Y’know, it wasn’t that long ago Marvel had variant covers featuring Godzilla going up against the likes of the Avengers and Spider-Man. Toho’s big lizard will duke it out with anyone these days, no matter how big they are. So you won’t be surprised those covers were a prelude to him actually coming to ruin the days of Marvel’s A-list superheroes.
On Thursday, the Hollywood Reporter unveiled Godzilla vs. Marvel, the publisher’s first crossover with the character since 1977’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters. This new event is a series of one-shots wherein the King will face off against (or team up with) various Marvel heroes across the decades. First up is Ryan North and John Romita Jr.’s tale of a meeting with the Fantastic Four, who fight King Ghidorah after he becomes Galactus’ new Herald. While the Four face the new cosmic dragon, Godzilla and the Silver Surfer must team up to save the planet.
According to Marvel EiC C.B. Cebulski, the company initially talked with Toho about reprinting those old comics, but talks eventually made it clear “both of our teams were excited to do more together. These crossovers started coming together, in direct collaboration with Toho, and we felt the perfect time for them was for Godzilla’s 70th anniversary.” As Marvel’s comics/franchise president Dan Buckley noted, Godzilla’s become pretty popular lately thanks to Godzilla Minus One and the American-made MonsterVerse movies, so Marvel couldn’t not get in on that—and should this be a hit, Cebulski said Marvel would be more than happy to team with Toho on more “exciting projects.”
“Kaiju—and specifically Godzilla—are important parts of Marvel’s comic history, so we knew we wanted to explore something with their teams,” said Buckley. “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.”
Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four kicks things off in March 2025. Future issues and their creators will be revealed at a later date.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.