Magic: The Gathering’s next major collaboration, a marvel super heroes set slated for june 2026, is already drawing attention despite the game’s recent crossover with avatar: the last airbender still settling into players’ collections. Wizards of the Coast used the dec. 9 episode of its WeeklyMTG show to preview 38 cards from the upcoming release, offering an early sense of how marvel characters and themes will be translated into MTG mechanics. Host Blake Rasmussen was joined by Rachel Weeks from the Command Zone podcast and actor Gabriel Luna, though Luna quickly clarified that his version of Ghost Rider is not part of this set.
The early reveals included captain america, super-soldier — a mono-white, three-mana legendary creature with first strike and a shield counter that protects him from damage or targeting once. While he maintains that counter, the controlling player and their other Heroes also have hexproof, reinforcing the set’s interest in faction-style identity. Another standout preview introduced Quicksilver and a new mechanic called Power-Up, which functions as a single-use buff similar to Exhaust. Its cost is reduced on the turn the creature enters, encouraging timing decisions rather than repeat activations. Based on the discussion during the stream, Power-Up appears poised to be a central mechanic for the set.
As more cards appeared, the broadcast highlighted design choices meant to echo superhero tropes. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur exemplify the use of artifact-enter triggers to represent invention, a theme that recurs across several cards. Doctor Doom’s reveal expanded that idea by tying his indestructibility to controlling either an artifact creature or a Plan. The Plan subtype is new, illustrated through the enchantment Doom Reigns Supreme, which accumulates counters as Villains enter the battlefield. Once it hits five counters, the controller exiles the top five cards of an opponent’s library and casts two of them for free. In decks built around Villains, a full playset of Plan cards could apply persistent pressure by repeatedly stripping resources and casting spells without mana investment.
Hulk, unsurprisingly, is built for raw power. His Enrage ability adds +1/+1 counters whenever he takes damage, making him scale aggressively in combat, while Bruce Banner offers card draw tied to X-based resource investment. Saga cards also return, with The Coming of Galactus and World War Hulk providing structured, escalating effects. One Saga eventually produces a 16/16 Elder Alien token capable of destroying lands on attack; the other enables a sequence of free creature casts and stat boosts that can lead to sudden board swings.
Wizards will also release alternate comic-art variants for several cards, including Bruce Banner/Hulk, Doctor Doom, and Plan cards such as The Coming of Galactus. Reprints with marvel-themed art are part of the rollout as well. Heroic Intervention is getting three versions, and Horn of Greed — featuring a tongue-in-cheek moment from marvel comics involving Doctor Doom — is likely to become a sought-after collectible.
Rasmussen also previewed the Fantastic Four, who will anchor a four-color preconstructed Commander deck. Players can choose only one member as their commander, but each card stands on its own and fits easily into existing strategies. Each character offers a beginning-of-combat bonus if the player cast a non-creature spell that turn, along with an additional activated ability that costs four mana. While Wizards has not yet detailed the remaining Commander decks, it would be reasonable to expect team-focused builds for groups like the Avengers or the Defenders, along with at least one villain-oriented deck — Thanos remains an obvious candidate.
The long-term competitive impact of the marvel super heroes set will depend on how it interacts with existing cards, including the earlier Spider-Man release, which has had mixed reception. Some underperforming mechanics might gain new relevance once this set lands. With the full launch months away, players now have enough information to speculate about archetypes, draft environments, and how strongly the set leans into its comic inspirations without overwhelming MTG’s established structure.
