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Kang just went up and spoiled some big Avengers, X-Men, and other heroes' stories for 2023 (or did Marvel put him up to it?)

It looks like 2023 is going be a big big year for Marvel Comics

Timeless #1 excerpt — Image credit: Marvel Comics

Features by Joshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer

Published on Fri Dec 30 2022

A hero will fall, a villain will return, and one of Marvel’s most beloved teams will reunite. This is just a sampling of some of the big plans for 2023 that Marvel teased in Timeless #1 (written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Patch Zircher, and Salvador Larroca). The comic follows the time-traveling villain Kang as he searches for the ultimate prize. Thanks to Kang’s ability to jump through time, readers are able to catch a glimpse of the upcoming storylines Marvel has planned for 2023, and some of them have big implications.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Timeless #1!

What is Marvel Comics planning for 2023?

Throughout Timeless #1 Kang jumps through the timestream in search of a piece of history known as the Missing Moment. As Kang journeys through the timeline we see flashes of what the future may hold for the Marvel Universe. Let’s break down everything we saw.

Marvel teases their 2023 slate part 1 — Image credit: Marvel Comics

Bucky (who is in his New Revolution garb) greets a mustached man who is behind bars. The man appears to be an unmasked Kang, Tony Stark, or someone else. Bucky’s stint as the New Revolution is currently playing out in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty.
Tony Stark gazes at a bottle of alcohol. Tony recently fell off the wagon in The Invincible Iron Man #1 (2022).
Beast stands over an army of his own clones. Hank McCoy has been conducting mysterious experiments over in the pages of X-Force.
The X-Men’s Treehouse headquarters is being burned down as an angry mob cheers on the chaos. This might be a glimpse at the upcoming 'Fall of X' event.
Stephen Strange travels through some unknown realm. Stephen is currently the entity known as the Harvestman over in the pages of Strange, but we do know he’ll be restored to his status as the Sorcerer Supreme in a 2023 relaunched title by Jed MacKay and Pasqual Ferry.
The Inhuman dog Lockjaw appears to be leading the Pet Avengers once again. This furry group consists of Lockjaw, Lockheed, Hairball, Redwing, Throg, and Lucky the Pizza Dog.

Marvel teases their 2023 slate part 2 — Image credit: Marvel Comics

Namor and Black Panther appear to be rushing into action together. Solicitations have revealed that Namor will appear in an upcoming issue of John Ridley’s Black Panther run.

Wolverine appears to be possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance, causing him to look like an Adamantium version of Ghost Rider.

A masked man in a business suit overlooks one of the Krakoa resurrection eggs. This well dressed stranger resembles Mr. Knight and the mobster known as the Rose, but his color scheme is different. I wasn’t able to identify him, but perhaps one of our readers can.

Carol Danvers appears to be transformed into a member of the Brood race. This storyline is currently playing out in the Captain Marvel title.

Spider-Man is seen swinging through the sky in his black costume, but he appears to have two toes and three fingers. Nightcrawler and the Insectivorid known as Bug are two characters with this unique anatomy. Could either one of them be the one behind the mask?

Marvel teases their 2023 slate part 3 — Image credit: Marvel Comics

A cybernetic crow with four eyes is pictured. I wasn’t able to identify it as an existing Marvel character, but perhaps one of our Popverse readers has seen it somewhere before.

The X-Men are seen preparing to face an unknown threat.

Luke Cage is seen sitting down in his office. Luke Cage is currently serving as Mayor of New York City and overseeing the government-funded group known as the Thunderbolts.

The number 7 appears three times in a row on what appears to be a slot machine. Is this a reference to the slot machine that empowered Mary Jane Watson in the pages of Mary Jane & Black Cat #1 (2022)?

A vision of Red Goblin appears. The demonic villain is Norman Osborn bonded with the Carnage symbiote. Osborn is currently trying to atone for his sins over in the pages of Gold Goblin. Does this Red Goblin tease mean that his redemption is doomed to fail, or is somebody else bonded to the symbiote?

Of course, all of these images are open to interpretation. In some cases the image could be misleading. For example, we don’t know who is under Spider-Man’s mask, or why the mob is turning on the X-Men. These images can lead to hours of speculation and theories. Keep your eyes peeled to Popverse as we break down all of Marvel’s biggest twists and turns in 2023 and beyond.

Want more? Read all about Popverse staff's favorite comics of 2022.

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.