Marvel Tales Anthology Celebrates Avengers Two: Wonder Man and Beast

The boys are back — again! In January 2023, Marvel Comics will reprint Avengers Two: Wonder Man & Beast for the first time, collecting the three-issue limited series from writer Roger Stern (The Avengers) and artist Mark Bagley (The Amazing Spider-Man). Originally published in 2000, all three issues of Avengers Two: Wonder Man & Beast will be reprinted in an all-new Marvel Tales, the ongoing anthology series shining a spotlight on fan-favorite characters and timeless stories as told by some of Marvel’s most impressive talent from the past eight decades.

Marvel describes the anthology reprint: “Showcasing the epic bromance Hank McCoy and Simon Williams developed during their time as Avengers, Avengers Two: Wonder Man & Beast – Marvel Tales #1 is an action-packed romp packed with iconic villains, heavy drama, and extraordinary feats for two of Marvel’s most beloved heroes. The upcoming collection is a must-have for longtime Marvel Comics fans and newer fans who want to see Beast and Wonder Man at their very best! 

“When a newly back-from-the-dead Wonder Man heads back to California with some making up to do, the Beast tags along to provide moral support but Wonder Man’s return to L.A. has not gone unnoticed by his old adversaries – most notably, Lady Lotus! And the big trouble really begins when the towering It, the Living Colossus attacks the City of Angels! Can the Beast and Wonder Man save Tinseltown and bury the ghosts from Simon’s past?”

See the original cover (2000, left) and the reprint version (2023, right) below.

Avengers Two: Wonder Man & Beast takes place after Simon, the ionic-powered Avenger, is resurrected by the Scarlet Witch as disembodied energy after he’s killed during his first mission with Iron Man’s Force Works. Resurrected a second time after he’s enslaved by his villainous brother — Eric Williams, the Grim Reaper — Simon returns to Los Angeles in a story appropriately titled “Second Chances.”

Across the three-issue limited series, Wonder Man and Beast face the Popular Front for Slorenian Sovereignty, a group of hijacker terrorists; Lady Lotus, who summons nightmarish visions of the demon Mephisto; and the statue-like It, The Living Colossus.

Avengers Two: Wonder Man and Beast – Marvel Tales #1, written by Roger Stern, illustrated by Mark Bagley, with a new cover by Nick Bradshaw, goes on sale January 18th, 2022, from Marvel Comics.