A secret pantheon of cosmic beings within the Marvel Universe has just been revealed in the lead up to Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti's upcoming G.O.D.S. series, with new characters like Wyn, Aiko Maki, and Mia the Magic Girl unveiled in gorgeous variant covers that will debut throughout August.
Series creator and writer Jonathan Hickman has said that when he came back to Marvel several years ago he wrote two series "bibles," House of X/Powers of X and G.O.D.S. That means this new series has been cooking for at least five years, giving Hickman an impressive amount of time to work with these new characters.
Now Marvel has released several variant covers featuring the new characters from G.O.D.S. from artists like Bryan Hitch, Ema Lupacchino, Salvador Larocca, and Todd Nauck. The publisher has also revealed that each of these issues will feature the highlighted character in a backup page exploring "how these characters move throughout the Marvel Universe."
From powerful mystics to daring scientists, these are agents of THE POWERS THAT BE and THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS and servants to the very building blocks of creation. They may be new to readers but they’ve been scheming and clashing with each other for eons in the shadows.
G.O.D.S. Introduces A Secret Pantheon Of Marvel Cosmic Beings
The first of the new G.O.D.S. - eons-old beings who operate in the "...cracks that lie at the intersection of science and magic" - Wyn was introduced in FCBD 2023: Avengers/X-Men #1. That story by Hickman and Schiti saw Doctor Strange engaging with the jaded cosmic being in a futile conversation about "good vs evil." Wyn and Doctor Strange feature in Ema Lupacchino's variant cover for Doctor Strange #6. Other variant covers introduce the godlike peers of Wyn, Aiko Maki, Dmitri the Science Boy, Mia the Magic Girl, and Cubisk Core, although there are other new beings yet to be revealed. Marvel's announcement doesn't just unveil these gorgeous new covers, but also reveals that these new characters will partner with various heroes and villains throughout the Marvel Universe as the sides of science and magic clash. Some will also appear in this year's X-Men: Hellfire Gala special, the X-Men's prelude to the upcoming Fall of X era.
A lot of recent Marvel stories, particularly those featuring Venom and Eddie Brock, have focused on the intersections of science and magic. It appears that the conflict these new characters have been engaging in directly involves the balance between these two ideologies throughout the universe. Jan Bazaldua's cover for Venom #24 features the symbiote hero alongside Aiko Maki, "a high-ranking agent brutally loyal to the ways of science and willing to do anything to keep the building blocks of creation in balance." Bryan Hitch's cover for Immortal Thor #1 introduces Dmitri the Science Boy, "Wyn’s reckless partner who has a secret mission of his own to discover the dark truth of his past." On the magic side, Todd Nauck's cover for Guardians of the Galaxy #5 introduces Mia the Magic Girl alongside the Guardians, as "...a young sorcerer struggling to achieve her full potential."
A Conflict At The Crossroads Of Science And Magic Erupts
Dmitri and Mia both feature on two others covers, with Dmitri appearing broodingly alongside Moon Knight in Salvador Larocca's cover for Moon Knight #26, and Mia using her magic alongside the cast of the Uncanny Avengers in Greg Land's cover for Uncanny Avengers #1. The final new character to be introduced, one who may be a major villain in the upcoming series, is Cubisk Core, "...a mysterious being of pure corruption seeking to shatter the existing systems." Cubisk Core appears alongside Doctor Doom in Guiseppe Camuncoli's cover for Fantastic Four #10. While this has not been announced, it would make a lot of sense if Doom was a major player in G.O.D.S., seeing as he is the character most known for combining magic and science, often for nefarious and power-hungry purposes.
Make sure to check out these awesome Marvel variant covers featuring new characters from Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti's upcoming G.O.D.S., who will usher in a new era of cosmic unrest for the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe.
Source: Marvel