In a strong year for Marvel Comics, the publisher released some of its most exciting books in a long time, from unexpected crossovers to bold formal experiments with popular characters. So today, Beat’s Marvel Rundown staff ranks the best Marvel comics of 2025… Enjoy!
Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell
Author: Charles Soule
Artist: Steve McNiven
Color: Steve McNiven, Dean White
Lettering: Clayton Cowles
Some of the best books Marvel published this year were stories about dystopian futures. Perhaps it’s because we currently live in a dystopia. There’s still a creative freedom when exploring a hero’s final days that you don’t get in modern hero stories. Of these stories, Daredevil: A Cold Day in Hell was not only the best, it was probably the best book Marvel released this year. Longtime collaborators Charles Soule and Steve McNiven have created the best book of their careers, chronicling an aging Matt Murdock’s attempts to save a mysterious teenage girl. As his powers dwindle, Murdock must muster up all the strength and character he can, even as his worst enemies pursue him one last time. Soul’s story gets to the heart of why Matt Murdock is one of the greatest Marvel heroes, even if the odds are against him. McNiven drew one of the best-looking Marvel books in years, a homage to Frank Miller and the superhero books of the ’80s. McNiven shows a fearlessness in developing his skills as a storyteller in a way that would be welcome in mainstream superhero books. Although this book is dark, Saul and McNiven define what it means to be a Marvel hero – D. Morris
Amazing X-MEN #1-3
Writer: Jed McKay
Artist: Mahmoud Asrar
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Written by: Clayton Cowles of VC
As The Marvel Rundown’s resident X-pert, I’ve devoured a ton of X-Men comics over the past year. Let’s be honest, there are probably more things to be forgiven than anyone else. It’s been a strange year for Marvel’s merry mutants, with an overabundance of crossovers and events. Age of Revelation is the biggest and boldest of them all. With 17 tie-in mini-series, there’s a lot to sift through and appreciate. For me, the best of the countless tie-ins is The Amazing X-Men. It helps that this was written by the leading X-Men author and chief architect of the Age of Apocalypse. Jed McKay’s decision to focus on Cyclops and Beast as subjects for the time jump was a smart one, and his characterization of the duo was without a doubt the best part of the X-Men ongoing. The road trip structure of this story allows us to view this dark future while giving readers a glimpse of how the cast’s relationships have evolved in both the past and future. Mahmoud Asrar’s art is as great as you would expect from this artist. He gives the book the emotional weight it needs, moving easily between heated conversations and physical fights. Issue #2 is my favorite of the entire miniseries, but I’m biased as a deeply avowed Cyclops fan. Even as Cyclops faces his past misdeeds, he admits his own mistakes. For Beast fans, issue #3 is a great look into Beast and how he views his past and future. This miniseries is consistent with what McKay and the others have been doing with the X-Men, which makes it all the more effective. Check out this miniseries. – Jordan Jennings
Godzilla destroys the Marvel Universe
Screenplay: Jerry Duggan
Artist: Javier Garon
Color: Jesus Aburtov, Andrew Dalhouse
Lettering: Travis Lanham in VC
Godzilla Destroys the Marvel Universe was my favorite of the year. And I’m not sure if it’s because of my bias against Godzilla or because of Javier Garon’s art, which gives us hilarious reaction images of Marvel’s main cast dealing with Godzilla’s overwhelming nature. Or maybe it’s Gerry Duggan’s script, which creates some really great moments, like bringing together all of the Marvel Universe’s best people to create a giant mecha to fight Godzilla. I ran into the issue of Godzilla not actually killing anyone, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t laugh as I listened and read the five issues. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. I’m hoping the next miniseries will be something really big, teaming up Godzilla with Knull, a character we’ve never seen before. Well, it looks like next year’s Godzilla will be a good movie. – Lawrence Marable
magic
Screenplay: Ashley Allen
Artist: Germán Peralta, Matt Horak, Jesús Elbaz
Color: Arthur Hesli
Lettering: Ariana Maher
The success of Ashley Allen and Germán Peralta’s Magic is impressive for many reasons, including the overall weak editing of the X-Men series. It’s all the more impressive because Illyana Rasputina has one of the most complex character histories in superhero comics. Allen’s script builds on that complex history to craft a compelling story and defines a clear mission. Allen taps into that past without hitting you over the head or filling the story with flashbacks and exposition. I didn’t know much about Magic other than her reinvention during Brian Bendis and Chris Bachalo’s X-Men days, but reading this story made me want to dive into its history and learn more. That’s the hallmark of a great superhero writer. Magic has a fascinating character who, while battling her own (literal) inner demons, wants nothing more than to protect innocent people from being exploited like she was. The conflict is clear, compelling, and emotional. I can’t say enough about Germán Peralta’s art, which blends perfect superhero action and horror elements. A handful of guest artists bring a unique flavor to the one-off story. Editors should take note of this creative team and knock on their door. – Tim Rooney
Marvel All in One; The Thing vs. Marvel Universe
Screenplay: Ryan North
Penciller: Ed McGuinness
Inker: Mark Farmer
Colorist: Marcio Menis
Lettering: Joe Caramanga of VC
Ryan North’s best work at Marvel either challenges artists with interesting formal experiments or presents limits to storytelling, especially in his Fantastic Four run. Shot by North and Ed McGuinness, the splash page illustrations tell the entire story. An exhausted Ben Grimm returns from his mission and ends up fighting every character in the Marvel Universe. It certainly helps to have the story center around a character like Ben Grimm, who’s created to be both a fight and an engaging lead. This isn’t the first comic of its kind, but the idea works because McGuinness, one of the most iconic storytellers of his generation, goes full throttle page by page. If you can only tell your story one page at a time, you should focus on the imager on that page. And McGuinness is up to the challenge. This was 50 pages of pure blissful Marvel mayhem. – D. Morris
predator vs spiderman
Screenplay: Benjamin Percy
Penciler: Marcelo Ferreira
Inker: Jay Leisten
Color: Frank Dalmata
Lettering: Clayton Cowles of VC
Cover artist: Paulo Siqueira
As of this writing, Benjamin Percy’s miniseries Predator Kills the MCU has not yet been completed, so it’s unclear where it fits into his overall Predator vs. Predator series. All in all, I enjoyed Predator vs. Spider-Man, but Predator vs. Spider-Man was the best of them all. Predator fighting Wolverine and Panther would be a natural fit, and Spider-Man should be the weirdest guy of the group. However, the series found a way to blend Spider-Man’s superhero themes with the gritty, brutal nature of Predator. The art team of penciler Marcelo Ferreira, inker Jay Leisten, and colorist Frank D’Almata pulled it off as a joke. Their execution of storytelling techniques is perfect for this concept, and the action has a funky, dynamic look for both Predator and Spidey. In my original review, I compared this story to the classic Kraven’s Last Hunt story, and I stand by that. This mini will stand the test of time. — George Carmona III
Ultimate
Writer: Deniz Camp
Pencilers: Juan Friggieri, Chris Allen, Phil Noto, von Randall
Color: Federico Brie, Eric Arciega
Text: Travis Lanham
Cover artist: Dik Luan
The Ultimates remains the superhero book of this political moment. A hopeful comic about the essence of resistance and heroism. It is courageous and empowering, but it does not avoid the physical or emotional costs that come with freedom. But more than that, Deniz Camp’s writing reveals a mind full of exciting and original superhero ideas. With only 20 pages a month to tell the story in real time, many of those ideas fell by the wayside. His courage to tell a story that is completely devoid of preciousness for his ideas makes this book feel like a living world that we only glimpse. It has a grandeur to it. Camp also penned one of the year’s best single issues with guest artist Phil Noto, creating a memorable, heartfelt, and structurally original issue. Main series artist Juan Friggieri gets better with each issue, expanding the scope of the series with visuals that root awe and thematic subversion in familiar superhero trappings. I’m still heartbroken that this comic is coming to an end, but maybe in the long run it’s better to fully and properly depict this gem of our moment from beginning to end. – Tim Rooney
Wolverine #8-12
Author: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: Martin Coccolo, Javier Pina
Color Artist: Brian Valenza
Lettering: Cory Petit of VC
Cover artist: Martin Coccolo and Brian Valenza
Logan has been through several things, seen several women he loved die, been brainwashed several times, been subjected to intense experiments, and died several times. But what writer Saladin Ahmed did in these four issues is probably the worst thing Logan has had to endure. Spoiler alert! After taking several mutant power corrective classes, Mastermind levels up incredibly and is able to trick Logan into thinking his mother is still alive. It was a big mistake when Mastermind did this to Jean Grey/Phoenix in the past, but toying with someone’s dead mother crosses a line too far. If I have a problem with these issues, it’s the limitations placed on the work of artists Martín Coccolo and Javier Pina, and color artist Brian Valenza. This type of story definitely deserves toned down violence levels, but the action/storytelling is still gorgeous and fluid. From the banana mind bomb dropped at the end of issue #8 to issue #12, Logan is dragged across the adamantium glass in a fascinating and engaging story arc. — George Carmona III
X-MEN World of Revelation #1
Screenplay: Al Ewing, Steve Fox, Ryan North
Artists: Agustín Alessio, Jesus Merino, Adam Schalowski
Colorist: Agustin Alessio, Will Quintana, Chris Peter
Written by: Travis Lanham of VC
This anthology book does a better job of building an Age of Apocalypse world than most world-building miniseries. All three short stories convey different aspects of this world, including the state of Arakko and Apocalypse, and how other heroes were affected by Apocalypse’s rise and destruction. My favorite was the story of Billy and Teddy by Steve Fox and Jesus Merino. The heartbreaking story of Billy and Teddy after Billy becomes “disabled” shows the damage the apocalypse has done to people. Agustín Alessio’s art in the Professor It perfectly expresses the sense of scale of Arakko’s broken world. Finally, Ryan North and Adam Schalowski’s somber yet optimistic story of Franklin Richards is a post-apocalyptic story that preserves humanity’s achievements. These kinds of stories are well known, but they show a world beyond just superheroes. If you’re not sure which of the various included tie-ones to check out, check this one out. – Jordan Jennings
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