Chaos reigns in Marvel’s annuals this summer

Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and more will be drawn into a plot by Agatha Harkness in ‘Contest of Chaos.’

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned summer annual crossover, nor is there anything like a good old-fashioned superhero tournament. And Marvel has both going on this summer.

In the spirit of Atlantis Attacks and Contest of Champions, this summer will bring Contest of Chaos, which will run through several Marvel annuals and features a rejuvenated Agatha Harkness using her chaos magic to cause “Let’s you and him fight” confrontations between different Marvel characters.

Stephanie Phillips is spearheading the event, which will kick off with a prelude issue in Scarlet Witch Annual #1 by Steve Orlando and Carlos Nieto. It’ll then run through eight other Marvel annuals, including the big finale in Avengers Annual #1 in September.

Here’s a rundown of who is fighting who, and when and where …

Scarlet Witch Annual #1

The prelude to the big event arrives June 21:

Spinning out of writer Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli’s hit SCARLET WITCH ongoing series, SCARLET WITCH ANNUAL #1 will see Agatha, reenergized and more motivated than ever before, put her bold new plans for the Marvel Universe into motion as she reunites with Scarlet Witch for the first time since her rejuvenation. When she learns of Wanda’s recent absorption of Chthon, she decides to educate her former student on the dangers of such an endeavor. But Wanda is not the meek pupil she once was—and Agatha’s intentions are not so straightforward.

SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1

Then on Aug. 9, the first chapter brings some fist-a-cuffs between two former Avengers teammates:

Writer Stephanie Phillips kicks off the CONTEST OF CHAOS alongside artist Alberto Foche! First on Agatha’s list is Spider-Man, whose regular day is turned upside down when he involuntarily walks through a portal to a remote, magical city…and is attacked by Wolverine!

IRON MAN ANNUAL #1

Storm and Iron Man go head-to-head on Aug. 16:

Writer Jason Loo and artist David Cutler bring you a clash of titans you won’t want to miss! When the forces of chaos move upon our heroes, the past, present, and future come crashing in on them—and only one can emerge victorious! The might of human ingenuity versus the power of the natural universe.

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #1

The battles heat up on Aug. 23 as Ghost Rider takes on the Human Torch:

Writer Zac Gorman and artist Alan Robinson bring the Fantastic Four into the mayhem when the Human Torch is pitted against Johnny Blaze! It’s flame versus hellfire when the two heroes face off—but who will emerge victorious?!

MOON KNIGHT ANNUAL #1

Then it’s Moon Knight vs. Tiger Division’s Taegukgi on Aug. 30:

Current MOON KNIGHT scribe and Taegukgi co-creator Jed MacKay teams up with acclaimed artist Creees Lee for a power-packed showdown! When the champion of a god battles a godlike champion, who will win? The Fist of Khonshu faces off against Tiger Division’s fearless leader!

SPIDER-GWEN ANNUAL #1

Spider-Gwen and White Fox face off Sept. 6:

Ghost-Spider and White Fox get caught in Agatha Harkness’ tangled web in this roller coaster of a rumble by writer Karla Pacheco and artist Rosi Kämpe! Gwen Stacy technically isn’t even supposed to be in this universe, and now she’s cutting chem lab to go to…a theme park?! Wait, something doesn’t feel right here—and why is this masked fox attacking her?

VENOM ANNUAL #1

It’s Venom vs. Deadpool in an extreme confrontation of two 1990s icons:

When the forces of chaos call upon Venom and Deadpool, it becomes an issue of family—and whose deserves to win the ultimate prize. It’s symbiote might vs. frankly awesome assassin skills in an epic showdown you won’t want to miss by current DEADPOOL scribe Alyssa Wong and artist Sergio Dávila!

X-MEN ANNUAL #1

Then on Sept. 20 the leaders of Marvel’s two premiere super-teams battle it out:

The leader of the X-Men and the leader of the Avengers size each other up in this epic brawl from writer Paul Allor and Alessandro Miracolo! Drawn to the Alaskan wilderness by magic neither of them understand, Captain Marvel and Cyclops duke it out! Agatha Harkness’ plan for the Darkhold is slowly taking shape…but will it come at the expense of two of the world’s greatest heroes?! And what can an energy-blasting mutant do against a woman who can absorb the energy of the sun?!

AVENGERS ANNUAL #1

Then it all wraps up in Avengers Annual #1, which will be out on Sept. 27:

Stephanie Phillips and Alberto Foche bring the CONTEST OF CHAOS to a fantastical finish as the fate of Marvel magic is decided! When Agatha pits the Avengers against the winners of the previous chaos battles, they realize they must choose between saving their friends and stopping the creation of the new Darkhold. But their choice may have consequences that no one—not even Agatha—could have imagined.

Contest of Chaos is the kind of story I would absolutely sprint to the comic store to buy as a reader,” Phillips said. “There’s action, mystery, magic, and my favorite characters from all over the Marvel Universe. To be spearheading the storyline is just incredibly cool for me as a creator. It’s going to be big with ramifications for the larger universe… See you this summer—THWIP!”

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