The six-issue ‘Godzilla vs. Marvel’ will take place over different time periods, beginning with a Fantastic Four one-shot book.
Godzilla has fought numerous foes on the big screen in recent years, including fellow classic monster King Kong. Now the Kaiju will take on Marvel superheroes with Godzilla vs. Marvel, a series of one-shots that will include Fantastic Four, Hulk, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Thor.
This marks Marvel’s first Godzilla crossover event in nearly fifty years, after the character starred in the series Godzilla, King of the Monsters, which ran from 1977-79 and was set in the mainline Marvel Comics universe.
The six comics will take place over different time periods, with the first issue bowing in March. Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four will center on the Fantastic Four battling classic Godzilla antagonist King Ghidorah, who has been imbued with the power cosmic as the new herald for Galactus, the giant devourer of worlds. In this issue, Godzilla will actually team up with the Silver Surfer in order to attempt to save the Earth. Ryan North writes, with art from John Romita Jr.
Marvel VP of licensing and publishing Sven Larsen spent years talking with rights holder Toho about a crossover event.
“We approached them initially for our reprints, but a while after those conversations, it was clear that both of our teams were excited to do more together,” says Marvel editor in chief C.B. Cebulski. “These crossovers started coming together over that time, in direct collaboration with Toho, and we felt the perfect time for them was for Godzilla’s 70th anniversary next year. We’ve been thrilled to work with them on these, and we hope this will be a sign for more exciting projects to come.”
Godzilla has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire earning $571 million globally, and extending the winning streak of Legendary’s MonsterVerse, while the Japanese feature Godzilla Minus One became a sleeper hit and won an Oscar. Godzilla also made an appearance in the pages of DC Comics with Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, released last year.
“For us, kaiju—and specifically Godzilla—are important parts of Marvel’s comic history, so we knew we wanted to explore something with their teams,” says Dan Buckley, president, Marvel Comics & Franchises. “We’ve always been fans of Godzilla, but with the steady rise in Godzilla’s popularity over the years, it’s part of our current cultural zeitgeist and a perfect example of the fun that the comics industry can bring. We’re focused on the storytelling first and foremost, but fun opportunities for crossovers like this give both of our fans an entertaining escape that they won’t want to miss.”
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