While fans of Marvel are probably familiar with the Contest of Champions, the publisher is giving a fiendish spin to the battle with the Contest of Chaos. The publishing event features Agatha Harkness, Kathryn Hahn's breakout character from the WandaVision Disney+ series. Penned by Stephanie Phillips, Contest of Chaos will span across several Marvel annuals and pit hero against hero in some stunning matchups. One of those matchups features heavy-hitters Spider-Man and Wolverine, who have fought together on many occasions, while also teaming up as members of the Avengers. Marvel has released the covers and solicitations for all eight Contest of Chaos annuals.
Contest of Chaos kicks off in August, with Stephanie Williams and artist Alberto Foche pairing up to reveal more of Agatha Harkness' twisted scheme in bonus backup stories. Scarlet Witch Annual #1 by Scarlet Witch writer Steve Orlando and artist Carlos Nieto serves as a prelude to Contest of Chaos, where Agatha ends up stealing something "dark and dangerous" from her former pupil. She then unleashes her corruption on the various superheroes.
"CONTEST OF CHAOS is the kind of story I would absolutely sprint to the comic store to buy as a reader," Phillips said. "There's action, mystery, magic, and my favorite characters from all over the Marvel Universe. To be spearheading the storyline is just incredibly cool for me as a creator. It's going to be big with ramifications for the larger universe… See you this summer—THWIP!"
You can find the covers for the Contest of Chaos event below, along with issue descriptions and creative teams.
Writer Stephanie Phillips kicks off the CONTEST OF CHAOS alongside artist Alberto Foche! First on Agatha's list is Spider-Man, whose regular day is turned upside down when he involuntarily walks through a portal to a remote, magical city…and is attacked by Wolverine!
Writer Jason Loo and artist David Cutler bring you a clash of titans you won't want to miss! When the forces of chaos move upon our heroes, the past, present and future come crashing in on them – and only one can emerge victorious! The might of human ingenuity versus the power of the natural universe.
FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #1 – GHOST RIDER VS. THE HUMAN TORCH!
Written by ZAC GORMAN & STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art by ALAN ROBINSON & ALBERTO FOCHE
Cover by FRANCESCO MANNA
On Sale 8/23
Writer Zac Gorman and artist Alan Robinson bring the Fantastic Four into the mayhem when the Human Torch is pitted against Johnny Blaze! It's flame versus hellfire when the two heroes face off – but who will emerge victorious?!
Current Moon Knight scribe and Taegukgi co-creator Jed MacKay teams up with acclaimed artist Creees Lee for a power-packed showdown! When the champion of a god battles a godlike champion, who will win? The Fist of Khonshu faces off against Tiger Division's fearless leader!
SPIDER-GWEN ANNUAL #1 – GHOST-SPIDER VS. WHITE FOX!
Written by KARLA PACHECO & STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art by ROSI KÄMPE & ALBERTO FOCHE
Cover by R1CO
On Sale 9/6
Ghost-Spider and White Fox get caught in Agatha Harkness' tangled web in this roller coaster of a rumble by writer Karla Pacheco and artist Rosi Kämpe! Gwen Stacy technically isn't even supposed to be in this universe, and now she's cutting chem lab to go to…a theme park?! Wait, something doesn't feel right here – and why is this masked fox attacking her?
When the forces of chaos call upon Venom and Deadpool, it becomes an issue of family – and whose deserves to win the ultimate prize. It's symbiote might vs. frankly awesome assassin skills in an epic showdown you won't want to miss by current Deadpool scribe Alyssa Wong and artist Sergio Dávila!
The leader of the X-Men and the leader of the Avengers size each other up in this epic brawl from writer Paul Allor and Alessandro Miracolo! Drawn to the Alaskan wilderness by magic neither of them understand, Captain Marvel and Cyclops duke it out! Agatha Harkness' plan for the Darkhold is slowly taking shape…but will it come at the expense of two of the world's greatest heroes?! And what can an energy-blasting mutant do against a woman who can absorb the energy of the sun?!
Stephanie Phillips and Alberto Foche bring the CONTEST OF CHAOS to a fantastical finish as the fate of Marvel magic is decided! When Agatha pits the Avengers against the winners of the previous chaos battles, they realize they must choose between saving their friends and stopping the creation of the new Darkhold. But their choice may have consequences that no one – not even Agatha – could have imagined.
