Marvel Comics is bringing a fresh manga perspective to some of its biggest characters. At Saturday’s House of Ideas panel at New York Comic Con 2026, the publisher highlighted its collaboration with Japanese publisher Kadokawa and revealed several projects as part of its Asian Originals initiative.
The presentation featured Marvel’s C.B. Cebulski, who discussed the initiative in his new role as executive editor, alongside Kadokawa chief editor Kenta Matsui and comic editor Naofumi Mashino.
The collaboration brings creators from Japan’s manga industry to the Marvel Universe, offering new interpretations of familiar superheroes and villains.
Among the projects highlighted were new takes on Iron Man, Spider-Gwen, Deadpool, and Venom. All these titles can now be read, with English versions releasing on an undetermined date.
Iron Man’s origin gets a Japanese reinterpretation
One of the titles discussed was I Am Iron Man, which revisits Tony Stark’s origin story through modern Japanese storytelling sensibilities.
While comics and other media have retold Iron Man’s beginnings numerous times, the project aims to bring a fresh creative perspective to the character’s transformation into an armored superhero.
The panel highlighted the involvement of manga talent, offering readers a new way to experience one of Marvel’s most recognizable origin stories.
Spider-Gwen makes her manga debut
The presentation also highlightedSpider-Gwen: Her Big Debut.
The title brings Gwen Stacy’s superhero alter ego into manga, with creators from the Japanese manga industry handling the interpretation.
Spider-Gwen has become one of Marvel’s most popular alternate-universe characters, making her a natural fit for a project introducing familiar heroes through a different artistic and storytelling tradition.
The panel didn’t share specific story details.
Deadpool becomes ‘Millionaire with a Mouth’
Marvel also showcased Deadpool: Millionaire with a Mouth, a manga-inspired take on the Merc with a Mouth.
The title suggests a potentially very different situation for Wade Wilson, whose usual adventures involve considerably more chaos than financial success.
Given Deadpool’s history of fourth-wall-breaking humor and outrageous situations, the character seems particularly well suited to the exaggerated comedy often found in manga.
The presentation did not reveal further plot details.
Venom’s Lethal Protector mythology gets a manga spin
The presentation also highlighted a Venom project inspired by the character’s Lethal Protector mythology.
Rather than simply revisiting the original storyline, the project will bring a manga-inspired approach to Venom’s antihero adventures.
The original Venom: Lethal Protector helped establish Eddie Brock’s identity outside his rivalry with Spider-Man, making it a significant chapter in the character’s history.
The panel provided no additional details about the new project’s creative team or release plans.
‘Spider-Man: Crosslines’ introduces Japanese Punisher and Daredevil
Spider-Man is also getting a new manga-inspired adventure in Spider-Man: Crosslines, another project highlighted during Marvel and Kadokawa’s presentation at NYCC 2026.
The series will introduce Japanese interpretations of two familiar Marvel characters: Punisher and Daredevil.
The announcement adds another intriguing dimension to the collaboration, with the project expanding beyond Spider-Man to explore alternate interpretations of Marvel’s street-level heroes.
Further details about the story and creative team were not provided in the panel notes.
Marvel expands its collaboration with Japanese creators
Beyond the individual titles, the presentation emphasized Marvel’s ongoing efforts to collaborate with talent from Japan’s manga industry.
With Cebulski, Matsui, and Mashino discussing the initiative together, the panel highlighted the creative opportunities that come from reinterpreting established Marvel characters through different storytelling traditions.
For fans of both American superhero comics and Japanese manga, Asian Originals offers an opportunity to see familiar characters through a new lens.
Marvel did not announce specific release dates for the projects during the panel.
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