This Week in Marvel Comics: Armageddon Finale Edition (Oct 15–22, 2026)
Avengers: Armageddon wrapped up on October 21, and the Marvel Universe on the other side looks very different. Here is everything that mattered from the House of Ideas this week, from the event's fallout to Darth Vader with an Infinity Gauntlet. Where we carry a book, the link is right there.
1. Avengers: Armageddon 5 ends the event
Chip Zdarsky, Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar closed out Avengers: Armageddon on Wednesday. Carol Danvers survives the nuclear blast that ended issue 4, but she comes out of it badly weakened, at around ten percent of her power. The bigger change is public opinion: after everything that happened, the world starts turning against its superheroes.
Why it matters: this is the issue the next year of Marvel is built on. Carol's power loss leads straight into G. Willow Wilson and Rachael Stott's Captain Marvel relaunch, and the anti-hero backlash is the setup for Zdarsky's Immortal Soldiers one-shot in January.
👉 Avengers: Armageddon 5, Dike Ruan cover, the John Romita Jr. variant and the Leonel Castellani Avengers: Doomsday wraparound are in stock at LeapsLair.
2. Miracleman joins the Avengers
The finale's big reveal: former Captain America David Colton opens one of the Maker's Origin Boxes, says the word, and becomes Miracleman. He goes straight onto the new team in Avengers 1 (Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto, November 4) alongside Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain Marvel, Daredevil and Luke Cage. Avengers 2 follows December 16, with demons in New York City and Mephisto making his move.
Why it matters: Miracleman as a full member of the Marvel Universe's top team is something nobody would have bet on a few years ago, and it puts one of comics' most famous characters back in a monthly book.
👉 Preorder Avengers 2 at LeapsLair, and if you want the original, Miracleman 1 Facsimile Edition is open for preorder too.
3. New this week: Spider-Man's Halloween Special, Punisher vs Black Widow, and Iron Man racing Doom
Along with the Armageddon finale, October 21 brought Amazing Spider-Man: Halloween Special 1, a spooky-season one-shot, Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow 1, which puts Frank Castle up against Natasha Romanoff, and Iron Man: Racing Towards Doom 1, with Tony Stark behind the wheel. Also on the shelf: Uncanny X-Men 37, Miles Morales: Spider-Man 3, Doomquest 5, Marc Spector: Moon Knight 9, Marvel Zombies: War Zone 2, X-Men United 8, X-Men: Outback 5 and Star Wars: The Fall of Kylo Ren 3.
Why it matters: three number ones in one week, landing alongside the biggest event finale of the year.
👉 Our preorders for these sold through, but every new Marvel launch lands in New #1s & One-Shots first.
4. Darth Vader wields the Infinity Gauntlet in Hope Assembles
Marvel released a new preview of Star Wars | Marvel: Hope Assembles 1, Kevin Smith and David Marquez's six-issue crossover that drops the opening of A New Hope into the Marvel Universe. It came with Rafael Albuquerque's Crossover variant, first shown at New York Comic Con: Darth Vader wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. One fun detail from the preview: Captain America, who spent about 70 years in the ice, has never seen Star Wars, while the heroes around him recognize it on sight. The preview will also run in the back of select Marvel books over the coming months. Issue 1 is out January 13.
Why it matters: the first in-continuity Star Wars and Marvel crossover, timed to Star Wars' 50th anniversary. The variant program is huge, and the Vader cover is the one people will be hunting.
👉 Preorder Hope Assembles 1 at LeapsLair.
5. Secret Wars returns as facsimile editions
Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic's 2015 Secret Wars is coming back as monthly facsimile editions, original ads and all, starting with Secret Wars 1 Facsimile Edition on January 20 and running through issue 9. The same month brings Amazing Spider-Man 10 Facsimile Edition (January 13), the Dan Slott and Olivier Coipel issue that introduced Spider-Punk.
Why it matters: Secret Wars is one of the most re-read Marvel events of the last 20 years, and the Spider-Punk facsimile lands right as Hobie gets his new ongoing in January.
6. Jean Grey 1: the first lettered preview
Marvel showed the first lettered pages of Jean Grey 1, Jed MacKay and Rogê Antônio's five-issue limited series. Jean is back on Earth after her cosmic run as the Phoenix and trying to reconnect with the X-Men, but her control is slipping, her old teammates have changed, and Cyclops has pulled together a team of morally complicated mutants. Issue 1 is out November 25, with covers from Joëlle Jones, Ito, Miguel Mercado, Nogi San and a Peach Momoko Momo-Tone variant.
Why it matters: MacKay writes the main X-Men book, so this is not a side story. Issue 2 already teases an ancient threat in Merle, Alaska.
👉 Preorder Jean Grey 2 at LeapsLair.
7. Maximum X-Men 2: the Negative Zone invades
First look at Maximum X-Men 2 (Christopher Yost and Tony S. Daniel, January 13), part two of five, "The Avenger Situation." The Negative Zone has broken into Atlanta and the Avengers are gone after Armageddon, so Storm, Wolverine and Butterfly have to face Annihilus and an army of Zone villains. The solicit also teases Retribution and the debut of a brand-new mutant.
Why it matters: a first appearance in a second issue is exactly the kind of book that gets picked up late and then is hard to find.
8. X-Men 44: Revelation comes to District X
In X-Men 44 (Jed MacKay and Netho Diaz, January 13), Doug Ramsey, now Revelation, arrives in District X after DNX. He wants to help the embattled mutants there in the hope of heading off the future he is afraid of, and asks the X-Men to help him avoid the Age of Revelation. Not everyone in District X wants his help.
Why it matters: the Age of Revelation is still hanging over the X-line, and this is MacKay pulling that thread back into the main book.
Preorder this week's books
Everything above that is open for preorder is in our preorders collection, and every new series launch lands in New #1s & One-Shots. Exclusive covers you will only find here are on the LeapsLair Exclusives wall.
Follow @leapslair for the daily drops. Marvel news lands here every Thursday, DC on Friday, and indie comics on Saturday.
Sources: Marvel.com October 21 release list; Bleeding Cool coverage of Avengers: Armageddon 5, the Secret Wars facsimile editions and Hope Assembles; AIPT previews of Hope Assembles, Jean Grey 1, Maximum X-Men 2 and X-Men 44; Comic Watch; ComicBookMovie. Cover and promotional images are the property of Marvel Comics and are used for news coverage.
