Marvel’s new dinosaur Avengers just officially debuted, as the Fantastic Four encounter a unique dimension ruled by prehistoric behemoths. However, while Marvel’s First Family find themselves battling Lambeosaurus Captain Marvel and Brachiosaurus Iron Man, Marvel’s mainstream universe must contend with the FF’s dinosaur counterparts.
In a preview of Ryan North, Iban Coello, Jesus Aburtov, and Ariana Maher’s ‘Saur Winner,’ the Fantastic Four are pulled into a portal that swaps them with their counterparts in a reality full of dino-superheroes. The preview wastes no time in introducing the prehistoric powerhouses, naming each hero’s specific dino-species, including a Shantungosaurus Doctor Strange and Parasaurolophus Thor. While these dinosaurs are heroes, they sadly can’t understand what the Fantastic Four are saying, and initially believe that their dinosaur allies have undergone a bizarre transformation. Enjoy the issue’s preview and official synopsis below:
Avengers vs Fantastic Four Gets a MAJOR Twist
What happens when a parallel world starts out different from our own but, through random chance and development, begins to resemble our Earth more and more closely? And what happens when those two universes begin to merge not just in style, but literally? It’s a fascinating scientific question that the Fantastic Four will have to consider as they swap places with their counterparts in this other world and find themselves battling for survival in the universe where everyone is a dinosaur, and not anthropomorphic ones, but literal full-scale dinosaurs with all their super-powers, wearing amazing super-hero costumes!
Can Sue Storm defeat Brachiosaurus Iron Man? Can the Human Torch take down Lambeosaurus Captain Marvel, her head frill mimicking her human counterpart’s spiked hair? Can Reed Richards ever stop Quetzalcoatlus Black Widow, the deadly assassin of the skies? Beyond the dinosaurs and chaos and two universes merging, this issue also features emotional and heartfelt reunions with some missing members of the Fantastic Four family! So: Dinosaurs and catharsis, together at last.
Plus: Sue Storm’s doctorate is finally revealed!
The synopsis teases a surprising new take on Marvel’s multiple timelines and alternate realities – not a split timeline that began as the one fans know and then went off on its own path, but a totally different reality which is actually getting more like the mainstream universe. It’s a freaky conundrum that the dinosaur and human heroes are likely to need to work together to solve, but before any Marvel hero team-up, first there has to be the inaugural ‘huge misunderstanding brawl.’
Fans Are Also Getting a Dinosaur Fantastic Four
While the FF try to survive in the dinosaur reality, their dinosaur opposites will battle Earth’s heroes, who will take on the deadly proposition of a T-Rex with Reed Richards’ stretching powers. Fans also know that Doctor Doom will be involved in some way, as Alex Ross’ cover for issue 13 sees him riding his own tyrannosaurus doppelganger. The Avengers aren’t strangers to dino-heroes – they’ve worked alongside Devil Dinosaur multiple times, and Earth’s first Starbrand was a T-Rex – however it’s clear that beyond the fun premise, something is very wrong in the multiverse.
In introducing its own dinosaur Avengers, Marvel is finally competing against DC’s recently introduced Jurassic League miniseries, which saw anthropomorphic dinosaurs take on the mantles of iconic Justice League heroes. Fans can be expected to kick off the ‘who did it better?’ debate once the Fantastic Four‘s latest adventure shows exactly what the dinosaur Avengers can do.
Fantastic Four #12 is available from Marvel Comics October 4.
