Marvel have announced ‘Acts of Evil,’ an event storyline running through their annuals from July. Similar to 1989’s classic storyline ‘Acts of Vengeance,’ the event’s theme will see heroes facing off against unfamiliar villains. It kick off in that month’s “The Magnificent Ms. Marvel Annual: Ms. Marvel vs. Super Skrull,” “Punisher Annual: Punisher vs. Brood Queen,” and “Venom Annual: Venom vs. Lady Hellbender,” and will continue in more titles in August and September. Here’s the press release with the creative teams:
Marvel’s stable of Super Heroes have all met multiple villains with whom they’ve had to contend. But this summer, some of Marvel’s mightiest will come face-to-face with enemies they haven’t met yet. Coming this July, ACTS OF EVIL will pit Ms. Marvel, Venom, and the Punisher against first-time foes in their own annual issues. But while Marvelites can expect a trio of battles for the ages, they may see an outcome they were never expecting!
“You know what everyone says is worse than the devil? The devil you don’t know!” teases editor Kathleen Wisneski. “For ACTS OF EVIL, Marvel is pitting our heroes against villains they’ll never see coming, and we’ve lined up creative teams with fresh takes on these characters to make sure our fans are just as blindsided. So readers should steel themselves! And make sure they don’t miss the launch of the next legendary rivalry, or hints at a Super Villain’s next masterstroke…”
In MS. MARVEL ANNUAL #1: MS. MARVEL VS. SUPER SKRULL, written by Magdalene Visaggio with art by Jon Lim and a cover by Stefano Caselli, Kamala Khan will fight Super Skrull.
In PUNISHER ANNUAL #1: PUNISHER VS. BROOD QUEEN, writer Karla Pacheco teams up with artist Adam Gorham to pair Frank Castle with the Brood Queen. Dustin Weaver provides the cover.
In VENOM ANNUAL #1: VENOM VS. LADY HELLBENDER written by Ryan Cady with art by Simone Di Meo and a cover by Woo Dae Shim, Venom faces Lady Hellbender!
Of the villains showcased here, Lady Hellbender is the most recent addition to the Marvel Universe, having been introduced by Greg Pak and Frank Cho in 2016’s “Totally Awesome Hulk” #1: she is a warrior from the planet Seknarf Nine, who traverses the stars for different rare monsters to live in a sanctuary on her homeworld. The Brood Queen and Super-Skrull (Kl’rt) meanwhile, are perennial figureheads for their respective antagonistic species.
‘Acts of Evil’ will begin almost 30 years after the original ‘Acts of Vengeance’ ran in various Marvel comics from December 1989 to February 1990.
