Marvel Comics has announced Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four, the first crossover series for the legendary film franchise and any of the House of Ideas’ superheroes. The four-issue series, debuting this February, is written by Josh Trujillo (What If…? Galactus), with art by Andrea Di Vito (Emma Frost: The White Queen), and will see Marvel’s First Family find themselves captured on the world of the original 1968 film.
Marvel’s First Family find themselves stranded on the Planet of the Apes! Witness history as the Fantastic Four cross paths for the very first time with Cornelius, Zira, Ursus – and of course Dr. Zaius! But they won’t be going alone! Familiar foes from the Marvel Universe have set their sights on Ape City, setting the stage for a battle royale that fans won’t soon forget!
Trujillo says, “I grew up watching Planet of the Apes marathons on Saturday afternoons, so it’s a huge thrill to write for these iconic characters! Having Marvel’s First Family butt heads with Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Zaius is just too much fun, and I can’t believe I’m the one who gets to tell this epic tale. It’s a mash-up decades in the making, and I hope you come along for the ride!”
Di Vito adds, “It sounds like a weird meeting at first, but then you realize that both these franchises were meant to meet sooner or later. Exploration has always been the Fantastic Four’s main drive. Ending up on the Planet of the Apes is absolutely perfect for a classic FF adventure, set in the immortal tone created by Stan [Lee] & Jack [Kirby]. I am honored to be the one to illustrate this ‘first official meeting’ between the Marvel Universe and Planet of the Apes.”
Marvel originally published the Planet of the Apes comics from 1974 to 1977, before regaining the license in 2022. During the intervening years, publishers like BOOM! Studios ran crossovers with properties like DC’s Green Lantern, Star Trek, and King Kong, but none with Marvel, who’d been reluctant to do intercompany crossovers until recently. The crossover comes as a surprise, given Marvel has only released two new POTA miniseries (the second of which arrived ahead of the last Apes film, Kingdom, in early 2024) since getting the rights back, while the original film’s 60th anniversary won’t be until 2028.
However, the Fantastic Four headlined Marvel’s latest film, which returned them to the decade both series originated from, and incidentally, just starred in a Gargoyles crossover, as well as a DC Universe Infinite-exclusive Flash team-up, where they fight none other than Gorilla Grodd. Given Planet of the Apes is also a racial allegory, it’s an appropriate choice for a book beginning during Black History Month too.
Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four #1 will be released on February 4, with a cover by Greg Land. In the meantime, you can check out interior art by Di Vito and Erick Arciniega below, featuring Ben Grimm doing his best Charlton Heston impression:
