Marvel Gets Ready for Terrifying New World with "Midnight Universe"

Marvel is getting ready for a terrifying new world of heroes with the new Midnight Universe.

What's Happening:

• For over 80 years, Marvel heroes have inspired hope. This August, that hope dies in the shadows of the Midnight Universe, a new publishing line where top creators unleash haunting new visions of Marvel’s greatest icons.
• The nightmare begins with three titles: Midnight X-Men by Jonathan Hickman (House of X, Ultimate Spider-Man) and Matteo Della Fonte (Nova: Centurion); Midnight Fantastic Four by Benjamin Percy (Wolverine, Punisher) and Kev Walker (Infernal Hulk); and Midnight Spider-Man by Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Infernal Hulk) and, in his exciting Marvel Comics debut, artist Scie Tronc.
• The Midnight Universe draws in longtime fans and newcomers alike to enter a terrifying new world where anything can happen. Interconnected by rich lore-building, Marvel’s most definitive modern creators are given free rein to reimagine heroes with shocking twists and chilling transformations in boundary-less, creator-driven storytelling that will keep readers on edge issue after issue. The X-Men no longer fight for acceptance, they hunger for blood. The Fantastic Four venture into the unknown not to save the world—but to unleash terror upon it. And Spider-Man discovers that with great power… comes something monstrous.
• More will be unveiled in the months ahead, but so far, the main cover for Midnight X-Men #1 by Dike Ruan has been revealed. Befitting the line’s mysterious, ominous aura, the main covers of the Midnight titles will be Cloaked Covers, partially obscured with the full artwork revealed with a turn of the page. With the exception of the debut issues, the full artwork will remain shrouded in shadow, only revealing themselves to readers daring enough to pick them up on stands.
• In Midnight X-Men, the shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire.

• Then, in Midnight Fantastic Four, an obsessive scientist delves into the secrets of the universe perhaps best left unknown to mankind, leaving himself and three others warped in strange and horrifying ways. What horrible secrets lie in the new dimensions they have discovered? And can humanity survive the discovery?
• And in Midnight Spider-Man a young Peter Parker is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit for eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, Peter embraces his grotesque new form to stop them.
• Preorder Midnight X-Men #1 at your local comic shop today ahead of the release on August 5.
• Cover reveals for Midnight Fantastic Four and Midnight Spider-Man are expected in the months ahead, shared ahead of their anticipated September and October releases, respectively.

What They're Saying:

• Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski: “From the original New Universe to two Ultimate Universes, Marvel has a long history of creating and inspiring bold worlds filled with unforgettable characters and fresh ideas that feel new yet recognizable at the same time. With the new Midnight line, we’ve given some of our most outstanding creators the opportunity to delve into the darkest corners of their imaginations and birth some of the creepiest, most terrifying takes on the Marvel Universe you’ve ever seen.”
• Jonathan Hickman: "I’m so enthusiastic about this project - it’s the most excited I’ve been in years. The conceit of Midnight X-Men aligns perfectly with the kind of stories I like to tell. It has a rich, open-ended mythology that equally mixes old and new ideas into something that feels both familiar and original.”
• Benjamin Percy: “If you've read my work, you know that I see the world through a dark, disturbed lens. To me, it's always midnight. When Hickman called me, it was from a landline in the basement of an abandoned house with the wires cut. Blood poured from the receiver into my ear. I said yes... When I imagined this other version of Marvel - a terrifying, poisoned universe - my mind immediately went to the Fantastic Four. This is a title I have always loved, but would never be allowed to write otherwise. Now I could lean into my worst instincts and reimagine their story as one of cosmic, Lovecraftian dread. I am joined in this by the visionary Kev Walker, who is hard at work bringing a new origin story for Marvel's ‘first family’ to screaming life. I can't wait to share our nightmares with you.”
• Phillip Kennedy Johnson: “The work we’re doing right now on the Midnight line feels like history being made. We’re all bringing creator-owned sensibilities to our projects, we’re redefining boundaries, we’re reinventing these timeless characters in a way that’s never been done. Midnight is nothing like the main line, nothing like the Ultimate line. You will see things in these books that shock you....you don’t take on a job like reinventing Spider-Man to go halfway. I’m leaving it all in the ring with Midnight Spider-Man and I know Jonathan and Ben are doing the same.”

Midnight Numbers:

• Recently, I did a deep dive into the Marvel Legacy numbering system, and I can't help but wonder how these Midnight issues will play into that.
• Marvel has a special way of numbering their issues and restoring the historical issue count of a comic series, even after multiple reboots and re-numberings with Marvel Legacy numbering.
• Marvel relaunched many of their series in the 90s and 2000s, with Marvel NOW! and other publishing initiatives. New #1 issues boosted sales because they looked beginner friendly, and would be along for the ride with all the world-building and collectible as well.
• However, longtime readers disliked losing that sense of history with this, so in 2017, Marvel launched the Marvel Legacy publishing initiative, with Legacy Numbers prominently printed on covers. Now, new modern relaunches could remain, but still honor decades of continuity.
• Complicating some of the heroes' numerical history are those with title changes, the relaunches, other characters filling in the shoes of the main hero, and multiple books running simultaneously.
• Midnight feels like such a standalone series, we can't imagine that it will play into the same numbering system, but only time will tell.