Ultraman’s adventures under the Marvel Comics banner will finally culminate in a team-up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Since Marvel and Tsuburaya Productions began collaborating in 2019, fans have enjoyed Ultraman under the publisher behind hit comic franchises like Spider-Man, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Avengers. However, there has still been a long wait before a true crossover between Ultraman and the heroes of the Marvel Universe. That long-awaited meeting is about to finally happen in Ultraman X Avengers, and the writers behind the series are dishing on what fans can expect out of their story.
ComicBook spoke to Ultraman X Avengers writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom to find out how they crafted the miniseries, satisfying fans of both franchises, what surprised them during the scripting process, the Ultraseven meeting the Avengers, the big showdown between Ultraman and a major Marvel cosmic villain, and more. We can also exclusively reveal the first look at the interior pages from Ultraman X Avengers #1, as well as the cover of Ultraman X Avengers #3, which features that villain we just referenced. Ultraman X Avengers #1 goes on sale August 14th.
ComicBook: Ultraman and the Avengers have a legion of loyal fans, so they all understandably have an opinion on how their first meeting should go. How do you balance telling a story that satisfies both fan bases while also spreading your creative wings?
Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom: Well, we hope those two things aren’t mutually exclusive! We hope that what fans want IS creativity – and we think that’s the real joy of such crossovers, the surprising results of two worlds colliding. So we just went in trying to engineer as many of those moments as possible – while ensuring that we’re staying true to the importance and the meaning of the characters on both sides.
Were there any unexpected story beats that caught you both by surprise when crafting the team-up story?
Absolutely! It’s fascinating to see what happens when you get different combinations of characters in a room with each other and “let” them talk to each other – or fight together! We think the Ultra Guard and the Avengers are more different than you might find in your traditional superhero team-up… but that just means there’s more interesting contrast, and they have more to learn from each other!
Although we’ve gone to great lengths to make the crossover new reader-friendly, this is also a part of our ongoing Ultraman saga… so the impact the Avengers have on our cast will make for permanent changes moving forward, and we think there are a few that readers really won’t see coming!
By the time this interview goes up, fans will see the cover of Issue #3 featuring Galactus vs. Ultraman. That’s a showdown of epic proportions, but were there any other considerations of Marvel villains for Ultraman to square off with?
We probably briefly considered other options, but… we settled on Galactus VERY quickly! Obviously he’s a BIG guy, which helps on a really practical level to ensure that Ultraman isn’t literally punching down… but much more importantly, Galactus is the sort of sweeping, cosmic-level threat that justifies a crossover like this. Importantly, Galactus almost feels like an Ultraman villain already – his nature and his purpose invites you to dig a little deeper than “good guy punch bad guy.” How the Ultra philosophy reckons with the presence of Galactus is a big part of the story.
To wrap up, what are you most looking forward to readers seeing and experiencing in Ultraman X Avengers?
For sure those unexpected combinations we alluded to earlier. What is the Wasp worried about when she first meets Shin? What does Iron Man think of Ultraseven? What does Spider-Man make of JACK? And some we can’t even HINT at yet. Oh and of course the big moments where they fight together, those are pretty dang important too.
Since Marvel Comics and Tsuburaya Productions began working together in 2019, fans have eagerly anticipated the day Ultraman would cross over with Marvel superheroes. The wait is over! This August, see the mightiest heroes of the Marvel Universe step into Ultraman’s world for the first time in ULTRAMAN X AVENGERS!
The four-issue limited series will see the return of the hit creative team behind Ultraman’s previous Marvel comic series: writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom and artist Francesco Manna. The four-issue epic will feature a wide array of appearances including mainstay Avengers, Spider-Man, and more.
Spider-Man has disappeared from New York, an intergalactic invader has arrived on Ultraman’s doorstep, and the Kaiju of Earth are acting even more mysteriously than usual. This can only mean one thing: It’s time for Ultraman to meet the Avengers! But what cosmic threat is great enough to require a team-up of Marvel’s mightiest champions and Japan’s greatest hero? Find out as Shin meets Sam, Spacium Ray meets Repulsor Ray, and “THWIP!” meets “SHUWATCH!” in the epic crossover event.
“Of course we’re excited to be back with more ULTRAMAN, as ever, but especially for such a meaningful event,” Groom and Higgins said. “This is the first time Ultraman will meet the Avengers, despite them having so much in common—both being created in the 1960s, both being arguably the most popular and successful superheroes from their respective countries of origin. Being able to tell the story of this historic meeting: discovering how they interact, the ways in which they’re different, what they have to learn from each other—it’s a tremendous privilege.”
ULTRAMAN X AVENGERS #1 (OF 4) Written by KYLE HIGGINS and MAT GROOM Art by FRANCESCO MANNA Cover by DIKE RUAN On Sale 8/14
Check out Dike Ruan’s cover and witness pop culture history in the making when ULTRAMAN X AVENGERS arrives in August!
Source: ComicBook, Marvel
