Ashley is a Rotten Tomatoes–approved critic and CBR MTV writer specializing in pulp comics, the DC Universe, and genre storytelling. With a passion for westerns, sci-fi, horror, and thrillers, he brings both critical analysis and fan enthusiasm to his coverage. A lifelong pop culture fan, Ashley writes features, reviews, and commentary that highlight the best fiction has to offer.

Since the 2010s, Marvel has been struggling to compete with DC, but its latest initiative could make its darkest stories its best comics. A much-needed change for a publisher too often defined by its safe, family-friendly mainstream approach to the genre, it already has readers intrigued. For a company desperately in need of reinvention and a sales boost, Midnight can make scary stories the forefront of the MU.

Since DC launched its New 52 in 2011, the sales rivalry between companies has been more volatile than ever. However, the last few years have seen the Batman publisher firmly take the lead, leaving readers to question if Marvel can rebound. In its Midnight Universe, it's poised to finally unleash a worthy challenge to the Absolute Universe that isn't just a direct copycat.

The Midnight Universe Is Marvel's Attempt to Rival DC's Absolute Line

Back in 2024, DC Comics officially began its Absolute era when Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta teamed up for Absolute Batman. Taking the potential of the New 52 era to brutal extremes, the series' success continues to prove the market is behind darker superhero sagas right now. In the summer of 2026, Marvel announced its Midnight Universe, an imprint that reimagines The X-Men, Spider-Man and Fantastic Four through a darker lens. Though the company hasn't fully admitted it, it's clear this is their attempt to beat DC at its own game.

The Midnight Universe is set to be comprised of: Phillip Kennedy Johnson and ScieTronc on Spider-Man; Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker on Fantastic Four; and Jonathan Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte on X-Men. This initiative promises to invert these books, depicting the heroes as something more sinister and monstrous. As the publisher's tagline says, "the light had its turn." In a press release, readers were promised a world where, "the X-Men no longer fight for acceptance, they hunger for blood. The Fantastic Four venture into the unknown not to save the world--but to unleash terror upon it. And Spider-Man discovers that with great power... comes something monstrous."

Based on what readers have to go by, the three creative teams are setting up a world defined by everything from scary supernatural tales to cosmic horror. Representing a prime opportunity for The Fantastic Four to steal the spotlight through dark space adventure, the new vision is a welcome one. At a time when the company's best books lean on the edgy and violent side of comics, Marvel needs to embrace what readers are telling them. As Absolute Batman and its counterparts continue to demonstrate, the market exists for all-out brutality for superheroes right now.

Some of Marvel's Strongest Series Are Among Its Darkest

Marvel has long had to contend with the interesting reality that, under the ownership of Disney, they're expected to be the brighter side of superhero comics. However, despite this aspiration, readers continue to show they can't get enough of its darker series. Between various Wolverine books, especially Old Man Logan, crossovers with Alien and Predator, and Phillip Kennedy Johnson & Nick Klein's Incredible Hulk, it's produced some brilliant grim stories. However, it remains clear that editorial is more interested in keeping a more optimistic approach to flagship books at the forefront.

Ironically, the Midnight slate marks the first effort to really subvert this, taking those three flagship titles and making them a source of dark horror. At least, that's what readers are hoping for. If anything, readers have been craving a darker direction for heroes like Blade, Doctor Strange and Wolverine for years. This new universe might not use the characters ideal for horror, but that's part of the point and appeal. As with Absolute Batman, the fun of these series will be tuning in each issue to see just how radically transformed the 616 has become. As it grows, readers are likely to see other horror-focused characters finally reach their full potential in a universe curated for them.

As readers continue to express their disappointment with the direction of books like Amazing Spider-Man and X-Men, a fresh direction is just what they need. Starting from a blank slate, these universes can offer stakes, emotional investment, and bold creative choices the way the core series just refuses to. Best of all, they'll get to see a return of books that aren't conventional heroics, and finally make use of the multiverse in a genuinely transformative way.

The Midnight Universe Promises Unprecedented Levels of Creative Freedom

As the company itself has stated, the main appeal of the Midnight Universe is its free-rein approach for creators to reinvent heroes and villains as they see fit. Considering the past work of writers like Hickman, Kennedy, and Percy, the world couldn't be in better hands, as attested to by their past work for the 616. Now more than ever, Marvel has the chance to firmly rebrand itself for the 2020s, cashing in on scary stories without losing sight of their core universe. Alongside its Ultimates books, it proves they're finally learning DC's lesson about the power of versatility and reimagined worlds.

If the last decade has proven anything, it's that the MU has never been more in need of something fresh and exciting since the Silver Age. Even alongside the Midnight Universe, the enduring love of Old Man Logan and The Incredible Hulk proves Marvel's darkest comics are set to be its best.