Xenomorphs take on Earth’s Mightiest this summer, in Aliens vs Avengers

Marvel isn’t bringing the xenos into the 616, but Aliens are still going to go head to head with Avengers this summer.

You knew this was coming

When Marvel Comics added the Aliens and Predator license to its collection, it was kind of foregone conclusion that eventually all parties would meet. When hit comes to the latter, we’ve already seen it, with Predator-themed variant covers and a Wolverine crossover. Now the other half of the equation is coming to the printed page too, with this July’s Aliens vs Avengers.

Not set in the standard Marvel U, Aliens vs Avengers will be set in an all-new timeline, and star an Avengers team that’s older and more grizzled. It’ll also feature a bunch of “Aliens” elements like the homes world of the Engineers, and landfall on Earth by the xenomorphic race.

And if you’re looking for a stellar creative team to go along with the space-monsters in question, Marvel’s got you covered. Superstar writer Jonathan Hickman will be joined by artist Esad Ribić for the run.

The four-part epic is set in a new timeline many years in the future and features older, grittier versions of Marvel characters. It also will be the first-time readers will see certain parts of Alien lore in the Marvel Universe – like the home of the Engineers. In this unmissable series, Xenomorphs reach Earth, and the perfect organism meets a planet of superhumans. But who will be first to fall?

“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 shared with Entertainment Weekly. “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.”

“Hickman and Ribić are storytelling masters, and they bring a cinematic quality to this that seamlessly merges the high action and soap opera that Marvel fans expect with the deep terror and cosmic awe that the Alien universe so inspires,” Marvel editor Sarah Brunstad said. “Watching them cut loose across the entire lexicon of these two great franchises is jaw-dropping. ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN IN THIS BOOK–get ready.”

Marvel Comics press release

Which Avengers will fall? And will the Aliens dominate Earth? Find out in Aliens vs Avengers #1 (of 4), when it lands on the stands this July 24th.