Marvel unloaded a full slate of 2026 announcements at San Diego Comic-Con’s “Next Big Thing” panel, walking fans through the endgame of the Hulk’s “Age of Monsters” saga, a new Venom era, the launch of the “Midnight” line, three original Webtoon series, and a changing of the guard in the Editor-in-Chief’s office. Moderator Nick Lowe was joined onstage by Chip Zdarsky, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Benjamin Percy, Jonathan Hickman, outgoing Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski, and Venom/Midnight editor Jordan D. White, with additional guests Frank Tieri, Ucheomma, Susan Cheng, and incoming Editor-in-Chief Stephen Wacker stopping by throughout.
Hulk War: Infernal Rage caps the Age of Monsters
Phillip Kennedy Johnson opened the panel by looking back at the saga he’s been building since 2023 across Hulk and Infernal Hulk. Hulk has been imbued with a sin of corruption that’s turning the living into monsters, raising armies of the dead, and pulling krakens up from the sea, all of it converging into Hulk War: Infernal Rage, the culmination of the Age of Monsters era. Johnson singled out artist Nic Klein’s work on the final issues of the ongoing Hulk series as some of the best of Klein’s career.
Ahead of the main event, a “March to Hulk War” one-shot miniseries will show Hulk selecting and corrupting heroes to fight alongside him as the Infernal Avengers begin to take shape:
Infernal Hulk vs. Wolverine #1 (September 2026) — Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, art by Jonas Scharf, cover by Nic Klein. Johnson and Scharf are reuniting after previous collaborations, and Johnson said he had Scharf in mind for this brutal, violent one-shot from the moment the March to Hulk War was conceived, aiming to top the classic Ultimate/Old Man Logan Hulk-versus-Wolverine fight.
Infernal Hulk vs. Fantastic Four #1 (October 2026) — Written by Johnson, art by Cian Tormey, cover by Nic Klein. Johnson described this issue as leaning into a more cosmic-horror flavor, with the action converging on the Baxter Building as ground zero.
Infernal Hulk vs. Spider-Man #1 (November 2026) — Written by Johnson, art by Javier Pina, cover by Nic Klein. Johnson noted Spider-Man is “grossly underpowered” for this fight, but it’s a story about Spider-Man doing what he has to do even when he can’t win.
Infernal Hulk vs. Avengers #1 (December 2026) — Written by Johnson, cover by Nic Klein. This one-shot leads directly into Hulk War #1, previously teased in the Free Comic Book Day preview.
Big Guns: Deadpool and Punisher collide
Benjamin Percy, who writes both Wade Wilson: Deadpool and The Punisher, previewed September’s “Big Guns” crossover between the two books with artists Geoff Shaw and José Luis Soares:
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #8, “Big Guns Part 1” (September 2026)
The Punisher #8, “Big Guns Part 2” (September 2026) — Percy and Soares, cover by David Marquez.
Wade Wilson: Deadpool #9, “Big Guns Part 3” (October 2026)
The Punisher #9, “Big Guns Part 4” (October 2026) — Percy and Soares, cover by David Marquez.
Percy described the pairing as less “peanut butter and jelly” and more “pickled herring and Skittles.” Two big changes kick off the arc: Deadpool’s healing factor has gone into overdrive, meaning severed limbs and other castoff parts are growing into gremlin-like creatures the team is calling “badpools,” which Deadpool is trying to exterminate before Punisher decides to go after the source himself. Meanwhile, Blind Al has become an oracle capable of seeing visions of the future, and she and Wade are cashing in on it, touring the country in a new “Merc Mobile” (designed by Shaw), an upgrade from Deadpool’s previous rides. Their first job takes them into a S.H.I.E.L.D. vault to steal the Time Gun, a weapon that can target anyone, anywhere in the timeline. Bullseye also factors into the story, and the crossover brings back the long-dormant villain Black Hole with a new power set and redesigned look.
Spider-Man: Long Way Home
Jonathan Hickman and artist Adam Kubert’s Spider-Man: Long Way Home has issues #1-2 on sale now, with issue #3 arriving in August 2026. Hickman said the pitch began as a way to bring Spider-Man, Hulk, and Wolverine together (his shorthand was No Country for Old Men energy) and that Kubert took the assignment and ran with it. The two work Marvel style, with Hickman sending an outline, Kubert drawing and expanding on it, and Hickman writing dialogue afterward. Editor Jordan D. White noted that issue #3 breaks format almost entirely into spreads, including one image turned sideways to run as a vertical double-page spread across the book.
Amazing Spider-Man #1000
Landing September 16th, Amazing Spider-Man #1000 has already racked up more than 400,000 copies pre-ordered. The anthology’s main story comes from Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz, with additional stories from Noah Hawley (Alien: Earth,Legion,Fargo) and artist Patrick Gleason, Larry Lieber and Giuseppe Camuncoli, and J.M. DeMatteis and Roberto de la Torre, plus contributions from Marco Martin and Dan Slott, totaling over 100 pages.
King in Black returns as Queen in Black
Editor Jordan D. White walked through the endgame of Al Ewing’s Venom run, which has been building toward this story for several years. Knull, the symbiote god once dethroned, returned to power only to be captured by Hela, who drained his power and crowned herself the new “Queen in Black,” ruling the Asgardian underworld. Freed from darkness, Knull has since turned to the light and become a god of light himself, but both he and Hela now want to destroy Earth and the entire universe, putting the planet squarely between them. The story marks the close of Ewing’s run and will also change Mary Jane Watson’s status quo, ending her time bonded to a symbiote.
Marvel handed out Queen in Black #1 blind bags to the crowd, which can include rare sketch-cover variants. Queen in Black #1 hits comic shops July 29th.
Venom relaunches with Charles Soule
Writer Charles Soule, known for Uncanny Inhumans and Inhumans: Rising, is taking over the Eddie Brock corner of the Marvel Universe this October with a new Venom #1, illustrated by Tommaso Bianchi and arriving October 14th, with a cover by Davide Paratore and a variant by Martin Coccolo. Soule’s plan spans three interconnected titles built around Eddie Brock and his symbiote partner, including a Carnage series and a book called Venom Unchained alongside the new Venom ongoing. Editor Jordan D. White said Soule arrived with a fully mapped-out plan for the character.
In the wake of Queen in Black, Eddie Brock and Venom find themselves reunited after years apart, and Eddie is determined to be the ultimate host and reclaim his role as the Lethal Protector, whether other heroes like it or not. “Every panel leaps off the page into your eyeballs, it takes up room, it nests in your mind, which is a good thing in this case,” Soule said of Bianchi’s art. “We are doing new things with the character that have not been done before. It is thrilling, it is fast-paced, and perhaps a bit provocative.”
Mary Jane gets her spotlight
This August marks the 60th anniversary of Mary Jane Watson’s first appearance, and Marvel is celebrating with an oversized one-shot, Mary Jane: Face It, Tiger, featuring four stories: J.M. DeMatteis and Andrea Broccardo, Ann Nocenti and Alina Yerofieleva, J. Michael Straczynski and Luigi Zagaria, and interiors by Phil Noto, with a cover by Jim Cheung.
Spinning out of that one-shot and the Queen in Black event is Friendly Neighborhood Mary Jane, a five-issue limited series launching November 4th, from writer Ashley Allen and artist Phil Noto, with a main cover by J. Scott Campbell and variants by Russell Dauterman and Peach Momoko. Having spent the past several months bonded to the Venom symbiote since Venom War, Mary Jane emerges from Queen in Black newly separated from the symbiote and stepping into a new role: producer, launching her own Watson Productions in New York City with a supporting cast that includes Black Cat and Iron Man. When Chameleon sets his sights on sabotaging her new venture, MJ will need every tool at her disposal, including a top-secret gift from Venom, to come out on top. “MJ has always understood people in a way few can, and that’s what makes this series so exciting to write,” said Allen. “MJ’s ready to plot her own story, even if it’s from behind the camera. But entertainment’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and MJ’s storytelling ambitions might put her in the direct path of someone who views her empathy as a threat to their plans.”
The Midnight line arrives October 7th
Marvel’s next line-wide event, the Midnight line, launches October 7th with three titles:
- Midnight X-Men — Jonathan Hickman, with art by Della Fonte.
- Midnight Fantastic Four — Benjamin Percy, with art by Kev Walker.
- Midnight Spider-Man — Phillip Kennedy Johnson.
The panel kept plot details close to the vest, teasing that more, including new artwork, would be revealed at Marvel’s dedicated Midnight panel the next day.
The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe
Chip Zdarsky, fresh off talking up Avengers Armageddon and his upcoming Avengers run, revealed his next project is an anthology special, The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1, out September with a sprawling creative roster: Zdarsky, Pete Woods, Kyle Starks, Mike Henderson, MacKenzie Cadenhead, David Baldeon, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Athila Fabbio, Mike Atiyeh, Ashley Allen, Paco Medina, Adam F. Goldberg, and E.J. Su. Zdarsky’s own story with artist Pete Woods folds Kermit the Frog into Marvel’s “Interdimensional Council of Reeds.”
Phillip Kennedy Johnson also contributes a story pitting Wolverine against Animal. C.B. Cebulski highlighted a story built around making the Swedish Chef “cool,” illustrated by Ashley Allen in collaboration with real-life chef Paul Carmichael, whose New York City restaurant was named the city’s best by the New York Times.
Predator vs. Punisher
Writer Frank Tieri and artist Jesús Sáiz bring together “the greatest killing machines in comics” in Predator vs. Punisher #1, arriving November with a promo image by Dustin Weaver. The story centers on a mob war among New York’s gangland players — Kingpin, Jigsaw, and the Owl among them — with the Punisher caught in the middle, and the open question of whether the mob or something else entirely is really pulling the strings. The story plays out across two timelines, with interior art depicting a 1940s setting alongside the present day.
Marvel and Webtoon announce three original series
Following last year’s partnership announcement, Marvel and Webtoon representatives Susan Cheng and writer Ucheomma joined the panel to unveil three new original Webtoon series:
That Time Deadpool Fell Into Webtoon and Found the Longest Title of All Time — Written by Ucheomma, art by Haddock. Deadpool gets pulled into the Webtoon-verse, where regency drama, superpowered cage matches, post-apocalyptic wastelands, and impeccably dressed Korean teens stand between him and a way home. The series introduces alternate versions of the character, including the villainous K-Pool and adorable Red Pandapool.
Tony’s Girl — Written by C.R.C. Payne, art by Starbite. A YA romance following 17-year-old Tony Stark, whose father Howard pushes him into an etiquette class with Meredith McCall, daughter of Stark Industries rival Creighton McCall. setting up an enemies-to-lovers romance neither family will approve of.
X-Men: Korea — From Studio LICO. High schooler Yeong-seo Go awakens as a mutant and enrolls at the Hoseok Academy for the Gifted, where he must confront a conspiracy from a megacorporation looking to weaponize mutants while uncovering the secret of his own power.
A new Editor-in-Chief takes the stage
Nick Lowe closed the announcements by marking a transition in Marvel’s editorial leadership: C.B. Cebulski is stepping down as Editor-in-Chief to focus on expanding Marvel’s comics presence across Japan and the rest of Asia. Taking over as Marvel’s new Editor-in-Chief, on his first official day, is Stephen Wacker, who previously edited Spider-Man through the Brand New Day and Big Time eras.
During the audience Q&A, Cebulski reflected on his time at Marvel as he prepares to transition out of the Editor-in-Chief role, calling the chance to work with the panel’s writers and stay close to the fandom he grew up in “the honor of a lifetime.”
The panel’s final question addressed Marvel’s upcoming headquarters move to the Los Angeles/Burbank area. Wacker said he doesn’t expect the move to change much about how the team works day-to-day, noting that Marvel’s talent is already spread out globally. He added that after 20 years in New York, he believes New York natives bring the city’s spirit with them wherever they go, and that some staff are currently having serious conversations with their families about the relocation, but that New York will remain central to Marvel’s storytelling regardless.
Stay tuned for more Marvel Comics news from San Diego Comic-Con.
