Marvel set to publish new Alien and Predator comics in 2021

Two of science ficton's most beloved creatures are coming to Marvel Comics in 2021. The publisher announced Thursday that it has landed the rights to publish new stories set in the Alien, Predator, and Alien vs. Predator universes next year, setting the stage for a new era in both franchises and laying the groundwork for some very intriguing potential crossovers. 

Marvel did not immediately reveal the creative teams for the upcoming stories, but the publisher noted in a press release that the new comics will be "building on decades of multimedia storytelling" from each franchise, including the films, games, novels, and perhaps even previously published comic books starring the Xenomorph and the Predator. 

“The incredible legacies of both franchises offer some of the most compelling and exciting worldbuilding in all of science fiction,” Marvel Editor Jake Thomas said. “It is a thrill and an honor to be able to add to that mythology and continuity with all-new stories set within those universes.”

The publisher also released two pieces of teaser art from David Finch, one for each iconic sci-fi horror creature. You can check those out in the gallery below.

It's important to note that while Finch's teaser art depicts both creatures in different corners of the Marvel Universe (the Xenomorph on the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship and the Predator at Avengers Tower), these are not necessarily indications of where the stories will go at first. Marvel's press release promises stories that will "feature new and classic characters from Earth and beyond to explore never-before-seen corners of both the Alien and Predator universes." Still, they brought Conan into the Marvel Universe shortly after his re-introduction, so a crossover is certainly possible. 

Since the late 1980s both the Alien and Predator comics licenses have resided at Dark Horse Comics, where they've published new stories set in those fictional universes as well as a series of high-profile crossovers with everyone from Archie Andrews to Batman to Vampirella. Now that 20th Century Fox — the studio behind both Alien and Predator — is under the Disney umbrella, though, it makes sense that the House of Mouse would want to consolidate their cross-media holdings on these characters, in the same way they did with Star Wars after buying Lucasfilm back in 2012. 

Marvel will reveal precise release dates, creative teams, and plot details for their new Alien and Predator books at a later date.