Posted in: Comics, Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image, Marvel Comics, Spider-Man, Superman | Tagged: brian bendis, ultimate

GOSSIP: Brian Michael Bendis Returning To Marvel Comics In 2026?

GOSSIP: Brian Michael Bendis Returning to Marvel Comics in 2026? Will this ultimate announcement be made at New York Comic Con?

Here's the gossip, passed to me from high-level comic book industry executives who should know better. But the word is that Brian Michael Bendis is returning to Marvel Comics, and I am to look to New York Comic Con for an official announcement.

I first met Brian Bendis at San Diego Comic-Con, we had facing booths and I was familiar with his writer/artist crime comics such as Jinx, Torso and AKA Goldfish published first through Caliber Press, then Image Comics, including writing Sam And Twitch and Hellspawn for Todd McFarlane and it was from here that Joe Quesada picked him to launch the Ultimate Universe with Ultimate Spider-Man in 2000, a series that would become fantastically successful, moving to the New Avengers relaunch in 2004, with  Avengers Disassembled, Secret War, House of M, Secret Invasion, Siege, Age of Ultron, a number of which would become the inspiration for movie, TB and games, as well as Daredevil, X-Men, Alias and Iron Man. During which time, he co-created the characters Riri Williams, Miles Morales, and Jessica Jones at Marvel. He would move his creator-owned comics to Marvel, including Powers, where he would launch Scarlet, Murder Inc. and Takeo. He was also the co-executive producer and series-pilot writer for 2003's Spider-Man: The New Animated Series and was also one of the writers on the Ultimate Spider-Man animated series, which debuted in 2012. He also wrote several episodes for the TV adaptation of his comic, Powers. Joining the Marvel Creative Committee, he wrote the after-credits scene in the first Iron Man movie, introducing Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

In 2017, he announced he had signed an exclusive publishing deal at DC Comics, courtesy of then-publisher Diane Nelson, and began writing Superman comics including the revelation to the world that he was Clark Kent, as well as Legion of Super-Heroes as part of his Wonder Comics showrun line, including his originated series Naomi which was fast-tracked by Warner Bros as a TV series, as well as moving his creator owned line to DC Comics, launching new series such as Cover and Pearl.

Then, after several executive changes at DC Comics, in 2021 he moved his creator-owned line to Dark Horse, which has been his comic book focus for the last few years, including launching series such as Joy Operations. He signed a first-look deal with Prime Video to develop television shows based on Jinx, Murder Inc. and Pearl. He also launched a graphic novel series, Phenomena, through Abrams. Through all this, he has also taught courses on graphic novels at the University of Oregon and Portland State University, and Random House published Bendis's instruction book on comics, Words for Pictures: The Art and Business of Writing Comics and Graphic Novels.

And now, Bendis is back. At Marvel. On what, we have no idea. But, hey, if Marvel did want to relaunch an Ultimate Universe after the Jonathan Hickman-originated version comes to an end, who better than the man who started it all?

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