In the latest title from the What If...? adult novel series, Marvel: What If...Marc Spector Was Host to Venom? A Moon Knight & Venom Story reveals a glimpse into the minds of two of Marvel's more shadowy Super Heroes.

Penned by best-selling author Mike Chen, Marc Spector and Venom engage in a battle of wills...but who will prevail? Pre-Order the next adventure in an epic multiversal series reimagining iconic Marvel origin stories, arriving October 22, 2024.

Marvel: What If . . . Marc Spector Was Host to Venom? (A Moon Knight & Venom Story)
ISBN: 978-0593726860
By Mike Chen
On Sale: October 22, 2024

So many worlds, so little time. Infinite possibilities, creating infinite realities. Long have I watched Marc Spector cheat death in the name of the Egyptian god Khonshu. But…what if Moon Knight was subsumed  by a Venom from another universe? 

Marc Spector is used to voices in his head. He’s used to waking up disoriented, unsure what his alters, Jake and Steven, might have been up to. He’s used to having an Egyptian god command him as Moon Knight, his avatar of justice and revenge. What he’s not used to: staring into the face of a literal, out-of-body doppelganger.

Another Marc, crash-landed from an alternate reality, begging for help? Yeah, that is a new one, even for him.

But before he can really process anything beyond Khonshu’s incessant alarm bells, it becomes clear this other Marc didn’t travel solo. Some kind of alien—a symbiote named Venom—casts off its current host and begins to merge with Marc, forcing Khonshu away from his chosen champion and claiming Moon Knight for its own. The formerly stark white suit that struck fear into the hearts of criminals now looms as a jet-black shadow over friends and foes alike. Marc’s lethal prowess fueled by Venom’s penchant for violence carves a trail of chaos as they comb through the vigilante’s torturous past.

Yet a sliver of hope remains: Finally free of Venom’s control, the other Jake and Steven re-gain consciousness to find themselves in a strange reality, without their Marc, but with a strange bird-like god insisting that “they will do.” Desperate, lost, and running out of time, the pair make a deal: become Khonshu’s new avatar to track Venom’s path of destruction, save this universe, and just maybe figure out a way back to their own.

Mike Chen is the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood, Here and Now and Then, A Quantum Love Story, and other novels, as well as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine comics. He has covered geek culture for sites such as Nerdist and The Mary Sue, and in a different life, he's covered the NHL. A member of SFWA, Mike lives in the Bay Area with his wife, daughter, and many rescue animals.

Chen shares, "When the Random House Worlds team first asked me if I wanted to write Moon Knight, I was all in. And when they said 'What if he's a host to Venom?' my mind exploded and I cursed in excitement on the phone. Of course, then I started to think about HOW you could actually write a story like this. Because you've got Marc, Steven, and Jake in one head already, plus Khonshu's running commentary—and then you add in Venom's chaos to that! Well, I think I found a way to pull this off while telling a compelling psychological thriller AND bringing a sharp lens to the unique relationships and absurd humor involved with all of these characters. By the way, if you want some character starting points, I was heavily inspired by the 2016 Moon Knight run (Lemire/Smallwood) and the 2018 Venom run (Cates)—and of course, Madeleine Roux's excellent Loki novel that starts off our series!"

Look out for other titles in the What If...? adult novel series including What If…Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings? A Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man Story and What If...Loki Was Worthy? A Loki & Valkyrie Story.

What If...Marc Spector Was Host to Venom? A Moon Knight & Venom Story will be available from Penguin Random House on October 22, 2024. Available wherever books are sold!

The antiheroes of Thunderbolts* make for an unconventional crew. Marvel Studios’ newest film unites a ragtag group of mercenaries and misfits, setting them on a dangerous mission orchestrated by CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). At first glance, these not-so-heroic figures — Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kamen), Alexei Shostakov (David Harbour), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and newcomer Bob (Lewis Pullman) — have little in common. But together, they make a competent team, the kind who can even band together to save the world (even though they’ll probably argue the entire time). 

Juggling all those voices is writer Joanna Calo, who co-wrote the Thunderbolts* script with Eric Pearson. Best known for serving as co-showrunner of The Bear, Calo makes her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut with Thunderbolts*, weaving a twisty tale of action, comedy, and emotional connection. (She also previously worked on the TV series Beef with director Jake Schreier and writer Lee Sung Jin, who contributed to the Thunderbolts* script.)

With the film in theaters now, Calo sat down with Marvel.com for a peek inside the writing process, opening up about Thunderbolts*’ depiction of mental health and her favorite memories from set.

MARVEL.COM: This film assembles such a strange, delightful group of characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. How did you want to put together this team?

JOANNA CALO: We really wanted to go deeper. Like, what has Walker been through? How do you take a character like that and make him someone you could redeem a little bit?  How is he able to work with Yelena and the whole team? That became the fun thing with each character. What have they been through? What have we seen? What didn’t we see? And how can they possibly join together?

MARVEL.COM: It's fun to see familiar characters in new places. Congressman Bucky Barnes, for example, is an unexpected turn. What interested you about exploring Bucky’s political career?

JOANNA CALO: All of these people have spent their lives trying to make the world better, and they’re also trying to come to terms with the bad they have done in the past. That is what all of our characters are trying to figure out. I really loved the idea that Bucky is still genuinely trying to figure out how to make the world a better place, but he doesn’t fit in. After the terrible thing happened to him almost a hundred years ago, he really hasn’t fit into life. He’s always been out of time. So, that’s where he finds himself in Congress.

People would vote for him! If you saw Bucky Barnes on the ballot, you’d probably vote for him! But he feels like he doesn’t really have the skills, and he feels like it’s not enough. I love that first scene with him where he doesn’t know how to talk to the reporters. He doesn’t have all the moves yet. I thought that was very charming.

MARVEL.COM: I also love Yelena’s arc in this film. She really feels like the emotional beating heart of this story. Why was she the right character to lead the team?

JOANNA CALO: Something I’ve always been interested in was how you see these Super Heroes or action heroes like James Bond, and it’s so thrilling. But then you realize that they have a body count, and we know that violence isn’t good for people.

I started thinking about what [Yelena] has been through. She grew up normal for a time and then became absolutely the least normal. When we meet her in Black Widow, she’s still longing for connection. She’s connected with her sister, and she’s since lost her sister, and she’s not coming back. What does that loss do to a person who has such a complicated backstory? She has hurt a lot of people in the past, but she also grew up with love. It’s not as simple as someone whose whole life was just being a killer. She’s someone who’s still desperate for connection.

MARVEL.COM: The film also highlights that father-daughter relationship between her and Alexei, which is so beautiful.

JOANNA CALO: And you can imagine he wouldn’t know how to be a good dad. He is her dad, but he’s not. He’s really becoming her father in this movie, in a way. That’s what the whole movie is about: It’s about connection for all of these characters and really believing that connection is the way out.

MARVEL.COM: Speaking of connection being the way out, let’s talk about Sentry and the Void. As a writer, how did you want to tackle this very complicated character?

JOANNA CALO: There’s a lot of people dealing with mental illness, and we wanted to make sure there was space in our movie to talk about that. And we wanted it to be something we’re not afraid to talk about. What I love about Sentry and Bob and the Void and all the names he has is: What does happen if someone like that gets power? I think we are seeing that in our world right now. What happens when people who have a lot of power perhaps shouldn’t? I love that we got to tell that story through Bob.

All the Sentry comics are really exciting, and everyone should take a look at them because they’re talking about the same stuff we’re talking about now. He’s this sort of emo, angry character who was dealing with all these difficult feelings, and then he got way too much power. But I hope that everyone out in the world can just connect with a friend. If you’re thinking about taking a super serum… 

MARVEL.COM: Yeah, if Julia Louis-Dreyfus shows up and tells you, “Hey, so I have this serum…”

JOANNA CALO: Maybe not. Maybe just go to therapy. [Laughs]

MARVEL.COM: Many of these actors have played these characters for years. Did the actors influence the story at all?

JOANNA CALO: From a writing standpoint, it was very moving to me to see how passionate Sebastian was about Bucky. Wyatt, too: He really had a strong point of view on the things that Walker wants and the way he seems himself. Walker has suffered greatly in the way that the thing that got him his Purple Heart was the worst day of his life, but he was trying to do the right thing. He’s not evil, even though bad things have happened. It was very impressive to me that the actors were so passionate about it.

MARVEL.COM: Thinking back to filming, did you have a favorite day on set?

JOANNA CALO: I still have pieces of fake broken glass from the day in the lab, these little pieces of rubber. It reignited that childlike feeling in me, that movie magic. But I also remember when we were shooting the big penthouse fight. Lewis walked over, and he was wearing a cape. I was like, “My job is so funny. A man wears a cape at my job.” [Laughs]

Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts* is in theaters now.

 

A sweeping Marvel cosmic event commences in this week's Marvel Comics!

Jonathan Hickman, Federico Vicentini, and Iban Coello take on the universe in IMPERIAL (2025) #1! IMPERIAL is a story of intrigue, mysteries and war, which takes place against the backdrop of the formation of new galactic order in the Marvel Universe. Featuring Hulks, Black Panthers, Novas, Guardians, and cosmic kings and queens, it's the must-read book of the summer!

Behold the beginning of a new cosmic order in IMPERIAL (2025) #1, on sale this Wednesday, June 4!

Over in the new Ultimate Universe, Miles Morales get caught in the middle of a universal collision! Two of today's most exciting writers, Deniz Camp and Cody Ziglar, join forces for an adventure that will change Miles Morales and the Ultimate Universe forever in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: INCURSION (2025) #1, drawn by rising star Jonas Scharf! Before the Maker remade Earth-6160, he left Miles Morales the key to reach his new universe… and when Miles' baby sister, Billie, uses it to travel to the Ultimate Universe, it's up to Spider-Man to save her! But the Ultimate Universe is never safe for any Spider-Man! When the Spot attacks, Miles will have to team up with an all-new Peter Parker—and that's just the start of his journey across Earth-6160…

Then, the future of the Marvel Universe arrives in MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE WORLD TO COME (2025) #1! The King of Wakanda is dead, leaving unguarded the world's most advanced technology, most precious metal, and a cryptic vault of dark secrets while triggering global conflicts among Marvel's heroes, villains and mutants. With T'Challa gone, the future of the Marvel 616 Universe will be determined by a final tribal challenge for the Wakandan throne and the mysterious victor who will change Wakanda, and the Marvel Universe, forever. MARVEL KNIGHTS visionary creators Joe Quesada and Christopher Priest collaborate on a future of the 616 through the lens of the revolutionary MARVEL KNIGHTS line of books that changed comics as we know it. You do not want to miss this landmark project!

Meanwhile, ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM continues in RED HULK (2025) #5 by Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw! Red Hulk emerges from nuclear fire in Latveria! An angry hive of Doombots is ready for war with Thunderbolt Ross! But when the U.S. military arrive with a special weapon, who will they aim it at?

Elsewhere, Doctor Strange has been covering up a murder in an attempt to solve it... but Thor and Sif don't see it that way! In Derek Landy and Carlos Magno's DOCTOR STRANGE OF ASGARD (2025) #4, Stephen scrambles to get to the bottom of the mystery and clear his name—with some help from Loki and Clea!

Additionally, the Devourer of Worlds battles the Spirit of Vengeance in GHOST RIDER VS. GALACTUS (2025) #1 ! Galactus roams the cosmos in search of sustenance he extracts from thriving planets, leaving them as dying husks. Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze, punishes souls who are deemed worthy of vengeance. What happens when these two powers collide? Find out when superstar artist Juan Ferreyra joins J. Michael Straczynski for the penultimate pairing across the mighty Marvel landscape!

Witness the start of Marvel's new cosmic order, see Miles Morales swing into the new Ultimate Universe, behold the future of Wakanda, and more by picking up the latest titles this week! From fresh comics to collections and even Marvel Unlimited, find the full list of new releases here!

New Comics

• ALL-NEW VENOM (2024) #7
• DAREDEVIL (2023) #22
• DOCTOR STRANGE OF ASGARD (2025) #4
• GHOST RIDER VS. GALACTUS (2025) #1
• HELLVERINE (2024) #7
• IMMORTAL THOR (2023) #24
• IMPERIAL (2025) #1
• LAURA KINNEY: WOLVERINE (2024) #7
• MARVEL KNIGHTS: THE WORLD TO COME (2025) #1
• RED HULK (2025) #5
• SPIDER-GWEN: THE GHOST-SPIDER (2024) #14
• STAR WARS: JEDI KNIGHTS (2025) #4
• STAR WARS: THE HIGH REPUBLIC - FEAR OF THE JEDI (2025) #5
• STORM (2024) #9
• THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2025) #5
• ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: INCURSION (2025) #1
• ULTIMATE WOLVERINE (2025) #6
• X-MEN (2024) #17

New Collections

• ALIEN: GALAXY OF NIGHTMARES
• FANTASTIC FOUR BY MORRISON & LEE: 1234 [NEW PRINTING]
• IRON MAN EPIC COLLECTION: TEN RINGS TO RULE THE WORLD
• NEW X-MEN MODERN ERA EPIC COLLECTION: NEW WORLDS

Marvel Unlimited

• ASTONISHING AVENGERS INFINITY COMIC (2025) #17
• ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN INFINITY COMIC (2024) #30
• ASTONISHING X-MEN INFINITY COMIC (2024) #24
• CAPTAIN AMERICA & VOLSTAGG (2025) #1
• DAREDEVIL FACSIMILE EDITION (2025) #1
• FANTASTIC FOUR (2022) #29
• FANTASTIC FOUR: INTO INTO THE DEPTHS INFINITY COMIC (2025) #2
• HELLHUNTERS (2024) #3
• HELLVERINE (2024) #3
• IRON MAN (2024) #5
• MARVEL MEOW INFINITY COMIC (2022) #30
• RED HULK (2025) #1
• ROGUE: THE SAVAGE LAND (2025) #2
• SABRETOOTH: THE DEAD DON'T TALK (2024) #3
• SENTINELS (2024) #5
• STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER ADAPTATION (2025) #1
• THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (2022) #68
• TVA (2024) #3
• ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (2024) #14    
• ULTIMATE X-MEN (2024) #12
• WEST COAST AVENGERS (2024) #4
• WOMEN OF MARVEL: SHE-DEVILS (2025) #1
• X-MEN (2024) #12

Grab these comics and more at your local comic book shop! Or redeem then read your digital copy on the Marvel Unlimited app by using the code found in your print comic. Find and support your local comic book shop at ComicShopLocator.com.

To read your Marvel comics digitally, download the Marvel Unlimited app for iOS and Android devices. Gain an expansive catalog of 30,000+ comics spanning Marvel Comics history, plus access your entire digital library including comics redeemed from print.

This July, Eisner-nominated writer Chip Zdarsky (DAREDEVIL) and superstar artist Valerio Schiti (AVENGERS) revisit Steve Rogers' past to define his future in their all-new CAPTAIN AMERICA comic series. Set just after Steve emerged from the ice, the series' first arc will dive deeper into the period before he joined the Avengers.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (2025) #1 opens with a motorbike chase as Steve tails a suicide bomber. Wielding his shield, Captain America deflects the bullets aimed his way and knocks the assailant off his bike. Later, men and women in suits put Steve's ability to the test, monitoring his vitals as he smashes through their test dummies.

Out of the ice and into the fire!

While Captain America slumbered in ice, the world changed—for better and for worse. He awakens to a reality where battles are fought in the shadows through secrets and subterfuge, and villains aren’t so easy to identify. When a fledgling dictator named Victor Von Doom conquers Latveria, Steve faces a critical decision: adapt to a new kind of warfare, or forge his own path? And what will the choice he makes in the past mean for his future?

CAPTAIN AMERICA #1
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
Art by VALERIO SCHITI
Colors by FRANK MARTIN
Cover by BEN HARVEY
On Sale 7/2

"I’m having a blast," Zdarsky told Newsarama in a recent interview. "I've got the same feeling as I did when I started DAREDEVIL, where each issue felt incredibly special, so I hope people feel the same way when they finally get to read it. Our first arc may be set in the past but it’s going to reveal some huge things that will affect the book going forward."

Check out the preview for CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 below and pick it up at your local comic shop on July 2!

Grab these comics and more at your local comic book shop! Or redeem and then read your digital copy on the Marvel Unlimited app by using the code found in your print comic. Find and support your local comic book shop at ComicShopLocator.com.

To read your Marvel comics digitally, download the Marvel Unlimited app for iOS and Android devices. Gain an expansive catalog of 30,000+ comics spanning Marvel Comics history, plus access your entire digital library including comics redeemed from print.