Marvel will mark Disability Pride Month this July with a serialized backup story running through four titles.
Written by Dutch author Marieke Nijkamp and illustrated by Andrea Di Vito, the story unfolds across Amazing Spider-Man #32, Uncanny X-Men #31, Fantastic Four #14 and Wolverine #24, bringing together a lineup of heroes with a range of disabilities, including Daredevil, Misty Knight, Echo, Hawkeye, Silhouette and Finesse, to save Misty’s partner Colleen Wing from a deadly threat.
Nijkamp, who is autistic, previously contributed to Marvel with a story in 2023’s Marvel’s Voices: Pride special. The writer described the project as a genuine dream assignment.
“It may sound a bit cheesy to say this is a dream project, but for these stories, I got to bring together a roster of spectacular heroes and write an epic adventure that’s all about strength in community. It really is a dream come true,” Nijkamp said.
The Disability Pride celebration is part of Marvel’s broader efforts at representation across the calendar this year. For Pride Month in June, Marvel will publish Wiccan & Hulkling: Raid of Ultron #1, alongside five Pride variant covers by Luciano Vecchio spotlighting LGBTQIA+ characters including Iceman, Kitty Pryde and Black Cat.
“Superheroes are meant to inspire us to be better, but sometimes we forget that the greatest inspirations come from real life,” Di Vito said. “People with disabilities prove to each and every one of us that the true measure of our worth is our spirit and our will, not the limitations of our bodies.”
Each of the four Disability Pride issues will also feature a variant cover spotlighting the characters in the story: Amazing Spider-Man #32 by Jamie McKelvie, Uncanny X-Men #31 by David Mack, Fantastic Four #14 by Aaron Kuder and Wolverine #24 by Stephen Segovia.
Look for the titles in July.