When The Fantastic Four: First Steps opened in theaters, another Marvel Cinematic Universe frontier had been visited. As the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally has its First Family, you can finally cross that off of the “To Do” list hanging on the Baxter Building fridge. So where does a franchise go after such heights? How about…the Planet of the Apes?!
No, I’m not leading you on, dear readers. Marvel Comics themselves recently announced that yes, Planet of the Apes versus Fantastic Four is a thing! Set to debut in February 2026, recent Blue Beetle writer Josh Trujillo will be penning this four-issue limited series.
“PLANET OF THE APES VERSUS OF FANTASTIC FOUR”
As for the basic gist of what to expect, here’s a handy, comic shop friendly synopsis:
Marvel’s First Family find themselves stranded on the Planet of the Apes! Witness history as the Fantastic Four cross paths for the very first time with Cornelius, Zira, Ursus – and of course Dr. Zaius! But they won’t be going alone! Familiar foes from the Marvel Universe have set their sights on Ape City, setting the stage for a battle royale that fans won’t soon forget!
Spoiler alert: Doctor Doom is definitely one of those baddies looking to launch a conquest of, or even war for, the Planet of the Apes. Title-tastic puns aside, Planet of the Apes versus Fantastic Four is an idea that sounds so crazy it works! Rather than give you remaining doubters a lecture on the Fantastic Four’s history of multiversal travel, I’ll let an expert do the talking. Here’s series artist Andrea Di Vito explaining why we should all be excited:
It sounds like a weird meeting at first, but then you realize that both these franchises were meant to meet sooner or later. Exploration has always been the Fantastic Four’s main drive. Ending up on the Planet of the Apes is absolutely perfect for a classic FF adventure, set in the immortal tone created by Stan [Lee] & Jack [Kirby]. I am honored to be the one to illustrate this ‘first official meeting’ between the Marvel Universe and Planet of the Apes.
Unfortunately for those of you who are getting visions of Pedro Pascal fighting yet another Orangutan, that’s not the Fantastic Four team that will be battling the Apes. At the same time, I have a feeling you’ll be ready to pre-order Planet of the Apes meets Fantastic Four anyway. Unless, of course, this Greg Land art for Issue #1’s main cover isn’t your bag:
This truly is a ‘60 sci-fi fan’s dream come true, and all that’s missing is a Michael Giacchino score to tie it all together. Planet of the Apes versus Fantastic Four will hit shelves with issue #1 on February 4th. So don’t hesitate to put this one on your pull list now, lest those damned dirty apes stop you from enjoying one panel of this marvelous mash-up. Meanwhile, don’t forget to enjoy The Fantastic Four: First Steps on digital and physical media; as well as in its current streaming home of Disney+!
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