Marvel’s Ambitious 2026 Plans Deserve More Patience From Fans

Marvel’s style of storytelling is evolving, but some fans are having trouble adjusting. There are valid concerns worth voicing about the publisher’s new creative approach, but is it also fair for Marvel to ask for patience from readers? Let’s consider both sides of the argument and see where we land.

More and more, Marvel creators are talking in terms of “acts.” Author Al Ewing calls his current Mortal Thor series the second act in a larger story. Phillip Kennedy Johnson says the same about Infernal Hulk.

Call them “sagas,” or “trilogies,” or whatever you prefer, but in any case, Marvel is stealthily redefining what a “run” of a comic means.

Marvel’s Long-Term Storytelling Plans Are At Odds With Fans’ Single-Issue Expectations

Marvel Is Playing The Long Game, But Are Comic Readers Too Short-Sighted?

Right now, Marvel is investing more effort into long-term storytelling. That’s the short version. But what does that mean, exactly? How can it be a positive thing for Marvel stories? Or, how can it go wrong? And, perhaps the biggest question: how much do fans need to adapt to Marvel’s new way of doing things?

Let’s start by looking at a few different examples of long-term Marvel storytelling. First, there’s Jed McKay’s Avengers, which just wrapped up with issue #36. That’s a healthy lifespan for an ongoing series by modern Marvel standards, and part of its longevity involved McKay’s ambitious overarching plotline, which took three years to play out.

Then there’s Marvel’s rebooted Ultimate Universe, which is currently in its Endgame after three years of concentrated storytelling. Another ambitious, and unique, storytelling effort that has received mixed reactions from readers. Finally, we have to look at what Marvel is doing with its Thor and Hulk books, because those represent the true next stage of Marvel Comics.

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Long-term storytelling starts with a plan. A two-year plan, or three-year, or five. It starts with an outline. It starts with a vision of where a story will end. After that, it’s about methodically working toward that vision, step-by-step. But here’s where we hit a snag: how much trust and patience can the long-term storyteller afford to ask for from their reader?

Comics are, by and large, a monthly medium. On average, a comic book issue is between 20–30 pages. Comics are designed for short-term gratification. Using them to incrementally further an ongoing story is tricky business. Marvel’s Ultimate line of comics has demonstrated both the potential, and potential drawbacks, of leaning into long-term plotting.

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Deniz Camp’s The Ultimates consistently struck the balance between keeping readers entertained on an issue-by-issue basis, while also using each issue to forward the book’s larger arc. Titles like Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Wolverine weren’t as successful, at least when it comes to Marvel fans’ receptions.

There’s a good chance these runs will be looked on more kindly in retrospect. Yet for the hardcore fans who commit to reading Marvel books every month, they haven’t been entirely satisfying. And while critics often look at this as a problem for Marvel, it might be more accurate to say it is part of the birth pains of a new era.

The Ongoing “Hulk” And “Thor” Multi-Part Sagas Are The Future Of Marvel Storytelling

Can Marvel Fans Get Used To It?

infernal hulk 1 variant cover showing new hulk 3

Jed McKay’s Avengers looks like a more conventional long-term comic story. Its extended 36-issue run is divided into smaller arcs. There are detours and side quests along the way toward the conclusion of its greater arc. Meanwhile, McKay’s contemporaries, like Al Ewing and Phillip Kennedy Johnson, are pioneering a new way of doing things.

Johnson’s Incredible Hulk run began in 2023, the same year as Ewing’s Immortal Thor, and the same year as McKay’s Avengers. Johnson’s Hulk lasted 30 issues; Immortal Thor ran for 25. Except both of these series are being treated as the first acts of even bigger, more ambitious ongoing storylines.

That changes how these writers tackle individual issues even more than we saw with Avengers or the Ultimate books. It requires more patience from Marvel fans, but each individual issue still has to earn that patience, and justify itself as more than just a piece of a larger puzzle. Again, tricky. Because these parallel imperatives often clash.

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Marvel Is Letting Its Creators Cook; Readers Need To Accept That

Al Ewing’s current Thor saga is maybe the best example of the ups and downs of longer-term plotting at Marvel right now. Immortal Thor was consistently praised by readers throughout its run. Why? Because each issue was satisfying on its own, while also pushing the story forward. By contrast, its follow-up, Mortal Thor, has been a slow burn so far.

Immortal Thor ended with a huge paradigm reset for the hero. As the “second act” of its story, Mortal Thor has had to slow down the pace and devote its early issues to re-establishing itself, and to laying groundwork for its ongoing arc. Unfortunately, that has tested fans’ patience, even with all the good will Immortal Thor built up among readers.

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So, how can Marvel creators and fans meet in the middle? Marvel needs to continue to perfect its multi-year, multi-act storytelling. At the same time, Marvel fans need to accept that comic issues function differently than they used to. Some are more about set-up, while others give readers their much-needed payoff.

The current era of Thor, and Hulk, as well as franchises like X-Men and Iron Man, are building toward bigger things. 2026 is a pivotal year for the publisher, because it is going to set up an even more massive 2027 and beyond. Let’s just hope Marvel fans stick with it to be rewarded in the end.