When Disney acquired some of Fox’s assets in 2019, it included the right to the “Alien” franchise. This paired with other IPs Disney owns opened the door for some interesting crossover possibilities. And they are starting strong with the upcoming comic, “Aliens vs. Avengers.”
“Aliens vs. Avengers,” will be a crossover by writer Jonathan Hickman (“G.O.D.S.”) and artist Esad Ribic (“Eternals”). This is the same team behind the “Secret Wars” event comic, which may become fodder for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The new comic will combine Marvel’s superhero team The Avengers with the predatory Xenomorphs from the “Alien” franchise.
The plot will center around the Xenomorphs reaching Earth for the first time. Now, the perfect organism must face off against a group of superhumans. Who will be the first to fall?
Hickman‘s Thoughts
“I’ve never worked on a licensed or ‘non-superhero’ property the entire time I’ve been at Marvel, so when all of this came together almost two years ago, I kind of jumped at the opportunity,” Hickman explains. “I love the Aliens universe and the mythology, and obviously just how atmospherically and well-designed everything is has always gotten my creative juices flowing. It was tricky finding a way to make these two things work together, but I think Esad and I landed on something that works for fans of both franchises.”
Hickman acknowledges the pairing may seem odd but suggests it may make more sense than it seems. “Probably one of the coolest things about the project is how we’ve found really fun ways to ‘Avengerize’ Aliens and ‘alien-up’ Avengers,” Hickman says. “I think fans will be surprised at how elegantly some of those things fit together. It really turned out to be a chocolate-and-peanut-butter situation.”
The first “Aliens vs. Avengers” issue will hit shelves on July 24th. Just in time for “Alien: Romulus” to open in theaters on August 16th.
