The Muppets are crossing over into the Marvel Universe. Marvel Comics will release The Muppets Take The Marvel Universe #1, a one-shot that lands September 23, 2026, and celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and the rest of the gang share pages with Spider-Man, Black Panther, Wolverine, and more across a set of all-new stories.
The book teams up some heavy hitters. Eisner-winning writer and self-described Muppets super fan Chip Zdarsky leads the lineup alongside artist Pete Woods, with additional stories from Ashley Allen, MacKenzie Cadenhead, Kyle Starks, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Adam F. Goldberg, and others. Art comes from Woods, David Baldeon, Áthila Fabbio, E.J. Su, Paco Medina, and Mike Henderson.
What stories are in the one-shot?
The one-shot packs several self-contained crossovers. The headline tale from Zdarsky and Woods sees Rowlf the Dog kidnapped by Mojo to launch a new streaming service, which forces Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and a stack of Marvel heroes to team up. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker invite Bruce Banner and Hank Pym into Muppet Labs for an experiment with Gamma Rays and Pym Particles, written by Kyle Starks with art by Mike Henderson.
There’s more. The Swedish Chef steps in when Clea falls ill and Doctor Strange has no cure, in a story from Ashley Allen and Paco Medina. And Pigs in Space collides with the Guardians lineup when Captain Link Hogthrob, First Mate Piggy, and Dr. Julius Strangepork crash into Rocket Raccoon and Groot, courtesy of MacKenzie Cadenhead and David Baldeon. If you’ve followed the Muppets’ growing footprint across Disney, this is a different swing than the parks and streaming projects.
Why does this matter for fans?
This is a milestone year for the franchise. The Muppet Show first aired in 1976, and Marvel is marking the 50th anniversary with a full crossover instead of just a nod. It follows last year’s variant covers that honored the Muppets’ 70th anniversary, so Marvel is building on a relationship that already exists.
The collaboration carries weight on the Disney side too. “It has been exciting for The Muppets Studio to collaborate with Marvel Comics in a new and unique way,” said Leigh Slaughter, vice president of The Muppets Studio. “To do this during the 50th anniversary year of The Muppet Show makes this project even more meaningful.” Zdarsky kept it lighter, saying writing Miss Piggy was a highlight and that he considers her “one of the greatest icons of the last hundred years.”
Where to buy and what’s still unknown
The one-shot goes on sale September 23, 2026. To mark the launch, more Muppet variant covers will run across Marvel titles throughout September. Confirmed covers include work by Nick Bradshaw, Humberto Ramos, Ron Lim, and Matteo Lolli, plus a special Muppets Treasure Island 30th Anniversary cover and a Logo Mashup variant.
Marvel has not yet revealed the full slate of September variant covers or the cover price for the one-shot. There’s also no word on whether this leads to an ongoing series or stays a single release. For now it’s one issue, packed with talent, tied to a real anniversary. Disney and Marvel fans who also track Muppets content on Disney+ and longtime comic readers both have a reason to watch this one, and it pairs neatly with the Muppets presence at the parks.
Shark Take: If you collect, mark the September 23 release date before the variant rush. A 50th-anniversary crossover with this many creators tends to sell through fast, and the variant covers usually move quicker than the standard.
Source: D23
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