The hilarious misadventures of Calvin and Hobbes have brought joy to the lives of fans for decades, but one aspect of the comic strip that had remained a secret is the fact that it takes place within the Marvel Universe. In one issue of a lesser-known Marvel character, Calvin and Hobbes make a surprising appearance, which seemingly cements them in Marvel canon.
In 1997's Bug #1 by Todd Dezago and Derec Aucoin, the Marvel Comics character Bug, whose origins reside in the microverse, is battling the villain Annihilus. The villain has adapted time-travel capabilities in his Cosmic Control Rod, sending the hero and villain through major points across Marvel’s timeline during their epic battle. The points in time they visit include Peter Parker getting bitten by a radioactive spider and Iron Man giving up drinking once and for all, both critical points in those heroes’ lives. Another time period they travel through is just as critical but for a different reason, as it establishes that Calvin and Hobbes is Marvel canon.
During the fight between Bug and Annihilus, the two stumble across a young boy on a sleigh with a stuffed animal tiger sitting next to him. In the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, it is never confirmed whether or not Hobbes is a figment of Calvin’s imagination. While Calvin sees his friend as a playful tiger, everyone else just sees him as a plush toy. Calvin and Hobbes make their official entrance into the Marvel Universe as seen through the eyes of Bug and therefore Hobbes is presented as a stuffed animal.
Calvin and Hobbes originated as a comic strip in daily American newspapers and was created by Bill Watterson. The series was printed from 1985 to 1995 and has stood the test of time since the end of its syndication. In every new comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes find themselves in an original adventure, many involving Calvin’s iconic sleigh on which the two regularly travel. The two friends would hold many conversations and philosophical talks while traveling on the sleigh, though many of these discussions would be interrupted by them crashing into a tree or going over a huge jump.
Every little comic strip adventure Calvin and Hobbes have gone on has seemingly taken place in a tiny little corner of the Marvel Universe as indicated by Bug. With this revelation, it has become clear to fans that Calvin and Hobbes secretly takes place in the Marvel Universe, making the dynamic comic-strip duo unofficial Marvel Comics superstars.