As Marvel is about to enter the summer of 2022 with their big Avengers vs Eternals vs X-Men event May becomes an important month to build towards that comic book. We see that being the case as the Avengers, Eternals, Immortal X-Men, and X-Men titles are all building towards that big Judgement Day event for the franchises. Along with the build towards the next summer blockbuster event Marvel is also going to be exploring the aftermath of Devil’s Reign, an alternate future for Miles Morales, Carol Danvers mysterious disappearance, and much more in May 2022. Let’s take a look at all of Marvel’s big May 2022 plans with their latest batch of solicitations.
ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT SAVAGE AVENGERS
The Savage Avengers are getting the relaunch treatment with a whole new roster. Still on the team from the last run is Conan the Barbarian. He is going to be joined by Elektra Natchios’ Daredevil, Deathlok Anti-Venom, Weapon H, the Black Knight, Cloak, and Dagger. This isn’t a roster that I would necessarily call Avengers. The roster sounds more like a Thunderbolts or Exiles type team with how random of a team configuration it is.
That said it does look like Marvel has found some success with Conan’s character as he is sticking around the main Marvel Universe for the foreseeable future. Outside of Elektra’s Daredevil the characters on this Savage Avengers roster I am glad are getting some spotlight are Cloak and Dagger. Cloak and Dagger are characters that Marvel highly underutilizes. Seeing them on the Savage Avengers makes me happy as they should be appearing in more titles if they aren’t getting their own comic book right now.
SPIDER-MAN 2099 IS BACK!
With how much success Marvel has had with the Spider-Man franchise its no fair that Miguel O’Hara hasn’t gotten much love outside random appearances in Amazing Spider-Man. Now with Spider-Man 2099: Exodus Marvel is going to be fixing that as Miguel O’Hara is back leading his own event. With Spider-Man 2099: Exodus set in its own universe there is plenty of room to make this stand on its own without worrying about continuity whatsoever. Which we see with the 2099 versions of Loki and Winter Soldier will be part of the story.
What makes Spider-Man 2099: Exodus an even project to be even more excited about is that Steve Orlando is writing the event series. Orlando did a lot of great work with his time on Supergirl, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. Seeing Marvel giving him more projects to work on show that they see a lot of potential with him on board. Hopefully Spider-Man 2099: Exodus isn’t just a one and done event as its success could lead for even more adventures in the 2099 Marvel Universe.
DEVIL’S REIGN ENDING CHANGES NEW YORK CITY
Devil’s Reign is an event that has continued to escalate to a higher level with each passing issue. Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto have really delivered on the high stakes with Mayor Wilson Fisk launching a full on war with the superhero community. And with each passing issue it looks like Mayor Fisk will end up being successful as nothing Daredevil, Avengers, Spider-Man, X-Men, or the Fantastic Four do has been able to put a dent in his plans.
Now based on the solicitations for Devil’s Reign: Omega #1 whether Wilson Fisk is taken down or not he will have some degree of success in turning the world against the superhero community. At least that is how it looks like it will be in New York City as the police state that the city turned out to become during Devil’s Reign will have severe ramifications. If I had my guess it could be a case that more of the public will see superheroes as just vigilantes, leaving a grey area for whether people view them as heroes or not. Which could lead to a lot of tension across the board for many of the solo superhero titles while not going to the extremes of past Marvel events.
THUNDERBOLTS REFORMED
When I think of the Thunderbolts I think of them as Marvel’s version of the Suicide Squad as a team of villains. I know that the Thunderbolts have taken on different forms over the years but the team name tied to Marvel’s villains is something I’ve always thought of. And we see that being the case with how Mayor Wilson Fisk has put together his own Thunderbolts team during Devil’s Reign made up of various Marvel villains. Which given how Fisk has turned New York City into a police state using the Thunderbolts as his enforces of the laws he has put into place it does not give the team a positive look.
Which makes the fact that in the wake of Devil’s Reign Hawkeye is looking to put the Thunderbolts back into the category of being a superhero team an unexpected mood. Though I do not hate it since we don’t need another title with Avengers in it. With Hawkeye leading the team Thunderbolts can still be related to the Avengers franchise while building out its own branding as well. The roster construction is also a unique one with Spectrum, America Chavez, Power Man, Persuasion and the debuting of Gutsen Glory all bringing different things to the table. As long as writer Jim Zub and artist Sean Izaakse can deliver on fun adventures Thunderbolts has all the ingredients to turn out to be the sleeper hit of 2022 for Marvel.
HERE WE GO AGAIN…..IT’S SECRET INVASION TIME
With one of the big Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe projects being an adaption of the Secret Invasion event you knew it was only a matter of time before we saw the comics revisit that event. That is exactly what is happening with the not so creatively titled Secret Invasion. Not having subtitle to differentiate itself from the Brian Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu 2008 event this Secret Invasion series just screams out cash grab. There is absolutely no build up to this latest Secret Invasion or even other titles referencing it like most Marvel events. For once Marvel just wants to get ahead of the Disney+ project under the same name to have out on the stands.
The only thing that sort of peaks my interest is the fact that this series will be led by Nick Fury Jr. and Maria Hill. As I said in my Nick Fury article, Marvel has highly underutilized their SHIELD characters as there is a lot of room to explore the super spy world of Marvel through Nick Fury Jr. and Mary Hill. Hopefully Secret Invasion is more spy thriller than just an excuse to erase previous Marvel history like it’s predecessor.
MILES MORALES RULES WITH EMPIRE OF THE SPIDER REGIME
There are a number of current Marvel titles that I read through the Marvel Unlimited service thanks to how there is only a three month gap between new issue release. That’s certainly helped with the pull list budget. One of the titles I read through Marvel Unlimited is Saladin Ahmed’s Miles Morales: Spider-Man series. Though taking a look at the solicitation for Miles Morales: Spider-Man #38 I may have to change that as I’m a sucker for alternate future visits, which that issue will begin with a story arc titled “Empire of the Spider.”
Based on the cover it looks like Miles and his clone, Shift, will be traveling to a future world where Selim, his evil clone introduced in the recent Clone Saga, was ultimately victorious and rules with an iron fist. Being in an alternate future within the Marvel Multiverse gives Ahmed a lot of room to play with what this world looks like. Its one of those toy box type stories that I really hope Ahmed goes all out for as I’m definitely going to be getting this issue when it comes out.
IRENE ADLER WRITES SEQUEL TO HER “DESTINY’S BOOKS”
One of the fun things about the last few years of X-Men comics since Jonathan Hickman relaunched the franchise is how wide the variety of stories we are getting. Each title has their own identity and that looks to be continuing in the post-Hickman era as each title is going more all-in on tackling different genres. You see that with titles like Knights of X going more medieval fantasy while X-Men: Red is diving further into exploring the sci-fi stories with Arakko.
But the most important titles are the spiritual successor to Hickman’s X-Men work with Kieron Gillen’s Immortal X-Men and Gerry Duggan’s X-Men. Marvel is putting particular importance to these two series as they are the only X-Men book with the “Judgement Day Is Coming” tagline in the lead up to the Avengers vs Eternals vs X-Men event. So look for plot elements from the upcoming event on the X-Men side to be developed in some way in these two comics in May.
Additionally, Gillen is going to be giving us a sequel to the Destiny’s Books, which where a collection of thirteen diaries written by Irene Adler with predictions of the events in the future. With the Avengers vs Eternals vs X-Men right around the corner the sequel Destiny’s Books could have some ties to what will happen in that event. It could also lay the groundwork for an several bigger X-Men events the X-Office is planning on given how Inferno left the franchise in a major crossroad point with multiple roads that could be taken depending on key character choices.
TONY STARK AND PATSY WALKER GETTING ENGAGED
When a comic book series teases characters being engaged in their solicitations or covers than I don’t doubt the characters involved will be engaged. That is something that gives creative teams a major sub-plot to build up in the background while the heroes battle different villains until the big wedding issue. The thing that is always to be questioned is if Marvel or DC Comics will actually go through with the wedding and if they do then if they’ll actually allow the characters to stay together or will the next creative team immediately have them get a divorce.
All of that is the major thing around the announcement that Tony Stark will ask Patsy Walker to get married in Iron Man #20. There is a 90% that Tony and Patsy will be engaged after Iron Man #20 so we get that big wedding issue. That wedding issue could happen as soon as Iron Man #25 that Marvel will likely retitle Iron Man #650 as part of their Legacy numbering to have a reason to make an oversized comic book issue priced at $10. That is just my prediction and given Marvel’s track record speeding up the engagement and wedding for a celebration issue is something you should just expect at this point.
GOODBYE CAPTAIN MARVEL…..WELCOME BACK BINARY
In the most recent Captain Marvel story arc Kelly Thompson surprised us with the return of Carol Danvers’ Bianry. Binary return not as another form Carol takes on as Captain Marvel. Instead Carol was able to tap into her Binary powers and split it off into its own entity. Over the course of the story Binary has become its own sentient being though it has yet to say a word.
Now that looks to be changing with Captain Marvel #38 as Carol will go mysteriously missing, leaving Binary to become the lead character of the series. With the solicitation specifically pointing out that Carol Danvers goes missing it likely means that Thompson is going to further explore what it means for Binary to become its own character. How Binary’s character differs and is similar to Carol will be interesting to see. It certainly changes up things as Binary is basically a blank slate character who, hopefully, Thompson takes opportunity to turn into a full character separate from Carol.
MCU TEN RINGS COME TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
As soon as I saw the cover and read the solicitation for Shang-Chi #12 I could already hear all the long-time Marvel fans complaining about how Marvel has ruined yet another part of their history. “Why do you have to ruin everything because of the MCU?” “Yet another sales stunt that will fail because no one will read it.” The complaints from those not even reading the current Shang-Chi series are already there before the comic book releases.
The half-joking aside, if you didn’t think that Marvel wouldn’t align the Ten Rings concept to the MCU version of the items you were in denial. Whether comic fans like it or not the MCU is the main Marvel Universe so the comics will normally try to align as close to how things are done in the MCU without completely erasing history. That is how Marvel has handled their relaunches of characters and concepts since the birth of the MCU. So the Ten Rings being brought into becoming a major plot device for Shang-Chi as they were with the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was bound to happen.
At this point Gene Luen Yang’s has built trust that he will handle the how the Ten Rings will work now with care. His run on Shang-Chi has been enjoyable as he has added a lot of layers to what Shang-Chi’s world is from his family line to other mystical concepts. The Ten Rings could easily fit into Yang’s run on Shang-Chi and am open minded it will all work to elevate what the Ten Rings represent in the Marvel Universe.