One of Marvel Comics’ most successful projects in recent years was the second Ultimate Universe line, in which the world is created and ruled by the evil Maker. And even though the new Ultimate Universe is still in the process of completing its climactic endgame after two years of storytelling, Marvel is already moving on to its next big alternate universe project. Announced in May 2026, the Midnight Universe is set to debut in October of this year and present some of the darkest and most terrifying incarnations of Marvel’s most beloved characters. However, even before its release, the Midnight Universe is already facing serious problems that do not bode well for its success.
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Marvel’s second Ultimate Universe has already been receiving mixed reviews in recent months, with the announcement that it would end after only two years, despite the comic line’s success. And with the teasers for the releases of Midnight Spider-Man #1, Midnight X-Men #1, and Midnight Fantastic Four #1, things don’t look that great for Marvel’s replacement alternate universe.
A New Universe Filled with Old Ideas
What makes alternate universes so engaging for readers is how they offer new spins on familiar characters and storylines, as demonstrated so vividly by both Marvel’s Ultimate Universe and DC’s Absolute Universe. The core concept of the Midnight Universe is that it’s one filled with horror and monstrosities. The writers and artists for these books do look promising, but the biggest problem is that two out of three of the announced comic titles have plots that have been done to death in Marvel Comics.
The most egregious example of this seeming lack of originality is Midnight Spider-Man. The plot involves a young Peter Parker who’s kidnapped by Oscorp and turned into a monstrous human/spider hybrid. While the cover art is cool, the concept is anything but groundbreaking. Both in the main universe and across the multiverse, there are countless examples of Spider-Man becoming a feral humanoid spider monster. Just some examples of similar storylines in Earth-616 include the “Six Arms Saga” and “The Other,” which features Peter continuously mutating into a spider-like beast. This doesn’t even include the countless pre-existing alternate versions of monstrous Spider-Men like Man-Spider, Doppelganger, Savage Spider-Man, and Patton Parnel. If Midnight Spider-Man does have a truly unique spin on this worn-out formula, it has yet to show it.
Midnight X-Men isn’t much better, as the synopsis has various X-Men members as either vampires or vampire hunters in a brewing war. While this plot is more original than the Midnight Spider-Man concept, it still feels reminiscent of several storylines that came before it. There was an entire “Curse of the Mutants” storyline in which the X-Men faced off against vampires. There’s also a What If..? story where Wolverine becomes a vampire and infects his fellow X-Men. Lastly, a vampire version of Storm is prominently featured on the cover, underscoring her significance in this series. However, one of the most iconic alternate incarnations of Storm of all time is the vampiric Bloodstorm from the Mutant X series.
The only truly original of the three announced comic titles is Midnight Fantastic Four, which involves Marvel’s First Family confronting Lovecraftian horrors in the far reaches of space. Still, the fact that two out of three of the announced stories in this apparently all-new universe have been done numerous times in the past doesn’t bode well for the project’s originality and staying power. This is especially clear when comparing it to DC’s Absolute Universe, where the basic concepts like a working-class Batman and a witch Wonder Woman were unique and engaging right off the bat. Teasers are meant to show a project’s best ideas to get the audience hooked, but if this is the best that Marvel can do, then the Midnight Universe is in serious trouble.
A Horror Universe with No Horror Characters
All the problems with the unoriginal storylines of the Midnight Universe ultimately come down to one thing: Marvel Comics appears scared of taking risks. All three of the titles, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Fantastic Four, implement some of the most popular and heavily saturated characters in Marvel’s superhero community, while also retreading their most horror-adjacent storylines and alternate universe incarnations. Yet despite being a universe all about horror and showing darker versions of heroes, the Midnight Universe has yet to tease any incarnations of Marvel’s numerous pre-existing horror-based characters.
For decades, Marvel Comics has created superheroes who are drenched in supernatural and horror aesthetics. Even leaving aside the Hulk, Marvel has characters like Blade, Werewolf by Night, Man-Thing, Morbius, Ghost Rider, Elsa Bloodstone, and Moon Knight. There is literally a superhero team in the main Marvel Universe called the Midnight Sons who deal with all manner of monstrous and supernatural threats. Yet, despite this wide catalog of horror-themed heroes to choose from and elevate in this new series, Marvel apparently has decided not to feature a single title with any of them in the spotlight. The Midnight Universe is supposed to take Marvel Comics into dark places that it has never tread before, but it doesn’t take any risks by only focusing on the company’s biggest names.
The Midnight Universe could have been Marvel’s chance to create a truly unique parallel world that celebrates the company’s long history of horror comics and characters. Instead, the teasers for this supposedly all-new universe offer nothing but overly edgy, unoriginal ideas. Although the Midnight Universe has yet to be officially published, the fact that these three comics are meant to showcase why we should be excited for it makes the whole project, ironically, feel pretty dead-on arrival. If the Midnight Universe wants to succeed, it needs to be willing to make more creative decisions and incorporate underrated heroes who embody the horror aesthetic that this project is meant to explore.
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