Marvel Comics May 2025 comic book solicitations are here! With that comes a sleuth of new announcements. The month obviously continues the One World Under Doom event that will continue to grow its reach in May. Along with that we are getting a bunch of new #1 issues that are showing the teasers in the Timeslide one-shot for 2025 story plans. Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from Marvel Comics May 2025 solicitations.
KAMALA KHAN REWRITING X-MEN HISTORY
One of the biggest teasers from the Timeslide one-shot was seeing Kamala Khan’s Miss Marvel appearing in the original Dark Phoenix storyline. That was probably the biggest eyebrow raising teaser of the entire one-shot. Marvel has been doing their best to make Ms. Marvel a big part of the X-Men in order to line her up with her Marvel Cinematic Universe counterpart.
Now as part of the Marvel Comics May 2025 solicitations we see a new Giant-Size X-Men #1 with Ms. Marvel front and center with 1975 team. The solicitation for the new Giant-Size X-Men #1 makes it clear that Ms. Marvel is traveling back in time to this period of the X-Men. This will likely set the tone for Ms. Marvel to travel to various periods of the X-Men history in this new volume of Giant-Size X-Men series of five one-shots. Which would explain how Ms. Marvel would experience the original Dark Phoenix storyline.
Having this direction for the new volume of Giant-Size X-Men is certainly a choice. A choice that’s likely meant to give Kamala an education of the X-Men’s true history. Afterall even before becoming an Inhuman and now mutant, Kamala only really knows about the X-Men fighting against extinction post-House of M. The X-Men’s history before House of M is all just a giant legend that Kamala has little context for. Now she will learn about the X-Men and everything that comes with being a mutant in the Marvel Universe.
VISION AND SCARLET WITCH REUNITE FOR NEW SERIES
Steve Orlando has been one of the best comic book runs in modern Marvel with his work with Scarlet Witch. From mini-series to ongoings, Orlando has really tapped into how to showcase Wanda Maximoff as a solo hero. Marvel has shown they know that this vision for Scarlet Witch has connected with fans. Afterall, Orlando has been consistently working on various Scalet Witch comics since January 2023.
That run is going to be continuing in a new series titled The Vision & The Scarlet Witch. This new mini-series is not at all surprising. Given that The Vision has a Disney+ show greenlit for a 2026 premiere Marvel wants to have more comics with him in it. Specifically, they need comics with the White Vision version of the character since that is the last design of Vision we saw in WandaVision.
The Vision & The Scarlet Witch is also timed with the 50th anniversary of their wedding. Which is a genuine anniversary that is good to see Marvel celebrate. Even though they haven’t been romantically together for decades their chemistry has always been there. While we shouldn’t expect them to get back together there is still an interest there of what is next for them as a pair.
SPIDER-VERSE VS VENOMVERSE ANNOUNCED
It was only a matter of time before the Spider-Verse and Venomverse crossed over. That was really the last Spider-Verse related story that can be visited at this point. At least other than the full Endgame style story for to finally conclude the entire Spider-Verse. Though that is likely not going to happen anytime soon, at least not until the final Spider-Verse animated movie releases, whenever that happens.
Based on the cover for Spider-Verse vs Venomverse it does look like Peter Parker and Eddie Brock will be taking lead spots in the series. Given they are the two most synonymous with the respective roles this is not at all surprising. They have both taken a back seat to other spinoff characters in these recent crossovers. So there is room to have Peter and Eddie to have a fresh perspective as lead with where the Spider-Verse and Venomverse stand.
And as always there will be new alternates of Spider-Man and Venom that will be pushed in this event. This time around it looks like Marvel will attempt to build momentum around Spider-Prowler and the symbiote Yaleo. Given the attention in both the solicitations and variant covers these two characters are getting Marvel likely has plans for them down the line. Don’t be surprised that right after Spider-Verse vs Venomverse ends we get at least a one-shot or mini-series for Spider-Prowler and Yaleo.
GWEN STACY RESURRECTED TO BECOME GWENPOOL
Gwen Stacy being resurrected is something that should be a big deal. The key word is “should” but this isn’t the first time Marvel has teased this return. It has almost become a joke for the last two decades that every few years Marvel teased the return of Gwen Stacy in Amazing Spider-Man. Heck, in the last couple years alone we’ve seen Gwen Stacy appear as part of major story angles.
All that was something working against the resurrection. Which made the decision made on the angle to take for Gwen to be even more head scratching. I’ve already written about Gwen return as Gwenpool here. It is truly disappointing rather than doing something creative that can hit like Bucky Barnes return as Winter Soldier that Marvel is going this route. Even the Gwenpool monicker is not new. The name isn’t even connected to Spider-Man.
It is too bad this is how things are starting for the new creative team of Cavan Scott and Stefano Nesi. Both have very little comic book experience. At least if it was a well-known creative team maybe the comic book could have some benefit of the doubt. Nothing against Scott and Nesi as talent but it is just not how you introduce a new creative team to a big fan base like the one Spider-Man has. Such a big return being given to a new creative team that Spider-Man fans have zero connection to makes this return feel smaller.
STARS ALIGNING IN THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE
The deeper we get into 2025 the more we are seeing the return of The Maker storyline that all the Ultimate Universe titles have been counting down to take shape. That is certainly the case for the Ultimate Universe solicitations in Marvel Comics May 2025 solicitations. What particularly stands out in all of them is how much classic Marvel Universe elements are being utilized in the Ultimate Universe.
We see this with Ultimate Wolverine giving us a glimpse at Ultimate Sabertooth. Over in Ultimate Black Panther the relationship between Storm and T’Challa is getting more of a focus. In The Ultimates one of the members is said to be leaving the team. While in Ultimate Spider-Man a gang war with the Sinister Six and Peter and Mary Jane’s son, Richard Parker, is being teased to become Ultimate Venom.
That is a lot of big things to go on for one month across all the Ultimate Universe titles. Which exemplifies how things will only continue to escalate in the Ultimate Universe the deeper we get into 2025. All of the developments in each title will likely play a big role in the Ultimate Incursion event that will takeover the rest of the year for the Ultimate Universe and lead into an even bigger 2026.
JEAN GREY DEALS WITH GAME CHANGING RETURN
May is going to be a big month of returns. And no character defines returns more than Jean Grey. Being the Phoenix has led to so many Jean Grey returns stories. So it is only right that with an ongoing series that the Phoenix will feature a big return in a month of that happening.
The solicitation for Phoenix #11 doesn’t specifically say who is returning but its clear it is someone important to Jean Grey. Based on the wording it could be one of Jean’s family members that the Shi’ar killed in the massacred as part of the “End of Greys” storyline in Uncanny X-Men #466-468. Since Jean wasn’t around when that storyline happened there was no way for her to stop the Shi’ar from wiping out her family.
So, it would be something that would trigger Jean if she discovered one of her family members was still alive. And it could be, based on the current Phoenix storyline, that the Shi’ar Empire kept a member of the Greys around to find out why they have such a special connection to the Phoenix Force. If that is the case this development could trigger a new form of the Dark Phoenix storyline, something that’s been teased in certain covers for the series.
SPIDER-MAN TEAMS UP WITH WOLVERINE AS HOBGOBLIN RETURNS
Spider-Man is going to be having one of the busiest summers of any Marvel Universe hero. There are the One World Under Doom, Spider-Verse vs VenomVerse, and Gwen Stacy’s resurrection he needs to deal with. That is on top of Hobgoblin returning in Amazing Spider-Man, a new Wolverine team-up, stopping Predator from killing Mary Jane Watson, and captured by Mr. Negative with only Spider-Boy left to save him.
That is a lot to deal with in one month alone. It does show that Marvel has a lot of plans in place for Spider-Man, something that can’t be said with others who are mostly busy with the One World Under Doom event. Because that it is a good thing that editorial didn’t force Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz to handle the Gwen Stacy resurrection in Amazing Spider-Man. They will be free to “bring back the feeling” to Amazing Spider-Man as they focus on rebuilding the classic rogues gallery for the franchise. Hobgoblin returning as a big-time threat is exactly how you build that goodwill with Spider-Man fans.
The other big note for the franchise is a new Spider-Man and Wolverine team-up series. Seeing both these characters on a cover leading a comic book is something you instantly stop at. Spider-Man and Wolverine are still the most popular Marvel characters and when they team-up it is special. They have that chemistry of opposites colliding that when creative teams are able to fully tap into there is arguably no better team-up between heroes. Hopefully Marc Guggenheim and Kaare Andrews can tap into that chemistry.
ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM INTRODUCES DORMAMMU
Based on all the solicitations for One World Under Doom thus far it does not look like we will go long before the Avengers, Fantastic Four, and others fight Doctor Doom’s forces. With the event being nine issues long it does put into question how often we will see the Marvel heroes fight Doctor Doom. Because of the length of the event, it would get very boring with the repetitiveness of this happening every issue.
Which is why it is not surprising that Marvel is pushing Dormammu’s appearance in One World Under Doom #4. It is smart to have one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe to take on Doctor Doom. This gives the Avengers and Fantastic Four a break to think about what to do next. It also will give Doctor Doom an opponent that will give him more credibility as Dormammu power level is over.
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