Marvel Teases the Pulse-Pounding Finale of the Avengers’ War Against Aliens

The war between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Xenomorphs is nearing its dramatic end. Disney’s purchase of 20th Century Fox allowed Marvel Comics to start releasing comics based on the studio’s iconic library of titles, which includes Aliens and Predator. Books based on these franchises have mostly been one-on-one affairs, like the recently announced Predator Vs. Spider-Man, but Aliens Vs. Avengers has managed to involve the entire Marvel Universe. The series by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Esad Ribic debuted in 2024, and after a few delays, is about to finally conclude. The final issue doesn’t hit until this summer, but an early look reveals how one of the Avengers returns to help even the odds against the invading Aliens.

ComicBook has the exclusive first look at Aliens Vs. Avengers #4 by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic. It’s only three pages, but the preview includes several of the key characters from the event series. For example, we see Mister Sinister being confronted by an army of Xenomorphs. Mister Sinister appears to be bathing in the spotlight, until the Xenomorphs pick him up and lift Sinister above their heads. Next, Black Panther, his son Azari, and the Hatut Zeraze descend from a spacecraft to eliminate several of the Xenomorphs. The final page features a red Xenomorph in a stand-off against T’Challa, Azari, and an injured Captain Marvel, who takes to the sky as gunfire rains down from the ships above.

[RELATED: Aliens vs. Avengers Just Unleashed the Craziest Weapon Ever (And We Need it in the Movies ASAP)]

There’s been a lot of death and betrayal in Aliens Vs. Avengers. The first issue featured the death of Valeria Richards, along with Miles Morales getting a symbiote/Xenomorph costume. The next two issues featured the Avengers leaving Earth to escape the Xenomorphs, seeking refuge with the X-Men on Mars, and the discovery that Mister Sinister betrayed the X-Men so he could use Xenomorphs for his devious experiments. The outcome of that left Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, dead.

“FINALE! THE SINISTER PLOT REVEALED!” the description of Aliens Vs. Avengers #4 reads. “Earth’s mightiest heroes abandoned their home planet to save humanity from the Xenomorph threat. Now, they’ve arrived on Mars – current refuge of the X-Men. But the twisted machinations of Mister Sinister might spell doom for them all… Don’t miss the EPIC CONCLUSION of Hickman and Ribic’s CROSSOVER MASTERPIECE!”

“I’ve never worked on a licensed or ‘non-superhero’ property the entire time I’ve been at Marvel, so when all of this came together almost two years ago, I kind of jumped at the opportunity,” Hickman told EW when the series was announced. “I love the Aliens universe and the mythology, and obviously just how atmospherically and well-designed everything is has always gotten my creative juices flowing. It was tricky finding a way to make these two things work together, but I think Esad and I landed on something that works for fans of both franchises.”

“Probably one of the coolest things about the project is how we’ve found really fun ways to ‘Avengerize’ Aliens and ‘alien-up’ Avengers,” he continued. “I think fans will be surprised at how elegantly some of those things fit together. It really turned out to be a chocolate-and-peanut-butter situation.”

Next up for the Alien franchise is Alien: Earth, a new TV show on FX. The eight-episode series, helmed by creator Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion), marks a significant departure for the franchise, bringing the acid-blooded terror directly to Earth and setting its story in 2120, just two years before the fateful voyage of the USCSS Nostromo in the original 1979 Alien film. Alien: Earth premieres Tuesday, August 12th on FX. 

As for Aliens Vs. Avengers #4, the issue goes on sale June 18th. Let us know what you think of the first look in the comments below!