DIVIDED WE STAND Is the Future of MARVEL NOW!

After this summer’s superhero showdown the Marvel Universe will be divided with new heroes, new teams and missing iconic characters.

After a series of Divided character teasers, Marvel revealed Divided We Stand as part of the Marvel Now! initiative coming soon.

courtesy Marvel
courtesy Marvel

Civil War II is underway. One hero is dead. The publisher promises more deaths are coming. Iron Man and the Inhumans are at war. The Inhumans/X-Men cold war is set to flare up. Tony Stark and Captain Marvel are ready to declare on each other.

Following the big event, the branding of Marvel NOW! returns with a new tag line: “Divided We Stand.”

A special preview issue highlighting some of the titles to come this fall will be released on Wednesday, July 13 with Civil War II #3.

The first Marvel NOW! followed Avengers vs. X-Men. This summer’s event will give rise to the new version of the initiative that brought big changes. Here are the big highlights from a Marvel.com interview with Editor in Chief Axel Alonso:

“There will be scars left by Civil War II. New alliances will be formed amongst certain characters [and] there will be fissures amongst others; new teams will form, some a reaction to what happens in Civil War. It’s gonna be a complicated landscape, but out of conflict comes great stories. Before you bemoan the fact that the Marvel heroes are not united, I don’t think there’s ever been a period where the Marvel heroes have been united, but let’s just say we’re upping the ante and doubling down on that right now. Again, any big war is gonna leave scars. This one does and it’s gonna reposition a lot of characters for the future. It’s gonna leave a window of opportunity for characters to step into the spotlight and do big things as well.” Alonso told Marvel.com.

Captain Marvel and Captain America are clear and present in the new promo art. Tony Stark launched the first salvo in this summer’s war. He’s missing from this teaser poster about the future…except for his helmet. Alonso said he wants fans to speculate.

“You know, as we said, big stuff happens in Civil War II. And if you’ve seen what we’ve been willing to do in the last couple of years to shake up the Marvel Universe, you know that taking Tony off the table isn’t out of the realm of possibility. That said, I’ll say that teaser image is meant to give you a snapshot of characters to keep your eye on in the coming year. That’s not to say that there aren’t characters not pictured, like Tony or say the female Thor or Sam Wilson or Bruce Banner who, assuming they survive Civil War II, will obviously have a place of prominence in the Marvel Universe moving forward.”

Fans may see the recently introduced Mosaic who will star in his own new book this Fall.

For more of Alonso’s interview here’s the Marvel.com link.

By Editor