A jaw-dropping Marvel crossover is set to outshine Avengers: Doomsday.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four unite on screen this December in Avengers: Doomsday, but today Marvel dropped a bombshell that truly excites me. This September, they’re launching a one-shot comic titled The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe, where Marvel’s iconic heroes will join forces with Jim Henson’s beloved characters to celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show.
Last year, to mark the 70th anniversary of the Muppets, Marvel released a series of covers that reimagined the Muppets as various Marvel characters, like Sam Eagle as Captain America and Miss Piggy as Thanos, with Kermit taking on the role of Thor in a nod to Throg. While those covers were a blast, they didn’t include any actual Muppet stories. Now, we’ll finally get to see characters from both worlds teaming up in a collection of short stories.
Marvel has revealed the creative team behind this event, featuring writers like Chip Zdarsky, Mackenzie Cadenhead, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Adam F. Goldberg, Ashley Allen, and Kyle Starks, alongside artists such as Pete Woods, David Baldeon, Áthila Fabbio, E.J. Su, Paco Medina, Mike Henderson, and Nick Bradshaw. More contributors will be announced soon. The announcement also teased four of the stories we can expect, some of which are natural pairings while others are quite unexpected. For instance, one story features Bruce Banner and Hank Pym visiting Muppet Labs for an experiment with Bunsen and Beaker involving Gamma Rays and Pym Particles—a legendary team-up! Another story brings the crew of the Swine Trek together with Rocket Raccoon and Groot. The other two stories promise even more surprises, including one where Mojo kidnaps Rowlf the Dog and another featuring Doctor Strange alongside the Swedish Chef. Marvel also showcased some covers featuring Kermit with Spider-Man, Deadpool with Muppet pirates, and Gonzo with Ghost Rider, though these may just be for the covers and not tied to specific stories.
There are still more stories to be revealed, and with the eclectic mix already announced, it’s anyone’s guess what they’ll entail. Personally, I’d love to see Wolverine and Animal hang out, or Magneto and Professor X trading quips with Statler and Waldorf. Maybe Namor will get annoyed with Lew Zealand for tossing his fish around like boomerangs. The potential for fun is as endless as Fozzie Bear’s collection of corny jokes.