Marvel's Next Big Thing panel at Comic-Con included several major reveals for upcoming 2022 and 2023 projects, including the impending climax of Jason Aaron's Avengers saga and the next big project for House of X's Jonathan Hickman.
Marvel didn't reveal what Hickman has been working on since exiting the X-Men line in 2021, but they did reveal he'll be reuniting with Inferno artist Valerio Schiti for… something. Here's a teaser:
This teaser suggests Hickman may be delving into the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, perhaps building on certain elements introduced in Powers of X involving the evolution of artificial intelligences across the galaxy.
As for Aaron's Avengers, that series will enter its final phase, "Avengers Assemble," starting in November 2022. Aaron is teaming with The Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch for a one-shot special called Avengers Assemble Alpha #1, which introduces a conflict uniting the present-day Avengers, the prehistoric Avengers of 1,000,000 BC and the futuristic heroes of Avengers Forever. From there, the storyline will play out in the pages of the monthly Avengers and Avengers Forever comics.
“Four years of Avengers stories. Threads from really every major series I've worked on throughout my last decade and a half at Marvel, from Ghost Rider to Thor. It all leads to this. The biggest Avengers story I could possibly imagine," teased Aaron in Marvel's press release. "Featuring a cavalcade of characters from across creation. And I'm so deeply thrilled and honored that it all kicks off with an oversized Alpha issue that's being drawn by the legendary Bryan Hitch, who I'm getting to work with here for the very first time. Avengers Assemble. Say the words like a prayer. It's the only thing that can save you.”
Marvel is also teasing a new incoming creative team on Fantastic Four, as current writer Dan Slott will be wrapping up his run with the Reckoning War crossover. The new team will make their debut in November.
A few other items of interest were revealed at the panel:
- Silver Surfer: Black artist Tradd Moore is writing and drawing a very psychedelic Doctor Strange miniseries called Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise.
- Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is returning as a new monthly series, this time written by Jordan Ifueko and drawn by Alba Glez.
- Iron Man #25 marks the end of writer Christopher Cantwell's run. That issue is also the 650th issue of Iron Man, so Marvel will be celebrating with an oversized finale and several additional stories highlighting the past and future of Tony Stark.
In other Comic-Con news, Marvel is reviving X-Treme X-Men with the original creative team, and Batman and Spawn will cross paths once more.
There's tons of news for all your favorite shows, films, games, and more coming out of San Diego Comic-Con 2022, and we've got the full schedule to guide you through the weekend of panels, announcements, trailers, and surprises.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.