
• Jim Cheung and Jay David Ramos – Wonder Woman/Captain America
• Amanda Conner and Alex Sinclair – Harley Quinn/Hulk
• Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin – Batman/The Punisher
• Jenny Frison – Wonder Woman/Storm
• Andy Kubert and Alejandro Sánchez – Robin (Damian Wayne)/Gambit
• Jae Lee and June Chung – Big Barda/Savage Land Rogue
• Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair – Batman/Wolverine
• Alexander Lozano – Wonder Woman/Ms. Marvel
• Sean Murphy and Simon Gough – Lobo/Deadpool
• Frank Quitely – Batman/Deadpool
• Bruno Redondo – Nightwing (Dick Grayson)/Wolverine (Laura Kinney)
• Hayden Sherman – John Constantine/Doctor Strange
• Bill Sienkiewicz – Batman/Deadpool — a The Incredible Hulk #340 homage
• Ryan Sook – Batman/Deadpool — a Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 homage
• Sozomaika – Catwoman/Emma Frost

Marvel's Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17, followed by DC's Batman/Deadpool #1 on November 19. While we wait, check out our picks for the best DC stories of all time and the best Marvel Comics stories of all time.

It's now fully confirmed that actor Michael Mando will reprise his role as the Scorpion for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth film in Marvel Studios and Sony's joint Spidey franchise. What we don't quite know yet is exactly how he'll embody the role, and how closely it'll resemble the comic book history of Mac Gargan, the Scorpion.

What's interesting is that Mando has been teasing that he may be playing not just Scorpion, but Venom as well. No, that doesn't mean he'll be playing two separate characters. On the contrary, it seems Brand New Day may in fact depict Mac Gargan's turn from being the original Scorpion to becoming the new host of the Venom symbiote.

That change also led to Gargan joining the Thunderbolts as Venom, and later the Dark Avengers as its faux-Spider-Man. That history could have big implications for Mac Gargan's place in the MCU - and it could finally deliver the big screen Spider-Man/Venom showdown we've always deserved.

So what's the deal with the Scorpion, and how did he turn into Venom? We'll explain it all right now.

The comic history of the Scorpion

Mac Gargan first debuted all the way back in 1964's Amazing Spider-Man #19 by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee before being transformed into the Scorpion in #20. When Gargan was first introduced, he was a private investigator hired by J. Jonah Jameson to figure out Peter Parker's connection to Spider-Man.

But the scheme fails, leading Jameson to enlist Gargan as the subject of an experiment to create an enforcer capable of defeating Spider-Man. Gargan is transformed into the Scorpion by scientist Dr. Farley Stillwell, who imbues him with scorpion-like powers similar to Spidey's famous spider-powers while also equipping him with a special suit that includes an acid-dripping stinger.

While Scorpion essentially becomes the first anti-Spider-Man, even coming close to defeating the Wall-Crawler once and for all, Gargan soon discovers his new powers are a curse, having transformed him into something inhuman.

Gargan is driven to rage-filled madness by his metamorphosis, going on to menace both Spider-Man and J. Jonah Jameson over the years, while also taking on other heroes, notably Captain America and Carol Danvers, and later joining the Masters of Evil and a more recent iteration of the venerable villain team the Sinister Six.

But that's just scratching the surface of Mac Gargan's role in the Marvel Universe. After a long career as the Scorpion, he bonded with the Venom symbiote, turning it back into a villainous monster after years of operating as a "Lethal Protector" with the original Venom Eddie Brock.

How the Scorpion became Venom

Gargan's transformation into Venom happened early in his employ as a henchman of Norman Osborne, also known as the Green Goblin, who employed Scorpion to spy on Peter Parker. But during the course of his mission, he came into contact with the Venom symbiote, which was recently separated from Eddie Brock.

Though he first attempted to reject the symbiote, Gargan eventually ascents to bonding with it, becoming a new Venom that took the character back its villainous roots rather than Eddie Brock's evolution into an anti-hero.

As Venom, Gargan went on to join Osborn's merciless incarnation of the Thunderbolts, which was essentially transformed into a black-ops hit squad run by Osborn on behalf of the government. Through his time on the Thunderbolts, Gargan found himself driven more and more by the symbiote's inherent blood lust, fearing that he'd lose control entirely.

However, after a brutal battle with his former Thunderbolts ally the Swordsman which left him gravely wounded, Gargan fully embraced the symbiote's monstrous nature as it saved his life by healing his injuries.

Gargan's connection to Norman Osborne led him to be recruited to Osborne's Dark Avengers, with the symbiote taking on a much less monstrous form resembling Peter Parker when he first bonded with the symbiote. As part of the team, Gargan impersonated Spider-Man much like the other members impersonated other Avengers, including Moonstone posing as Carol Danvers (in her Ms. Marvel guise) and Bullseye taking on the role of Osborne's ersatz Hawkeye.

Eventually, Gargan was separated from the symbiote in a battle with the real Spider-Man, going on to be incarcerated in the supervillain prison known as the Raft. Gargan was later broken out by mad scientist Alistar Smythe, who upgraded him with a new high-tech Scorpion suit.

Gargan used his newfound powers to assassinate J. Jonah Jameson's wife - a tragedy that eventually led Peter Parker's Aunt May to get temporarily engaged to Jameson. Gargan's been the Scorpion since, though he's had a few encounters with the Venom symbiote over the years.

Scorpion in the MCU

All of that history could have some very interesting implications for Michael Mando's MCU Scorpion, who was only seen briefly in Spider-Man: Homecoming as a very human gangster. Mando has been posting some images teasing his role on Instagram story (via ComicBook), including posting the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #573 (seen below), an issue which revolves around Gargan becoming a kind of Scorpion/Venom hybrid.

Venom hasn't technically fully appeared in the MCU just yet, though Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock, himself the star of his own trilogy of Venom movies in a separate continuity, did have a brief cameo in the stinger scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home in which he traveled to the MCU, leaving a small glob of symbiote goo behind when he returned to his own reality.

From there, it's really just a hop, skip, and a jump for that little bit of the Venom symbiote to make its way to New York to bond with Gargan.

The biggest lingering question is, will Scorpion get his initial powers and battlesuit, or will they skip straight to Mac Gargan being the MCU's Venom? The latter wouldn't be out of the question, especially as it provides a layer of separation between Sony's ultimately heroic portrayal of Venom and one who fits more into the mold of one of Spider-Man's arch-enemies.

A version of the Scorpion appeared in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with a cybernetic body loaded with weapons and eight creepy robot-legs. Meanwhile, Venom appeared somewhat notoriously in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, played by Topher Grace.

If Mac Gargan does indeed become the MCU's Venom, that could finally give us the truly monstrous Venom vs. Spider-Man showdown we've always deserved to see on the big screen. And of course, that's not even getting into his potential connections to the Thunderbolts/New Avengers.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, will swing into theaters on July 31, 2026. For more, here is our complete guide to upcoming Marvel movies and Marvel Phase 6.

Marvel Zombies is now 20 years old, and to celebrate the milestone, Marvel Comics will publish a new R-rated Marvel Zombies: Red Band comic. Written by Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan with art by Jan Bazaldua, the new Marvel Zombies comic promises to be a blood-and-guts "love letter" to the Marvel Universe.

Newsarama spoke with Parker and Sheridan ahead of the September release of Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1, digging into the ways that the new comic will continue the classic Marvel Zombies tradition while also breaking new ground thanks to the R-rated nature of the new comic.

Along the way, we've also got some pages from Marvel Zombies: Red Band #1, as well as the newly released cover for Marvel Zombies #3, which teases Thanos, the Mad Titan.

"The undead history of the Marvel Universe continues on as Thanos takes on the quest for the Infinity Stones!" reads the official solicitation text for Marvel Zombies #3. "The Mad Titan of our universe once killed half of all life. What will he do in a universe where the dead don’t die?!"

Read on for the pages, and for everything you need to know about the new Marvel Zombies comic.

Newsarama: Marvel Zombies has been around for 20 years now, with its own comic legacy. How does Marvel Zombies: Red Band lean into the mythos that has been established while also breaking new ground?

Ethan S. Parker: That was part of the pressure of taking this book on, was the incredible lineup of talent that has been involved in the past. To walk anywhere that Robert Kirkman has walked before is terrifying. While still trying to capture the balance of fun and nastiness of those previous takes, it helped differentiate the book that we established that this is a whole alternate Marvel Universe that was knocked off-course just as all the super heroes were still in the middle of their origin stories. That sort of means there are no rules, so we can really forge our own path.

Griffin Sheridan: Amidst all the expected blood-and-guts, we are also focused on making sure there is a really solid emotional throughline to the struggles of the surviving heroes, which has certainly been an element of past Marvel Zombies stories, but we feel it certainly takes more precedent in this one.

Speaking of the Red Band branding, what does that let you do with this story that you otherwise couldn't? How far are you pushing those boundaries?

Parker: We've been truly let off the leash. It's absolutely surreal to write into a script that the Hulk smashes someone into a bloody pulp and eats their eyeballs, and then Marvel actually publishes it! They want us to make this as big and crazy and loud as we possibly can, so we've crammed in every nasty idea we had. Plus, there are curse words! This ain't your daddy's Marvel U.

Sheridan: It's truly wild. Ethan and I hail from the horror space, so we feel right at home on this truly grotesque title, especially with the freedom allotted to us by the Red Band banner. Really, it's a curse that Marvel editorial has placed on us, to have to conjure up all these nightmare scenarios, in which some of our most beloved heroes get ripped apart limb by limb. It's upsetting, but fun, which is also the feeling we want you to have while reading the book, so I guess it's all working out!

What do you think makes the combination of Marvel heroes and zombies work so well?

Parker: For so many of us, these characters are the epitome of comfort food. They're bright and colorful and hopeful, and they represent doing your best to reach a brighter tomorrow. So mashing those characters together with a concept as grim as a zombie apocalypse works like peanut butter and jelly. You get the color, adventure, and fun, but you also get a harrowing survival story. Best of both worlds.

Sheridan: There is something very existential about it. Our morbid fascination with death even has to be pasted onto this (relatively) innocent realm of fantasy. What is it like for a place so magical to become so infested with decay and destruction? There was an inherent curiosity to the scenario in our minds already, then Kirkman, Phillips, and company turned it into this even more twisted and hilariously evil thing that we just can't look away from now.

You're working with Jan Bazaldua on Marvel Zombies. What makes her the perfect collaborator for this story?

Parker: What an absolute dream. We have been huge fans of Jan's since her work with Brian Michael Bendis on the Miles Morales: Spider-Man run, where she captured so many thrilling moments alongside so many intensely personal and emotional scenes. She can do it all, and as it turns out, that includes rendering some truly stomach-churning gore sequences. What an honor.

Sheridan: Marvel Zombies is a very singular type of story that requires a very singular type of art to accompany it, to capture the unique blending of adventure and gore. Jan delivers on that stuff in spades, while also totally bringing it on all the character work Ethan and I are sprinkling throughout.

What can readers expect from Marvel Zombies?

Parker: You can expect a violent, crazy zombie romp, obviously, but you can also expect a Marvel Universe story written by two guys who have such a deep love in our hearts for every character we feature in those pages. This is our first chance to write Spider-Man, our first chance to write so many of these characters, so while yes, we are blowing everything up, we're also trying to honor this world that we love more than anything. We hope you'll join us.

Sheridan: It's funny to say this is a love letter to the Marvel U while also having the Marvel U eat itself, but that is the case! We want to deliver a compelling character piece, as we always hope to do, but drenched in viscera, seeping with blood, and packed with the off-kilter voices of the Marvel Zombies that fans have come to love.

Marvel Zombies #1 goes on sale September 17. In the meantime, read the best horror comics of all time.

Matt Murdock and Frank Castle may be uneasy allies in Daredevil: Born Again, but in comics, they've just as often been at each others' throats as Daredevil wholly disapproves of the Punisher's murderous methods. Now, as part of the revival of the Marvel Knights brand, writer Jimmy Palmiotti, one of the original line's founders, is joined by artist Tommaso Bianchi for a limited series titled Daredevil/Punisher: The Devil's Trigger.

In the story, Punisher will engage in his "most violent and visceral confrontation yet" with the Gnucci crime family, as Daredevil tries to stop him from tearing Hell's Kitchen apart.

"DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PULL THE TRIGGER? DAREDEVIL and THE PUNISHER - two of Marvel's mightiest with one of the most celebrated and storied rivalries in comics find themselves at odds, not only with each other, but with New York's criminal element once again!" reads Marvel's official description of Daredevil/Punisher: The Devil's Trigger. "Writer Jimmy Palmiotti revisits the Marvel Universe, pitting Frank Castle against the Gnucci crime family for their most violent and visceral confrontation yet! As their conflict threatens to tear Hell's Kitchen apart, it'll fall to Daredevil to contain the chaos!"

Palmiotti was part of the original Marvel Knights Daredevil creative team back in 1998, and he's also slated to write a new Marvel Knights Punisher series that takes Frank Castle into the future as a much older, more grizzled vigilante.

"Honestly, writing this series has been a blast and a true gift for me," Palmiotti shared. "Reconnecting with this storyline, originally sparked during the Marvel Knights era, is pure adrenaline and nostalgia for me and gives me the opportunity to dive deeper into what makes both the Punisher and Daredevil unique in the Marvel Universe," Palmiotti states. "Revisiting these iconic characters and their explosive ideological clash feels like slipping back into a gritty, familiar alleyway for me. The Punisher's wiped the Gnucci family off the map, but the vacuum doesn't stay empty for long as Daredevil witnesses the birth of four new crime syndicates as they rise from the ashes to take over the city."

"As Daredevil pursues the next wave of criminal empires, Frank's determined to teach Matt Murdock that permanent justice comes at the barrel of a gun," he continues. "It's philosophy vs. firepower as Hell's Kitchen becomes a battleground not just for turf—but for the soul of justice itself. Writing this has been an absolute thrill - almost criminal in how much fun I'm having. Stepping into Matt's mind has been both a blast and a real gauntlet; the deeper I go, the clearer it becomes: both men are right, and both are wildly wrong. That tension? That moral knife-edge? It's the heartbeat of this entire series."

Daredevil/Punisher: The Devil's Trigger #1 goes on sale November 26, with a cover by Kendrick 'Kunkka' Lim, seen above. While we wait, check out the best Daredevil stories of all time.

After having its playable debut at EVO in Las Vegas this past weekend, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls is getting a closed beta in September.

Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls was announced two months ago as a Sony and Arc System Works 4v4 fighter that mixes the world of Marvel Comics with Arc's signature style, while continuing its legacy in the tag-team fighter scene that it built with the Marvel vs Capcom (MvC) series. But unlike MvC where every character had their own health bar to contend with, you'll be playing as a team in a far more literal sense, as you have to manage one bar across four fighters.

Following its playable debut at EVO 2025, Marvel Tokon had arguably the greatest MvC player of all time, Justin Wong, singing its praises: "I just want to play more, it's cracked bro." And as it's customary to bring an announcement to EVO (even though Tokon wasn't a tournament there), Sony confirmed that the EVO demo will be coming home, with a Marvel Tokon closed beta coming in September, with signups being made available on the PlayStation Store. Unfortunately, however, it seems the beta will only arrive on PS5 despite the full game coming to PC.

The beta was announced via a new trailer for the game which featured a litany of streamer reactions to the announcement of Tokon before showing off a bunch of fights, and the features of the beta, which in Arc fashion has a weird lobby system with chibi Marvel heroes.

It also features a soundtrack that feels ripped right out of Guilty Gear's hard-rock soundtrack. With lyrics like "this armor doesn't feel no pain" and "you can't pierce this crimson skin" it definitely sounds like an Iron Man theme song, which hopefully confirms every character in Marvel Tokon will get a vocal theme like the cast of Guilty Gear Strive.

Running from September 5 to September 7 (for PDT, anyway, UTC is listed as starting on September 6, presumably running until the 8th), the Marvel Tokon closed beta is going to let players test out the online play. The beta features Iron Man, Ms Marvel, Dr. Doom, Captain America, Storm, and Star Lord, which strangely means that the other two announced characters, Spider-Man and Ghost Rider, are left out – an especially odd choice when you consider it's a 4v4 fighter.

Emma Frost, Psylocke, Jeff the Land Shark, and more beloved Marvel Rivals characters are taking on a whole new life in a tabletop RPG adventure in which they'll escape from the Collector.

Marvel and DC's big crossover kicks off in September's Deadpool/Batman #1, representing the Marvel side of the first meeting between the two companies in nearly 30 years, and now the publisher has revealed interior pages from the crossover.

Along with several pages from the main Deadpool/Batman story by Zeb Wells and Greg Capullo, the preview also includes pages from Kevin Smith and Adam Kubert's Green Arrow/Daredevil story, as well as Kelly Thompson and Gurihiru's Jeff the Land Shark/Krypto the Super Dog story.

Check it out:

Not included in the preview are the rest of the one-shot's stories, including a Captain America/Wonder Woman crossover by Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson, Rocket Raccoon and Green Lantern by Al Ewing and Dike Ruan, and of course, a Wolverine/Batman crossover by Frank Miller.

"The DEADPOOL/BATMAN one-shot marks the first crossover between the world's greatest comic book companies in decades, soon to be followed in November by Batman/Deadpool #1, a one-shot published by DC," reads Marvel's official description of the one-shot. "Both comics will deliver explosive sagas starring Marvel's Merc with a Mouth and DC's Caped Crusader, along with backup stories that showcase additional team-ups and showdowns between legendary characters from both universes."

Marvel and DC have a long history of crossovers going back decades, but corporate distance and legal red tape have kept them apart since the early '00s, when they released perhaps the pinnacle of their shared stories in the now legendary JLA/Avengers, which itself took decades to make happen.

Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17. While we wait, check out the most unlikely comic book crossovers ever.

Smash-hit hero shooter Marvel Rivals has taken the world by storm with its army of Marvel characters locked in combat. But now fans will get to experience a totally different way of embodying the heroes of Marvel Rivals with a tabletop adventure set in the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game in which the players will escape from the Collector's cosmic museum.

Titled Marvel Rivals: Timestream Adventure, the RPG, which will be published in the format of a comic book one-shot with a story by writer Paul Allor and artist Ig Guara, ties right into the themes of Marvel's current tabletop game which allows players to visit all corners of the Marvel Multiverse, or stay grounded in the core continuity of Earth-616.

"Written by Paul Allor and Marty Forbeck, MARVEL RIVALS: TIMESTREAM ADVENTURE will give players the chance to dive into their very own Marvel Rivals journey as they join Psylocke, Emma Frost, Jeff the Land Shark, and more of their favorite characters to escape from the Collector’s Museum," reads Marvel's official description of Marvel Rivals: Timestream Adventure.

"The tabletop RPG adventure also includes a brand-new 10-page comic, written by Allor and drawn by artist Ig Guara, that serves as a prologue to Marvel Rivals, the Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter from Marvel Games and NetEase Games that lets players assemble an ever-evolving all-star squad of Super Heroes and Super Villains, battling with unique powers across a dynamic lineup of destructible maps from across the Marvel Multiverse."

Marvel Rivals: Timestream Adventure goes on sale in March 2026 with a cover by RIckie Yagawa, seen above. While we wait, check out the best video game comics of all time.

The MCU has been around since 2008's Iron Man - 17 years at this point. And through it all, there's one thing I've practically been begging for: more of a presence for immortal comic creator Jack Kirby, one of the founders of the Marvel Universe, including more faithful renditions of some of his best designs. Now, finally, after nearly two decades and dozens of movies and series, Marvel Studios has finally given me what I've been wanting this whole time thanks to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which has Jack Kirby's fingerprints all over it.

Along with perfectly capturing Kirby's art and storytelling vision, The Fantastic Four: First Steps also includes numerous nods to the legacy of the man known as the King of Comics, right down to the FF's home reality of Earth-828 taking its number from his birthday, August 28, and the movie's last words being a quote from Kirby himself. Natasha Lyonne's character, Rachel Rozman, is even a tribute to wife-guy Kirby's beloved spouse Roz Kirby.

It all gave me such a warm, beautiful sense of wonder and scope while watching the film that I was completely enraptured in a way that the MCU hasn't been able to accomplish in some time - and with a style and verve that it's almost never been able to capture.

The King of Comics

Don't get me wrong; it's not that the MCU has never paid attention to Kirby and his work as the artist that helped birth the entire concept of Marvel Comics. Captain America: The First Avenger's Red Skull is a shining example of Kirby's art being captured onscreen, though those bits are too few and far between for my liking.

I've been enamored by Jack Kirby's bombastic, energetic, meticulously weird and stylish art since I was a little kid stepping foot into comic stores for the first time. I was only 10 when he passed away in February 1994, and even then I felt the impact of Kirby's death - and his wonderfully imaginative life - throughout the community I was just discovering.

In a perfect world, Jack Kirby would have had as big a presence in the MCU as Stan Lee, his Fantastic Four co-creator who is considered the true godfather of Marvel Comics. Lee appeared in basically every Marvel movie project until his own death in 2018, something many consider a fitting tribute for the writer who brought Marvel to the masses.

Kirby and Lee had a long running creative partnership across numerous Marvel properties, co-creating not just the Fantastic Four, but the X-Men, the Avengers, and more, not to mention Kirby co-creating Captain America alongside writer Joe Simon.

However, in later years, Lee gained Kirby's ire by taking what the artist felt was too much credit for ideas that Kirby asserted initially came from him. Kirby was not the only artist of that era who accused Lee of self-aggrandizing and taking credit for their ideas, and in many cases, even stories and plots that artists had come up with on their own.

This led to disputes between Marvel and many of the artists, with multiple lawsuits, changes in credit, and just plain arguments about who created what over the decades, including a lawsuit from Kirby himself, which Marvel elected to settle.

And while it's impossible to sort out all the facts with essentially everyone involved now dead, it's well beyond time that the MCU fully embraced Kirby's legacy as a visionary talent whose work revolutionized the visual language of comics along with establishing the entire aesthetic of the early Marvel Universe.

Marvel's greatest visionary

In this, The Fantastic Four: First Steps excels, finally embracing Kirby's eccentric, epic sci-fi designs, especially for Galactus and Kirby's own de facto comic stand-in Ben Grimm/The Thing, whose cheerful but irascible demeanor is derived from Kirby's own sense of humor and stalwart defense of what is right, not to mention Kirby's Judaism (his birth name being Jacob Kurtzberg) which is also a major part of the Thing's identity.

After so many missed opportunities for the MCU to truly embody Kirby's work (I'm looking at you, grey and dismal Eternals), and to pay him tribute beyond a name among many in the credits, the lifelong comic fan in my heart is legitimately breathing a sigh of relief that the Fantastic Four of all characters, who held a particularly special and important place in Kirby's heart, are the characters who finally manage to capture the essence of his art and stories in the movies.

It's given me hope for what the MCU holds in store. And while I'm expecting Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars to be typical, if excitingly entertaining, MCU films, I have a renewed sense of hope that the sagging franchise can continue to reinvigorate itself by leaning more and more into the true legacy of Marvel Comics, and the filmmaking possibilities that come from embracing the comic book nature of superhero movies.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters, kicking off Marvel Phase 6. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

As part of Marvel and DC's new crossover – their first in over 20 years – legendary creator Frank Miller will return to both Wolverine and Batman by writing and drawing a back-up story that presents perhaps the ultimate comic book brawl: Old Man Logan vs. Miller's grizzled Dark Knight.

When it comes to legendary DC and Marvel Comics creators, few names stand out as brightly as Frank Miller, who brought superhero comics to a new, more mature audience in the '80s thanks in part to his work on the first Wolverine solo series alongside writer Chris Claremont, and his own Batman epic The Dark Knight Returns.

With Marvel and DC now coming together once again for a more creator-focused crossover than their specifically character driven '90s Marvel Vs. DC series, it seems fitting that Miller step back into interior comics with two of the characters that most solidified him as a household name for comic fans, and one of the most influential comic creators ever to grace the medium.

Along with the story itself, Miller has drafted a variant cover for Deadpool/Batman #1, the Marvel side of the crossover (as opposed to DC's Batman/Deadpool #1), which shows off his 2025 renditions of his Dark Knight Batman, and Marvel's now classic post-apocalyptic Wolverine, Old Man Logan.

Miller's 2025 style is indeed more eccentric than his classic '80s work. But Miller is a lot like Nicholas Cage in that way. He hit the absolute top of his craft relatively early in his career, proving his mastery of the medium, and he's been allowing himself to experiment more and more ever since.

Honestly, Miller has nothing to prove at this point, so this story feels like a nice victory lap for a comic creator whose work has touched countless fans and inspired legions of creators who followed him, and a fitting return to two of his most well-loved works.

Deadpool/Batman #1 goes on sale September 17. In the meantime, check out the best Batman stories of all time including The Dark Knight Returns, and the best Wolverine stories of all time, Old Man Logan included.

With The Fantastic Four: First Steps now in theaters, Doctor Doom actor Robert Downey, Jr. is delivering some particularly cryptic hints about his place in Avengers: Doomsday, and it could mean big things for Franklin Richards, the son of Mister Fantastic and Invisible Woman.

Downey's Instagram post shows him listening to a song titled 'Change of Scenery' by his own son, Indio Downey, along with the comic West Coast Avengers #35.

Taken together alongside the ending of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, these might actually be some seriously important clues about where the MCU is headed.

Here's the post:

We'll explain what it all might mean, but be warned, we're going to be discussing some spoilers about the ending of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Though we won't be spoiling anything essential to the plot, steer clear if you want to stay totally fresh.

Last warning - spoilers for The Fantastic Four: First Steps ahead

In the first of the Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scenes, Sue Storm walks into her living room to find four-year-old Franklin Richards being confronted by a man in a green cloak, holding a metal mask. We're left to presume this is indeed Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doom, and that he's got designs for Franklin and his hidden, godlike powers.

Here's the thing: Downey's Instagram post may hint at exactly what Doom has in store for Franklin Richards. Not only is the song playing in it by Downey's own son, the comic he posted, West Coast Avengers #35, involves not Doctor Doom himself, but Doom's adopted son and heir as ruler of Latveria, Kristoff Vernard.

In the comic, Kristoff impersonates Doom himself in order to trick the West Coast Avengers into doing his bidding. The song, 'Change of Scenery,' might itself be a hint about a move for one of the two current MCU Avengers team to the West Coast. And the cover itself could be Downey indicating that his MCU mask will be faithful to the comic.

Still, the fact that there are multiple potential hints about Doom's son could be the bigger spoiler hiding in the post.

With Avengers: Doomsday on the horizon to lead into the reality remaking Avengers: Secret Wars, it's entirely likely that Doom seeks to harness Franklin's Power Cosmic in order to save the Multiverse, the same way he uses the powers of the Molecule Man to do so in the 2015 Secret Wars comic.

And considering The Fantastic Four: First Steps ends with Doom showing a direct interest in Franklin, it's got me wondering if his plan is not just to seize Franklin's powers, but to adopt him as his own son. There's some level of comic precedent, as Doom is actually the godfather and mentor of the Richards' second child Valeria, Franklin's younger sister who is named after Victor Von Doom's own mother.

I'll say this; I've been incredibly skeptical since Downey was announced as Doom just about a year ago at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2024. I've been especially wary of there being some Tony Stark twist to Doom's MCU identity.

But the stinger of Fantastic Four, coupled with the film's other Doom Easter eggs, has me more and more hopeful that Downey will be playing a fully realized, comic book faithful version of the character. And the possibility that Doom's interest in Franklin Richards will drive a major confrontation with his arch-enemies the Fantastic Four in Avengers: Doomsday is certainly getting me hyped that I'll finally get to see some much needed cinematic justice done for my favorite villain of all time.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is now in theaters, kicking off Marvel Phase 6. Avengers: Doomsday will follow in 2026. For more, check out our guides to upcoming Marvel movies and shows and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

T'Challa has his work cut out for him in his upcoming Imperial War: Black Panther one-shot, which ties into this summer's Imperial event. In Imperial, the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda (the hidden nation's spacefaring counterpart) has been blamed for a series of assassinations that have thrown the galaxy into turmoil. But T'Challa is set out to prove what really happened, even if he has to go through the Hulk to get to the truth.

In this first look at unlettered interior pages from Imperial War: Black Panther #1, we see T'Challa standing alongside Hulk and Amadeus Cho against a group of Skrulls - or maybe he's caught between them? It's a bit hard to say without the text from writers Jonathan Hickman and Victor LaValle, but it's looking like the Skrull Empire may be to blame for framing Wakanda.

Here's the gallery of pages by artist Francesco Mortarino:

"SPINNING STRAIGHT OUT OF THE PAGES OF IMPERIAL! Blamed for the assassinations that have started an all-out galactic war, T'Challa will first need to survive a brutal assault from the World-Breaker Hulk and Amadeus Cho before he can even think about hunting down the true culprit!" reads Marvel's official description of Imperial War: Black Panther. "And all while his spacecraft spirals towards certain doom! Sounds like another day at the office for the Black Panther!"

Combined with the pages, which also show Black Panther meeting with the Shi'ar Imperial Guard, the solicit text makes it seem like T'Challa will have to fight the Hulks before regaining their trust. An old superhero trope, but one that, in this case, promises a fairly epic showdown between the strongest one there is and the champion of Wakanda.

Imperial War: Black Panther goes on sale August 20, 2025. In the meantime, check out the best Black Panther comics of all time.

The Muppets turn 70 years old in 2025, having originated in Jim Henson's first puppet show Sam and Friends all the way back in 1955. In the decades since, the beloved characters have taken on too many roles to name in their shows and films, but now, they're becoming Marvel superheroes on a series of variant covers that will celebrate their 70th birthday.

In the ten variant covers, which will release throughout October, a host of superstar artists will reimagine the Muppets as Marvel heroes in images that pay homage to classic Marvel Comics covers. Here's a gallery of the six that have been revealed so far, followed by a list of which title each variant will appear on, and the artists who created the covers, organized by release date:

October 1

• Amazing Spider-Man #13 by Dave Bardin
• Venom #250 by Nick Bradshaw

October 8

• Amazing Spider-Man: Torn #1 by Javier Garrón
• Avengers #31 by Luciano Vecchio
• Spider-Man & Wolverine #6 by Greg Land

October 15

• Amazing Spider-Man #14 by Joshua Cassara
• Captain America #4 by Annie Wu
• Incredible Hulk #30 by Chrissie Zullo

October 22

• Fantastic Four #4 by Todd Nauck
• Battleworld #2 by Paco Medina

"Over the decades, The Muppets have mastered the art of pop culture spoofs. Now, see Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam Eagle, Swedish Chef, and more parody classic Marvel Comics stories, including Spider-Man's first appearance and the original Secret Wars!" reads Marvel's announcement of the Muppet mash-up covers.

"From The Electric Mayhem assembling as Earth's Mightiest Heroes to Miss Piggy wielding the Infinity Gauntlet (yikes!), these hilarious and first-of-their-kind pieces are bursting with pure Muppets foolishness. Sure to be must-haves for Muppets fans and collectors alike, it's the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational variant cover program ever!"

The Muppets have been part of Marvel Comics before, thanks to a Muppet Babies comic that was included as part of Marvel's Star Comics line of the '80s, which was aimed at younger kids. Since 2004, the Muppets have been owned by Marvel's parent company Disney, leading to the mash-ups we're getting later this year.

Check out the best Marvel Comics stories of all time.