Predator is coming to Marvel in August, ending a decades-long relationship with Dark Horse and bringing the characters "home" to the Disney-owned publisher. To celebrate the move, Marvel is launching a series of variant covers featuring the alien master hunter squaring off with Marvel heroes, as drawn by some of the industry's top talents. It isn't yet clear whether the Predator will actually find its way into the Marvel Universe -- certainly it's possible, although any time you bring a non-Marvel character into the comics, it can create reprint problems down the line.
Since making its debut in the 1987 film Predator, the remorseless alien killer has invaded pop culture in film, comic books, video games, and more. His first comic book appearance came in 1989, in a story that would later be rebranded as Predator: Concrete Jungle. Now, the Predator begins a new conquest in a Marvel series launching this summer.
This is not the first big Disney property to leave Dark Horse for Marvel since the House of Mouse acquired the House of Ideas in 2009. In 2015, Marvel's Star Wars #1 -- the first new Marvel comic based on Star Wars characters since the film adaptation of Return of the Jedi more than 30 years earlier -- took the comics industry by storm, selling more than 1 million copies. It was the first comic book to do that in two decades.
It isn't likely Predator will do those kind of numbers, but the IP certainly has a passionate fan base who could be lured in by a decent story from some big-name creators.
You can see the covers below.
On Sale 7/6
CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY #2 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by IBAN COELLO – 75960620168600231
JANE FOSTER & THE MIGHTY THOR #2 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by JUNGGEUN YOON – 75960620372700231
On Sale 7/13
SAVAGE AVENGERS #3 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by MIRKA ANDOLFO – 75960620290400331
WOLVERINE #23 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by KYLE HOTZ – 75960609661902321
On Sale 7/20
AVENGERS #58 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by E.M. GIST – 75960608857705821
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #40 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by MATTIA DE IULIS – 75960609123204021
On Sale 7/27
IRON CAT #2 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by MIKE MAYHEW – 75960620377200221
X-MEN #13 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by JAMES STOKOE – 75960609999301311
On Sale August
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #7 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by CORY SMITH – 75960620200300721
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #8 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO – 75960620200300821
AVENGERS FOREVER #8 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by JUAN JOSE RYP – 75960620192100821
CAPTAIN MARVEL #40 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by CARY NORD – 75960609268004021
DAREDEVIL #2 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by BILL SIENKIEWICZ – 75960620389500241
DEFENDERS: BEYOND #2 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by RON LIM – 75960620335200221
FANTASTIC FOUR #46 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by SUPERLOG – 75960609036504621
GENIS-VELL: CAPTAIN MARVEL #2 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by CHRIS SPROUSE – 75960620337600221
HULK #9 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by DALE KEOWN – 75960620003000921
IRON MAN #22 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by BJORN BARENDS – 75960609866802221
MS. MARVEL & WOLVERINE #1 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by HUMBERTO RAMOS – 75960620479300141
THOR #27 PREDATOR VARIANT COVER by RAHZZAH – 75960609539102731
