Marvel Comics is rallying its biggest heroes to stand up against bigotry for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month this year. The publisher just announced this year’s pride anthology one-shot — Marvel United: A Pride Special #1, featuring at least five stories about characters from The Avengers and X-Men. The giant-sized issue goes on sale on Wednesday, June 4th, and is available for pre-order now at local comic book shops. It will also be included in the Marvel Unlimited app for digital readers. Read on for a bit about each of these stories and the creative minds driving Marvel’s sixth consecutive Pride Month celebration this year.
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Marvel dropped the cover art for Marvel United: A Pride Special by artist Lucas Werneck, but there are four variants coming later this year as well. The artist behind hose are Jan Bazaldua, Ernanda Souza, Luciano Vecchio, and Rickie Yagawa. As for the stories themselves, the first is about Captain America of the Railways, Aaron Fischer, going up against Hate-Monger. It’s written by Al Ewing with art by Kei Zama.
The next story is about Captain America and his ally Arnie Roth fighting against Hydra during World War II, with implications for the Avengers Academy Infinity Comic. The writer behind that seires, Anthony Oliveira, is penning this one-shot along with artist Pablo Collar.
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The third story in the anthology also has a tie-in — it relates to Mystique and Destiny’s marriage in last year’s Pride special, as we will now explore their parenthood journey along with their son, Nightcrawler. The story comes from author Wyatt Kennedy and artist Bayleigh Underwood. In the fourth story, Black Cat is on a heist that goes so wrong, she winds up caught in a battle between the hero Sera and the demon D’Spayre. That one is written by Zoe Tunnell with art by Federica Mancin.
According to Marvel, there are more stories to be announced for this anthology, as well as interviews and essays on the significance of Pride to the comic book fandom. This is already an all-star lineup for this yearly special, so there’s no telling what the publisher is keeping secret.
Marvel’s previous Pride specials are still available in print and digital formats now. The books have been well-received, and are always celebrated as a sign that discrimination has no place in superhero comics. This year’s book, Marvel United: A Pride Special #1, hits shelves and apps on Wednesday, June 4th, 2025.
