The year was 2023. The war between Russia and Ukraine was still in its infancy. The Philadelphia Eagles lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs by a field goal but would come roaring back to trounce their cross-Kelce rivals two years later (GO BIRDS!). And, most importantly to this article, Marvel was trying very hard to make Kang happen across media, before actor Jonathan Majors was charged with domestic assault.
A push on the screen (Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania had come out in theaters that February) was mirrored by a push on the page, chiefly a central role in a then-new volume of Avengers by writer Jed MacKay, known previously at Marvel for rehabbing solo characters like Moon Knight and Black Cat.
MacKay has since become one of Marvel’s big guns, taking over X-Men in 2024 and masterminding events like Blood Hunt and “Age of Revelation.”
But as of March, MacKay is moving on. The publisher announced Monday that Avengers #36 will be MacKay’s last. No official word on whether the series continues with a new writer or relaunches (though the latter is a safe bet). Whatever happens next, Marvel says it will be tied into this summer’s “Armageddon” event, which will be overseen by Captain America writer Chip Zdarsky and pushed via next year’s Comics Giveaway Day (the promotional day formerly known as Free Comic Book Day, rejiggered in the wake of the Diamond Comic Distributors bankruptcy).
The farewell issue will follow a celebratory legacy issue #800 in January, featuring additional stories by past Avengers creators, including Brian Michael Bendis.
Check out artist C.F. Villa’s variant cover for issue #36, out March 4, and keep scrolling for Marvel’s press release.
New York, NY— December 23, 2025 — Superstar writer Jed MacKay closes out his time with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes this March in AVENGERS #36. Three years of dark mysteries, epic quests and cosmos-shattering battles comes to a head in a giant-sized, can’t-miss final issue, featuring artwork by current series artist Farid Karami. To celebrate this pivotal moment in Avengers history, original series artist C.F. Villa returns with a special farewell variant cover that mirrors Stuart Immonen’s cover for the debut issue of MacKay’s run.
From the introduction of the Twilight Court and the Ashen Combine to Kang’s temporal machinations and Blood Hunt, it’s been an era of dramatic triumphs and epic stakes. Now, everything Jed MacKay has built comes crashing down in this startling finale that will redefine the Avengers’ future!
On leaving the title, MacKay said, “It’s sad to say goodbye to the Avengers after the last few years of chronicling their adventures, but we certainly had some fun- introducing them to the Impossible City, putting them against their old nemesis, Kang, and even putting them through their paces in the blood-soaked first ever Red Band event! I got to work some of the best artists working today on some of the biggest characters Marvel has, and I’ll always remember my time with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes fondly!”
AVENGERS #36 will also set up the next era of Avengers. Fans curious about what’s next should look no further than this summer’s ARMAGEDDON including upcoming lead-in stories to the event like Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon; Captain America #6, the start of the next arc of Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti’s Captain America run; and the recently announced Comics Giveaway Day™ title, Armageddon/X-Men #1 CGD 2026.
Check out Villa’s variant cover and preorder AVENGERS #36 at your local comic shop today. Stay tuned in the months ahead to learn more about what’s on the horizon for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
