Spider-Man and Wolverine are undoubtedly the two biggest characters at Marvel Comics, but it’s not often that their paths directly cross. Even during that very brief period when Peter Parker was a teacher at the Jean Grey Institute, Logan was enjoying the sweet embrace of death. So it’s a pretty big deal that Marvel has revealed a new monthly team-up series called Spider-Man & Wolverine.
Why are these two iconic heroes joining forces? What threat is so great that it requires both Spidey and Wolverine to fight it? And can these two fiery personalities put aside their differences long enough to get the job done? IGN spoke with writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Kaare Andrews via email to learn more about the new series. First, check out an exclusive preview of Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 below, and then read on to see what they had to say.
The Legacy of Spider-Man vs. Wolverine
Apart from the occasional big crossover like 1984’s Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars, Spider-Man and Wolverine didn’t have a long track record of teaming up in the first several decades of their Marvel careers. That only really changed with 1987’s Spider-Man vs. Wolverine, a dark crossover special that ends on a particularly bleak note for Peter Parker. That issue set the tone for every Spider-Man/Wolverine team-up that followed.
Given its lofty status, we were curious if Guggenheim and Andrews felt at all intimidated in taking on this assignment. How long a shadow does Spider-Man vs. Wolverine cast over this new series?
“I’m a huge fan of the 1987 one-shot,” Guggenheim tells IGN. “I loved it as a kid and it really left an impression on me. I wouldn’t say, however, that I’ve found myself intimidated by it. It may set a bar in terms of quality, but it’s very tonally different from what I’m trying to do. (Though issue #2 features a pretty bonkers fight between Peter and Logan.)”
“You know, I just don’t look at life as a series of intimidations,” Andrews says. “I look at everything as opportunity and risk—and the bigger the opportunity, the bigger the risk that is required. And I’m constantly betting the bank on whatever I’m doing. Not every endeavor works with that sort of instinct, but comics does. And this is why comics can be the greatest job in the world. You create your own risks, are rarely held back from leaping off of tall objects, and the crashing and tumbling to the floor is the energy it takes to draw the work—to tell the stories.”
Andrews continues, “I loved that first book and was always haunted by the small panel sequence at the end of the story, the same images that haunted Peter Parker. A repeated panel that lingers with Peter after the job is done. That’s pure comics language. You can’t replicate it in any other medium. If anything, I’m looking to be inspired by that sense memory, that residue. I’m looking for new ways to leave our readers with that same haunting. Maybe not in the same way—but in some way. Thank God I loved that comic so much. It makes it a joy to take on these pages and real benchmark to not just hit—but at some opportunity to better. Nothing would be worse than not being inspired, than not having risks, than not measuring yourself up against everything you love. Working to exhaustion on projects with high risk/rewards is a gift that comics gives me. I love this thing. This medium. This language.”
Neither creator is a stranger to Spider-Man or Wolverine at this point. For his part, Guggenheim worked on both the ongoing Wolverine and Amazing Spider-Man comics in the ‘00s, including serving as one of the rotating writers on Marvel’s controversial Spider-Man Brand New Day initiative (the inspiration behind the next MCU Spider-Man movie). Is it difficult to settle back in with these characters after some time away? Has either Peter or Logan really changed in that time? As Guggenheim reveals, he’s the one that’s really changed over the years.
“I don’t think Peter and Logan have changed all that much since I first wrote them,” Guggenheim says. “What’s truly different is how much I’ve changed as a writer. I wrote Spider-Man and Wolverine very early in my writing career and I feel like I’ve evolved immeasurably since those early days. One of the appeals of this project for me is the chance to revisit these two icons as, quite frankly, a better writer.”
Whether or not Andrews is a better artist than he was two decades ago, he’s certainly a different one. One of the hallmarks of Andrews’ art style is that he has no set style. His work evolves and shifts with each new project. But as Andrews explains, Spider-Man & Wolverine is a case of him revisiting an earlier era of Marvel, drawing inspiration from the comics he loved as a young reader.
“You know, my favorite martial artist was Bruce Lee,” Andrews says. “And what Bruce did to revolutionize martial arts was to both abandon and combine styles. To create ‘All Styles Combat’. And that’s how I view artmaking. One time it’s Judo, one time it’s Greco-American Wrestling, one time it’s Kung-Fu or Boxing. And at the same time I know it’s the ‘wrong way’ to do this job. How do you build a fanbase by constantly changing? But I’ve never really been interested in building fanbases. I’m interested in ART. I’m interested in IDEAS. I’m interested in THE NEW. And sometimes the ‘new’ is a revitalization of the ‘old.’ A loop back. You know, I’ve always been experimental—wanting to zig while the world zags. And for a while, that meant my comic art became pretty out there. But now every comic seems a little out there. And I’ve found the most subversive, the most exciting pocket for me is this return to the kinds of comic art I grew up reading. A sort of ‘retro-nouveau’.”
Andrews continues, “At the moment, I’m interested in the kind of comic art that used to hit me right in the middle. Not a recreation of anything in particular but an inspiration of how I remembered those books. And it’s not nostalgia. It’s not homage. It’s life. It’s taking chances and doing the wrong thing because it feels right. If you’ve been following some of my covers for the past couple of years, it’s in line with those. And you know, those covers—I started doing them as a sort of exploration of the past. Of my past. Comics. Fandom. And I found so much joy, so much energy, so much ‘taboo’ that that energy has sort of taken over my body and I’m just radiating with it. For now. Because everything changes. Everything grows. And eventually dies. But until then—you go to LIVE, baby. Whatever that means to you. LIVE.”
Spider-Man and Wolverine’s Dynamic
Peter Parker and Logan have certainly had a rocky relationship over the years. They’ve been at each other’s throats, they’ve been fellow Avengers, and they even went on a cross-dimensional caper together in Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert’s Astonishing Spider-Man & Wolverine. But where do things stand these days? How is the dynamic between these heroes in 2025?
“Well, the beauty part of teaming up Wolverine and Spider-Man is that even when they’re allies, there’s friction. It’s like a buddy action comedy,” Guggenheim says. “That being said, there’s something that causes more than friction between Peter and Logan. It’s actually rather combustible. Expect a lot of fireworks.”
“You know there’ll be some friction. You know they’ll be allies, they’ll be foes, they’ll be a team-up and against,” Andrews adds. “But why this time? Why this book? How many times can we team up Wolverine and Spider-Man and make it meaningful? I will tell you this. These are my two favorite Marvel heroes in existence. I have never drawn them together before. Never told stories with them before. And this one will be special. We are telling stories I didn’t think they’d allow us to tell. This is the new. This is the real. If you love comics or have loved comics you NEED to pick up this book.”
As far as what brings the two characters together again, Guggenheim teases, “The narrative gets kickstarted by something called ‘the Janus Directory’ — a comprehensive database of the true identities of every undercover operative in the world going back decades. Without spoiling things, I can say that Peter and Logan both have very good reasons to want to keep the Directory out of enemy hands.”
Wolverine is practically the poster child for superheroes with shadowy pasts, and even the Parker family has a few skeletons in its closet at this point. Marvel has teased that the new series will delve into both characters’ respective pasts, but Guggenheim confirms that readers needn’t worry about being well-versed in the history of either hero. Spider-Man & Wolverine will be exploring new revelations surrounding these characters, not returning to the Weapon X well.
“[It’s] not really anything I can go into too much detail about at the moment,” Guggenheim says. That being said, my approach to continuity — Peter and Logan’s respective pasts, specifically — is designed to be completely new reader-friendly. Whenever we reference the past, we’ll do more than reference it — we’ll show it. No homework required.”
In general, Spider-Man & Wolverine is designed to be as accessible as possible to Marvel newcomers. While the series will reflect each character’s current status quo, as established in the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man relaunch and Marvel’s X-Men: From the Ashes initiative, it’s telling a standalone story that only requires a basic familiarity with Spider-Man and Wolverine.
“We’ll definitely be referencing what’s happening in the parent titles — Peter’s current girlfriend shows up in Issue 1, for example — but this series is really designed to be enjoyed on its own,” Guggenheim says. “It’s not entirely an ‘evergreen’ but that’s the general approach we’re taking with it. We really want this series to be able to stand on its own and stand the test of time. No pressure, obviously.”
Spider-Man & Wolverine #1 will be released on May 7, 2025.
Guggenheim is keeping plenty busy this year. He recently launched the new Prequel-era series Star Wars: Jedi Knights and is making his debut at Comixology later in 2025.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
