Fans of Fortnite and Marvel alike are excitedly awaiting the impending release of the two franchises’ second collaborative title, Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War, set to hit the shelves of your local comic book shop and various other distributors on Jun 8. If you’re a fan and didn’t catch the companies’ previous outing ⏤ Fortnite X Marvel: Nexus War: Thor ⏤ but still want to wade in, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.
Marvel first collided with Epic Games’ Fortnite video game franchise in 2020 with Marvel’s release of Fortnite X Marvel: Nexus War: Thor, a comic that dovetailed into concepts introduced in Chapter 2: Season 3 of the Fortnite: Battle Royale in-game story. Thor, then the King of Asgard, made a deal to act as the herald of Galactus the world-devourer in order to defend the world against an even greater threat known as the Black Winter. A cosmic rift occurs between universes, allowing a crossover that takes place not just within the continuity of the comics, but in the universe of the game itself.
After Thor tries to stop Galactus from taking in the energies of the Zero Point ⏤ an apparently endless source of energy ⏤ he finds himself thrown into Apollo, the island setting of Fortnite Battle Royale where he is, as generally happens in a battle royale-style game, immediately shot. The Asgardian begins to respond to the aggression in kind, fighting with Brite Bomber, Kit, Jonesy, Raven, Lynx and Peely, eventually responding much like a player in the game would, and losing his memory as Apollo begins to shape him into the universes’ reality.
When Galactus arrives, intent on devouring the world as he has so many others, Thor uses Asgardian magic to summon the heroes of his world to come to the defense of the planet. He assembles an array of the world’s mightiest heroes and then some, calling in Avengers such as Iron Man, Captain America, and She-Hulk, as well as X-Men such as Wolverine and Storm, and Groot and Rocket Raccoon from the Guardians of the Galaxy. He even gets “help” from a villain or two, such as Mystique and Doctor Doom.
However, the heroes and villains all find themselves falling victim to Apollo’s amnesia-causing energies and quickly find themselves joining the battle royale — which conveniently serves as an explanation for the characters’ skins being part of the Fortnite in-game reality and gameplay and serves as the introduction for Fortnite: Battle Royale Chapter 2: Season 4.
And now you’re up to speed enough to delve into the crossover’s next chapter, Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War. (We’ll let you play through the Fortnite material on your own if you are so inclined). The upcoming miniseries will follow the Marvel Comics superheroes inhabiting the mysterious island of Apollo, including Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, and Shuri locked into what seems to be a never-ending battle on the island when they discover that a shard of the Zero Point exists in the world and may hold the potential to turn the tide of battle permanently. The Marvel Heroes team up with several fan-favorite Fortnite characters in order to track down the so-called Zero Shard and avert disaster.
The miniseries will run for five issues and will be penned by comics writer Christos Gage, writer of Spider-Geddon and Avenger’s Academy. Spanish artist Sergio Davila, known for his work on Captain Marvel and Black Knight, will handle the series’ interior art duties and Leinil Francis Yu will render the main cover art. Marvel plans to release several cover variants by additional artists as well.
Each of the five issues will contain a redeemable code that readers can use to unlock a bonus digital cosmetic in Fortnite. Marvel Unlimited subscribers with a registered account who read all five issues will be able to unlock an additional code. According to apptrigger.com, the redeemable cosmetics are:
- #1 – Outfit
- #2 – Warp
- #3 – Pickaxe
- #4 – Spray
- #5 – Loading Screen
The Marvel Unlimited bonus code can be redeemed for an additional outfit. There’s been no word on how each of the cosmetics will look yet.
Fortnite X Marvel: Zero War will begin its run on June 8. It can be acquired at Marvel Unlimited or at your friendly-neighborhood local comic book shop. Fortnite players can find the books in the in-game item shop one week after the release date.
