This story has been updated since its publication.
Marvel Comics have announced ‘Judgment Day,’ an event story starring the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Eternals, written by current “Eternals” and “Immortal X-Men” scribe Kieron Gillen, with art by Valerio Schiti (“Empyre”) and colorist Marte Gracia (“X-Men”). The story, which begins in July, will see the Eternals attacking mutantkind’s nation of Krakoa, and the Avengers trying to deescalate the conflict. “But this is no simple conflict. The Eternals’ purpose cannot be denied and mutantkind’s future will not be threatened. And after the opening battles, new players and revelations for both sides will emerge as the inhabitants of the Marvel Universe are ‘judged’ by the greatest power they’ve ever come into contact with.”
‘Judgment Day’ marks the first event story by Gillen, who commented, “For all the Marvel instruments I’ve played, I’ve never written an event. Writing an event is something different. It’s not like playing an instrument. It’s having all the instruments in the Marvel music shop. That’s not like writing a song. That’s like writing a symphony. I looked at everything in ‘Eternals’ and ‘Immortal X-Men’ and everything else all the X and Avengers writers have done and thought… yeah, this is an event. In fact, an event is the only way to do justice to this. The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson described the music he was reaching for as Teenage Symphonies to God. I think that’s what the best Marvel Events aspire to be, and it’s what we’re aspiring to here. I want the scale. I want the heartbreak. I want a book that wears its heart on its sleeve even as it puts a fist in your face. I want something Wagnerian in its volume as emotional as ‘God Only Knows.'”
Schiti said, “It is great to have the opportunity to draw another Marvel event after ‘Empyre.’ The difference is that last time I was just excited, but now I know how high the expectations are, so now I am both excited and a bit scared! Luckily for me I have the great Kieron Gillen and Marte Gracia watching my back and together we can face any cosmic threat!”
The saga begins with “Free Comic Book Day: Avengers/X-Men” on May 7, although the seeds are already being planted in March and April’s issues of “Eternals,” which will see the original immortal superheroes taking umbrage with the Avengers’ decision to use a dead Celestial as their current base. Gillen will write the “Free Comic Book Day” lead-in with Dustin Weaver on art; the comic will also feature a ‘Hellfire Gala’ lead-in by “X-Men” writer Gerry Duggan and artist Matteo Lolli, and another story by writer Danny Lore and artist Karen Darboe introducing the new hero Bloodline. The build-up will also continue in upcoming issues of “Immortal X-Men,” “X-Men,” and “Avengers,” the details for which will be revealed at a later date.
