Magic: The Gathering is no stranger to Marvel Comics, having already included several characters in Secret Lairs and giving Spider-Man his own dedicated set. Marvel is so vast that a single set can’t do it justice, which is why the crossover will continue in 2026 with another expansion focused on different teams.
The next Magic: The Gathering crossover will be the Marvel Super Heroes set, which will launch on June 26, with pre-releases starting from June 19. CBR had the chance to view many of the new cards and mechanics from Marvel Super Heroes as part of a special preview event, ahead of the set’s launch.
Marvel Super Heroes Is (Mostly) About The Avengers
Image Via Wizards of the Coast/Marvel
The Marvel Super Heroes set may have a catch-all name, but it’s primarily focused on The Avengers and their associated villains. This isn’t to say it’s all Avengers, especially with the Commander Decks, as the Fantastic Four/Dr. Doom are represented, as are many characters from Wakanda.
A major through line for the Marvel Super Heroes set is the Hero and Villain creature subtypes, with a lot of synergy between them, regardless of team affiliation. Heroes tend to buff each other via counters, or grant each other keywords. Meanwhile, Villains get Plans, which are an Enchantment type that add counters over the course of the game, as well as summoning Villain tokens, which are 2/1 creatures with Menace, acting like the hired goons used by many foes.
CBR Exclusive · Quiz WHICH MARVEL CHARACTER ARE YOU? Your Powers Are About to Be Revealed The Marvel Universe is full of extraordinary people — genius billionaires, super-soldiers, sorcerers, and gods. Twenty questions stand between you and the truth. Answer honestly. Your true self will assemble.
Iron Man
Captain America
Black Widow
Thor
Spider-Man
01
You’re outnumbered and outgunned. What do you do? A hero’s instinct is defined in their darkest moment.
02
Your team disagrees with your plan. How do you handle it? Every Avenger has their own idea of teamwork.
03
What does your hero identity mean to you? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
04
How do you typically make big decisions? A hero’s process shapes their outcome.
05
Someone takes credit for your work in front of everyone. You: Pride is the armor and the weakness of every hero.
06
A government agency wants to oversee your activities. Your response? Accountability is the line every hero must face.
07
When facing a villain, your strategy is: Every fighter has a philosophy.
08
Your biggest personal flaw is: Every hero has a crack in the armor.
09
A rookie hero is overwhelmed on their first mission. You: How a hero mentors others reveals their character.
10
What drives you more than anything else? The “why” behind the hero is everything.
11
You’ve just suffered a crushing defeat. What’s next? A hero is measured by how they get back up.
12
You could end a threat permanently — but it crosses an ethical line. You: The hardest choices define a hero from a weapon.
13
What do you actually fear most? Even the mightiest hero has something to lose.
14
People who just met you would describe you as: First impressions carry a grain of truth.
15
What’s your ideal base of operations? Where a hero operates reveals how they think.
16
What does “being a hero” actually mean to you? The philosophy behind the power is the real definition.
17
What do you want to leave behind? The mark a hero leaves is their truest measure.
18
Someone you love is in danger. Your first move is: Crisis strips away everything but the truth.
19
Your power — where does it come from? Origin shapes destiny in the Marvel Universe.
20
The final battle. Everything is on the line. You: This is the moment that defines everything.
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE HAS SPOKEN YOUR HERO IDENTITY
Your scores are shown below. The character with the highest number is your match. Read their description to discover which hero the universe chose for you.
Iron Man
Cap. America
Black Widow
Thor
Spider-Man
Brilliant, driven, and uncompromising in your ambition. You believe that the right technology — in the right hands — can solve any problem, and you’re confident enough in your own abilities to back that up. Beneath the armor and the bravado, you carry the weight of responsibility deeply. When it truly matters, you’re willing to sacrifice everything.
Principled, courageous, and steadfast. You have an unshakeable sense of right and wrong, and no amount of pressure, politics, or power can make you compromise it. People trust you instinctively — not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it. You lead not by authority but by example, and you will always get back up.
Strategic, precise, and formidably self-reliant. You don’t need a suit or a superpower — your greatest weapon is your mind and your nerve. You keep your cards close, trust slowly, and operate three steps ahead of everyone else. Your past is complicated, but you’ve turned it into something that makes you nearly impossible to stop.
Powerful, honorable, and ultimately humbled by what truly matters. You came into your power believing it was your birthright — and then you learned it had to be earned. Your strength is immense, but your greatest growth came from learning to serve rather than reign. Loyal to your people, terrifying to your enemies, and always magnificent.
Quick-witted, deeply compassionate, and driven by a responsibility you didn’t ask for. You’ve learned the hard way that great power comes with great cost — and you show up anyway. You stay grounded when others would ascend, and your humanity is your greatest strength. You make it look effortless. It never is.
Transforming is also a big part of the set, which is fitting for a genre where many characters have secret identities or power up when needed, such as Bruce Banner turning into the Hulk. There’s also the new Power-Up mechanic, where creatures can gain a one-off buff by paying mana, to represent heroes and villains getting stronger in a pinch.
Marvel Super Heroes Has Some Of The Best-Looking MTG Alt Arts To Date
Image Via Wizards of the Coast/Marvel
The Spider-Man set already experimented with incorporating classic covers into cards, allowing artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to be listed among the artists whose work has appeared in Magic: The Gathering.
Marvel Super Heroes will continue the theme through a variety of alts. One of these new types is Borderless Saga cards, which depict the different stages of the spell using comic art, such as Galactus’s arrival. Those who seek out the Collector Boosters will also be able to pull Borderless Classic Comic Cards, which are made to resemble real covers, but with the Magic: The Gathering text still legible, as seen with The Invincible Iron Man above.
There are also Borderless Source Material Cards, which take individual art pieces and turn them into cards, as seen with Fight to the Death, which uses Frank Miller art. Marvel Super Heroes will also feature Borderless Logo Cards. Each of the major characters in Marvel has its own logo with a specific font, which is nearly always used when they appear.
Image Via Wizards of the Coast/Marvel
The Borderless Logo Cards feature the logos in the background of the artwork, as seen with the Wolverine, Fierce Fighter creature card. The Marvel Super Heroes set also features the biggest Scene cards to date. These are cards that, when pushed together, form a single image.
The previous biggest one was the Battle of Pelennor Fields from The Lord of the Rings set, which has been outdone, as the Marvel Super Heroes scene depicts a massive brawl across eighteen cards.
Marvel Super Heroes Has The First Marvel Commander Decks
Image Via Wizards of the Coast/Marvel
Many fans were surprised when the Spider-Man set lacked any Commander Decks, as there’s more than enough characters to justify them. Marvel Super Heroes is rectifying that error with four Commander Decks: The Fantastic Four, Doom Prevails, Wakanda Forever, and Avengers Assemble.
The Fantastic Four is a Red/White/Blue/Green deck, with each member being a potential Commander. Each of them has a one-turn effect that activates whenever a noncreature spell is cast, as well as an ability that can be activated by spending one mana of each of the deck’s four colors.
Doom Prevails is a Blue/Red/Black deck that focuses on the villains. Dr. Doom is the face Commander, and he’s joined by the likes of Kang and Loki. This deck is centered around the returning Connive mechanic, where the player discards cards and gains buffs based on the number of nonlands that are discarded.
Wakanda Forever is a White/Green deck that focuses on artifacts, which is unusual for that color pair. The Wakanda deck also brings back the Monarch mechanic, where the player becomes the Monarch and draws an extra card on their end step, but the role can be stolen by another player if they deal combat damage to the current Monarch.
Avengers Assemble is a Red/White/Blue deck, and it’s centered around Hero cards, with a focus on searching, summoning, and buffing them. Along with the Commander Decks, Marvel Super Heroes will also have five Welcome Decks to help teach new players, with Black Panther on the White deck, Iron Man on the Blue deck, Black Widow on the Black deck, Spider-Man on the Red deck, and the Hulk on the Green deck. These are intended to be more beginner-friendly, with simpler cards featuring ample reminder text.
Marvel Super Heroes Is Capturing The Feel Of The Comics
Image Via Wizards of the Coast/Marvel
One of the hardest aspects of any Magic: The Gathering crossover is making it feel like a natural addition to the game. Think of the Final Fantasy set, which did so through recognizable elements like the summon monsters, or The Lord of the Rings, which made the One Ring a major mechanic.
Marvel Super Heroes does a great job of capturing the feel of superheroes and villains while also feeling distinct from the Spider-Man set. The only real notable absence is the X-Men, save for Wolverine, and that feels more like a purposeful omission, as that team could easily be the focus of its own set further down the line.
There are still a lot of cards from the Marvel Super Heroes set that need to be revealed before its broader scope and competitive effect can be analyzed, such as the remaining Infinity Stones and the full Commander Deck lists. For now, the new mechanics look like a lot of fun to play, and some of the alt arts are absolutely gorgeous.
It won’t be long now until Marvel Super Heroes and fans will see how well it stacks up against the other amazing crossovers, just like Final Fantasy.
