Marvel’s teased Generations has been revealed as an expansive crossover of 10 characters/titles this summer pairing classic heroes with younger characters who have taken up their names. First revealed by Marvel through their Disney sister company ABC News, Generations will kick off in July and run through September – during the same time as the overarching Secret Empire event.
Marvel has released a list of the 10 pairings, as well as who is writing the stories, although they don’t specify in which titles their stories will take place:
Iron Man (Tony Stark and Riri Williams) – written by Brian Michael Bendis
Spider-Man (Peter Parker and Miles Morales) – Brian Michael Bendis
Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan) – G. Willow Wilson
Thor (Odinson and Jane Foster) – Jason Aaron
Hawkeye (Clint Barton and Kate Bishop) – Kelly Thompson
Hulk (Bruce Banner and Amadeus Cho) – Greg Pak
Jean Grey (young and older) – Dennis Hopeless
Wolverine (Logan and X23) – Tom Taylor
Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell and Carol Danvers) – Margie Stohl
Captain America (Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson) – Nick Spencer
“We are looking to honor the legacy of the entire universe, so we are taking the iconic legacy heroes and pairing them with the new class,” said Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. “It very much indicates where we are going in the future with all of these characters and what we’ve been planning for some time for the universe.”
Some of these characters have teamed up in the very recent past, but others are notable for being rare – and in some cases, dead in current continuity; Bruce Banner, the older Jean Grey, and Mar-Vell, specifically – Alonso also notes “Logan’s dead!,” leading for possible inference that this crossover isn’t utilizing the older version from Old Man Logan.
Alonso says that they have an “ingenious device” to facilitate these stories happen – and yes, it’ll be in Marvel’s current continuity.
“How did we do this is part of the fun,” he said. “Right now, Rogers isn’t much of a good guy. Why would Sam want to team up with him? Banner’s dead! Logan’s dead! These are questions that demand to be seen. What I will tell you is we have an ingenious device [to bring them back].”
Alonso promised that the “ingenius device” isn’t time travel or alternate realities – a common story device used in the past to facilitate these legacy pairings.
“I wish I could tell you the mechanism [to bring these characters back], but that’s also a bit of a spoiler.”
Bendis, who is writing both the Iron Man and Spider-Man legacy pairing, says their is “fascinating potential” in this. Bendis would know, as he previously wrote a similarly-themed team-up between Peter Parker and Miles Morales in 2012’s Spider-Men.
“The spiritual connection between Peter and Miles is so fascinating because they are so different. They have different temperaments, different motivations, different upbringings, but their connection allows writers like myself to delve into the core principle of Spider-Man ‘with great power, must come great responsibility’ and examine it from a completely different perspective.”
Another legacy pairing – the current and former Ms. Marvels – is more unique, as they were recently on opposing sides in 2016’s Civil War II, or least Kamala Khan and the current-day Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel were.
“At its heart, Ms. Marvel is about growing up, and a big part of growing up is discovering that your idols have feet of clay – and forgiving them for their flaws as you gain an adult understanding of your own,” said G. Willow Wilson. “Carol and Kamala have a close, mentor-and-student kind of relationship, but it’s been tested in some very serious ways. They’ve come down on opposite sides of important questions.”
For All-New Wolverine writer Tom Taylor, having X-23 reunite with Logan will help further the character’s transition from her “violent past.”
“Being alongside Logan will only strengthen Laura’s resolve to be the best there is at what she does,” said Taylor. “Logan battled his demons, literally, until his dying breath. Laura has overcome most of her own demons in All-New Wolverine. She’s ready to show what else her claws can do. She’s ready to step away from her violent past and use her claws for good. You know, good stabbing.”
Stay tuned for more about Marvel’s Generations when more information is released. By Chris Arrantt