Marvel Halloween Special Brings MCU Character Into the Marvel Comics Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Marvel Comics Universe are having a monster crossover. Marvel announced this year’s Halloween special — Crypt of Shadows #1, the annual anthology one-shot featuring Marvel’s “mystical, monstrous, and downright terrifying characters” — will spotlight supernatural-themed characters from the creepier corners of the MCU, including Agatha Harkness (as seen in Agatha All Along), Scarlet Witch (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Blade (Deadpool & Wolverine), and Werewolf and Man-Thing (the Marvel Studios Special Presentation Werewolf by Night). 

Marvel’s black-and-white TV special introduced seasoned monster hunter Joshua Jovan (played by Kirk R. Thatcher), who boasted of 57 confirmed kills during a gathering of the cabal at the funeral of Ulysses Bloodstone (Richard Dixon). Though Jovan didn’t survive the ceremonial hunt that decided who would wield a powerful supernatural relic known as the Bloodstone, the original character will be making his Marvel Comics debut when Crypt of Shadows #1 (2024) goes on sale October 16th.

Joshua Jovan’s comic book counterpart appears on the Crypt of Shadows #1 variant cover by Juan Ferreyra (Ghost Rider: Final Vengeance), which you can see above along with the regular cover (below) by Leinil Francis Yu (Avengers Assemble) featuring Agatha, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, Blade, Namor, and Kraven.

The anthology comic is in the vein of Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow, with the witch Agatha Harkness presenting the tales in a new framing story by Steve Orlando (Scarlet Witch) and artist Claire Roe (Fearless).

Former Wolverine writer Benjamin Percy and Darth Vader artist Rafael Ienco pit the monstrous Man-Thing against Namor the Sub-Mariner; Kraven the Hunter becomes Kraven the Monster Hunter as he pursues Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night, and battles Blade the vampire slayer in a story by Dazzler writer Jason Loo and CapWolf artist Carlos Magno; and in a story written by Christopher Condon (Venom War: Daredevil) and Djibril Morissette-Phan (Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood), Jovan appears in a Marvel comic for the first time when he falls through the Last Door and finds himself face-to-face with his greatest prey yet: the Scarlet Witch.

Crypt of Shadows #1 goes on sale Oct. 16th from Marvel Comics.