Posted in: Comics, IDW, Image, Marvel Comics | Tagged: energon, hasbro, micronauts, skybound
SCOOP: The Micronauts Are Coming To The Energon Universe Next
SCOOP: The Micronauts Are Coming To The Energon Universe Next… are you ready
Article Summary
- SCOOP: Micronauts are next for Skybound’s Energon Universe, joining Transformers, G.I. Joe, Void Rivals, M.A.S.K. and Rom.
- Micronauts began as Mego toys from Takara’s Microman, then became Marvel’s 1978 comic hit by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden.
- Set in the Microverse, Micronauts follows Arcturus Rann, Marionette and allies battling Baron Karza’s brutal rule.
- After runs at Marvel, Image, Devil’s Due and IDW, Micronauts now look set for a major Energon Universe revival.
We’ve had Transformers, G.I. Joe, Void Rivals, M.A.S.K. and Rom from The Energon Universe series of titles from Skybound, Image Comics and Hasbro. Well, Bleeding Cool gets the word out of San Diego Comic-Con that the next on this list of shared universe storytelling from Hasbro’s library will be The Micronauts.
Micronauts
Micronauts
Micronauts
The Micronauts was a 1970s action figure line and a Marvel Comics series which was based on it. Originally produced by Mego Corporation in 1976, it was licensed from the Japanese Microman line created by Takara in 1974, which itself spun off from Takara’s larger Henshin Cyborg figures. The characters had interchangeable limbs, heads, and accessories that could be swapped between figures. Bill Mantlo was inspired after his son received Micronauts toys for Christmas in 1977 and pitched the licensing idea to Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, leading to a licensing deal with Mego. Micronauts #1 by Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden launched at the end of 1978 and ran until 1986.
Micronauts stories were set in the Microverse, a subatomic universe accessible by shrinking, centred on the planet Homeworld and other microscopic worlds. The core team, including Arcturus Rann, Marionette, Acroyear, Bug, and Biotron, fights Baron Karza, a former scientist-turned-immortal armoured dictator who uses “Body Banks” for life extension and genetic experiments. The series was integrated into the broader Marvel Universe with crossovers involving the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and others.
After Marvel’s license ended, Hasbro bought up Mego’s rights. Other publishers, including Image Comics, Devil’s Due and IDW, have produced short comic runs, sometimes tying into Hasbro properties like ROM, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. In 2023, Marvel regained rights and began reprinting the classic material in omnibus collections and facsimile editions. The Microverse concept was also interpreted as the Quantum Realm in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
A live-action film has been in development at various points, including by Hasbro/Paramount as part of a potential shared universe with other toy properties, but none have been released. An animated series was reportedly completed around 2020 but never aired. Well, now it seems that it is The Energon Universe‘s turn, with Skybound and Image Comics… more as we have it.
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