The New Marvel Universe Is Here, And It’s About To Be Massive
Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.
As long as its upcoming publishing line is successful and relishes the admittedly surprising amount of creativity that it’s being afforded, Marvel’s future is wonderfully promising. Horror is maybe the smartest genre that Marvel Comics’ Midnight universe could’ve cherry-picked, as it gives this imprint a distinct signature that can hopefully peel Marvel away from the sanitized reputation that has clung to it and allowed it to appeal to any audience.
That’s not to say all Marvel titles are child-friendly or immature, but there should be no doubt that what fans are reading is considerably niche and terrifying when they take a Midnight book off a shelf. Three Marvel Midnight titles have been announced, and, to nobody’s surprise, there are already plans for more to follow, which is likely dependent on the popularity of these books and the characters featured within them.
More Midnight Titles Are Already Being Considered
As per the AIPT Comics podcast, Midnight Fantastic Four’s Benjamin Percy and Midnight Spider-Man’s Phillip Kennedy Johnson have shared that there are big plans for the Midnight universe. What’s fascinating is that Midnight Fantastic Four, Midnight Spider-Man, and Midnight X-Men are all incredibly unique, and yet they’re apparently meant to share a continuity that will continue to blossom, with these writers committing to “building a universe.”
Percy says, “The idea is this is gonna keep growing and keep growing. And not only are we going to interlock, but also there’s gonna be more series that eventually crop up. And there’s a lot of discussion about that as well.” As such, we can expect certain Marvel Midnight books and characters to eventually crossover with one another, and that new titles will spawn periodically.
Johnson explains that there are conversations the writers are having about connectivity between each series, and that such conversations “potentially plant seeds that’ll turn into a new character or a new title maybe down the line [...] It’s all just a discussion. We shouldn’t spoil it, but it’s definitely being actually discussed.” Percy mentions that there’s no rush to how quickly this universe is developing or how soon the kernel of an idea will transform into a full-fledged series or character redesign, though, when he says, “I think we’re all being pretty careful because we want to give other writers and artists the opportunity to create origin stories within the Midnight Universe.”
Marvel’s Horror Universe Is About To Flourish
There are obviously endless iconic Marvel characters and affiliations that Midnight could choose to feature in their own books. For instance, something special could be excavated from a World War II Captain America series exploring Steve Rogers’ PTSD, and it’d also be neat to see how far Hulk’s status quo might be challenged, considering that he’s already had several harrowing stories that lean generously into body horror (not to mention Johnson’s own Infernal Hulk).
Likewise, Wolverine is a character who’s ripe with decades of unnerving trauma, and he’d be wasted if he only ever appears in the pages of Jonathan Hickman’s Midnight X-Men. Which characters get their own books and which are simply supporting characters in someone else’s book may be one of the hardest decisions these creatives must make.
There’s also no month more perfect for a new horror universe to launch than in the spooky season of October. By October 2027, when Midnight Fantastic Four, Midnight Spider-Man, and Midnight X-Men are celebrating their first anniversaries with the launch of their 12th issues, respectively (barring any delays that might push one series farther out than another), Marvel’s Midnight universe may look nothing like it did when it began and have many more books to anticipate.
Midnight Fantastic Four #1, Midnight Spider-Man #1, and Midnight X-Men #1 are scheduled to be released on October 7, 2026.
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