Summary

• Ultraman and Spider-Man forces to battle Doctor Doom in new manga collaboration.
• Tsuburaya and Marvel team up for more Ultraman crossovers, with first two chapters on Viz app.
• Future Ultraman x Avengers crossover planned for 2023, featuring heroes like Spider-Man and Iron Man.

Japan's transforming icon, Ultraman, will be teaming up with the equally renowned Marvel Comics' Spider-Man in an manga, titled Ultraman: Along Came a Spider. This particular collaboration will have the Japanese creators handle the brunt of the work this time, with Marvel engaged in even more Ultraman crossovers. The first two chapters will be released on the Viz Media app on August 13, while print versions will be published summer 2025.

The news, which was broken by Anime News Network, reveals that Viz Media partnered with Tsuburaya and Marvel to create the manga. Attached staff include Tomo Hirakawa, artist for various Sword Art Online manga, who will be drawing the new work, while Shigennobu Matsumoto, who's written extensively for Duel Masters, will pen the manga.

These team-ups continue to boost Ultraman's presence in international media in the wake of several other notable productions, including Netflix's original works.

Ultraman Meets Marvel This August

Both Spider-Man and Avengers Crossovers to Release Soon

Tsuburaya Productions' he Kaiju-fighting hero would be teaming up with the Avengers in Ultraman x Avengers, with preview art showcasing Spider-Man, Iron Man and Captain Marvel. This, too, is expected to launch on August 14.

The Ultraman franchise has been seeing a recent push in international media and streaming platforms, starting with the Netflix-hosted adaptation of Eiichi Shimizu's manga in 2019, which depicts a timeline where new heroes don transforming power armor. Netflix also released Ultraman: Rising only earlier this month, which received positive critical reception. Along Came a Spider, however, follows a more traditional depiction of the hero and his universe. With these two crossover stories following hot on the movie's heels, Tsuburaya Productions has been busy increasing its IP's recognition beyond the classic Tokusatsu fanbase, where it remains a venerable, though old brand.

Marvel Continues to Court Tokusatsu Genre

While the collaboration is a bit unexpected, Marvel has always been open to including Tokusatsu references in some of its stories, especially given the genre spawned a Spider-Man TV series of its own in 1978. The greater curiosity will be seeing how the Japanese interpret Spider-Man and Doctor Doom in Along Came a Spider, since they will have more creative control. One of the more interesting choices revealed already is the inclusion of Doctor Doom, who's not seen often outside comics despite his infamy. Whether one follows Ultraman or Marvel, Ultraman: Along Came a Spider should be an August highlight.

Source: Anime News Network (2), Tsuburaya Productions (official website)