Iconic 57-Year-Old Sci-Fi Saga Will Cross Over With the Marvel Universe in 2026

The entire game is about to change in 2026. Fans of The Planet of the Apes franchise know full well how legendary it is. Those who are staunch supporters of The Fantastic Four can lay claim to the same. Now imagine both franchises in the same place, at the same time, and going to battle against each other for Marvel fans worldwide to enjoy.

Now here's the ...Thing ... you don't have to imagine it anymore, because the two collide this coming February in a first-ever crossover series that pits the world-renowned sci-fi franchise against some of Marvel's finest superheroes. Better still is the fact The Planet of the Apes vs. Fantastic Four, a brand-new four-part comic series, is being written by the hand of Josh Trujillo — known for a list of exclusive Marvel works as well as Blood Hunters #3 and What If…? Galactus: Galactus Transformed Gambit? — and with the help of visuals from Andrea di Vito of Emma Frost: The White Queen, Deadpool (2024), and so much more.

• Writer: Josh Trujillo
• Art: Andrea Di Vito
• Colors: Erick Arciniega
• Cover: Greg Land
• On Sale: February 24, 2026

When Mr. Fantastic, Thing, Sue Storm and the Human Torch come across Cornelius, Zira and Ursus, expect some sorting to be done, and it won't exactly be in a mostly peaceful manner, even if Dr. Zaius attempts to be the voice of reason. The fact is, The Fantastic Four might find themselves out of their depth by being stranded on the Planet of the Apes, and Trujillo plans for other Marvel characters to join the fray as well in Ape City, though he's justifiably choosing to keep that reveal to himself when he recently spoke about his new groundbreaking crossover.

“I grew up watching Planet of the Apes marathons on Saturday afternoons, so it's a huge thrill to write for these iconic characters! Having Marvel's First Family butt heads with Cornelius, Zira, and Dr. Zaius is just too much fun, and I can't believe I'm the one who gets to tell this epic tale. It's a mash-up decades in the making, and I hope you come along for the ride!”

Planet of the Fantastic Four?

Of course, Trujillo isn't the only creative mind involved with the project who is over the moon about what's in store for fans of both universes. His sentiments and passion are both echoed throughout the creative process and shared with Di Vito, for starters, who is so thoroughly enjoying the process of marrying these two iconic franchises for the first time in history that words to describe it become difficult to get a handle on.

"It sounds like a weird meeting at first, but then you realize that both these franchises were meant to meet sooner or later. Exploration has always been the Fantastic Four's main drive. Ending up on the Planet of the Apes is absolutely perfect for a classic FF adventure, set in the immortal tone created by Stan [Lee] and Jack [Kirby]. I am honored to be the one to illustrate this ‘first official meeting’ between the Marvel Universe and Planet of the Apes."

The success of 2024's Beware the Planet of the Apes four-issue miniseries, not to mention 2024's Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes serves as the fourth installment of a reboot that began in 2011 and included direction from Rupert Wyatt, Wes Ball and someone superhero fans know quite well, namely Matt Reeves (The Batman, The Batman: Part II), marries perfectly with the runaway triumph behind 2025's The Fantastic Four: First Steps to lay the groundwork for this fantastic monkey business.