Comics
Published December 22, 2023

Celebrate the Holidays on Marvel Unlimited

These Holiday Specials and festive comics are sure to bring you cheer!

marvel_holiday_comic_2011_1
MARVEL HOLIDAY COMIC (2011) #1 cover by Tim Seeley and Leonardo Olea.

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The holiday season is a time to sit back and reconnect with the people closest to you in your life, as friends and family prepare for a new year together. And Marvel super heroes also appreciate the festive breather, with many memorable comic stories set at the height of the holiday season. (With the iconic heroes still managing to save the day in between the usual festivities.) These stories are not only something of a regular tradition across the extensive history of the Marvel Universe but are some of the most beloved stories starring many fan-favorite characters.

Here are some holiday highlights in Marvel’s vast comic library on Marvel Unlimited, spotlighting how these heroes celebrate this special time of year while still being the selfless and inspirational figures they are.

UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #143

From UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #143 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Terry Austin.
From UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #143 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Terry Austin.

Young X-Man Kitty Pryde finds herself facing a unique case of the holiday blues when she is hunted by an extradimensional monster while being left alone at the X-Mansion during a cold, wintry night in UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #143. With the rest of the X-Men in a festive mood one fateful December weekend, Kitty is left all by her lonesome when a ravenous N’Garai begins stalking her while she’s home alone. Kitty must endure one nightmarish gauntlet taking down the creature by herself, more grateful than ever to be reunited with her friends and family the following morning.

DAREDEVIL (1964) #253

From DAREDEVIL (1964) #253 by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr.
From DAREDEVIL (1964) #253 by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr.

For as gritty as Daredevil’s adventures can be, he still finds the time and energy to find some holiday cheer as he cares for the people in his usual stomping grounds of Hell’s Kitchen. Unfortunately, crime never rests and in DAREDEVIL (1964) #253, Matt Murdock finds himself not only caring for the impoverished children in the neighborhood but stopping a pair of roving crooks. After Hell’s Kitchen residents are accosted by these criminals, Matt leaps into action as Daredevil in between bouts of Christmas shopping for those less fortunate than himself.

MARVEL HOLIDAY COMIC (2011) #1

From MARVEL HOLIDAY COMIC (2011) #1 by Jamie S. Rich and Paco Diaz.
From MARVEL HOLIDAY COMIC (2011) #1 by Jamie S. Rich and Paco Diaz.

Just because Jewish heroes like the Thing, Kitty Pryde, Moon Knight, and Wiccan don’t observe Christmas, doesn’t mean they have their own holiday traditions! In addition to celebrating Hanukkah every December, these heroes take the time to come together, indulging in some Chinese food while their Christmas-celebrating counterparts celebrate their own holiday. MARVEL HOLIDAY COMIC (2011) #1 spotlights the Thing as he prepares to catch up with the other heroes, taking the time to stop some super-powered crime along the way. ‘Tis the season of giving… and dishing it out!

DAREDEVIL (2011) #7

From DAREDEVIL (2011) #7 by Mark Waid and Paolo and Joe Rivera.
From DAREDEVIL (2011) #7 by Mark Waid and Paolo and Joe Rivera.

Not every Daredevil Christmas involves the Man Without Fear beating up criminals preying on New Yorkers, with Matt Murdock finding time to celebrate the holidays with his friends and spread good cheer to those less fortunate. DAREDEVIL (2011) #7 featured Matt good-naturedly poke fun at the public being aware of his super hero secret before taking a group of children on a field trip outside New York City. The adventure allows Daredevil to show his light-hearted side just in time for the holidays, mixing romantic intrigue with Matt’s dedication to public service.

MERRY X-MEN HOLIDAY SPECIAL (2018) #1

From MERRY X-MEN HOLIDAY SPECIAL (2018) #1, page by Leah Williams and Marcio Takara.
From MERRY X-MEN HOLIDAY SPECIAL (2018) #1, page by Leah Williams and Marcio Takara.

The Marvel super hero community is a tightly knit bunch, even for those who don’t normally serve on a team together. Super hero siblings Brian and Betsy Braddock take time to spend the holidays together, in between Betsy being one of the more prominent members of the X-Men and Brian defending the United Kingdom and its interests. In MERRY X-MEN HOLIDAY SPECIAL (2018) #1, Betsy arrives in the Braddock household for Christmas, just in time to see Brian and Meggan’s daughter take her first steps in a cozy, sentimental holiday tale.

SPIDER-VERSE UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #30

From SPIDER-VERSE UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #30 by Carlos Hernandez and Zé Carlos.
From SPIDER-VERSE UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #30 by Carlos Hernandez and Zé Carlos.

Even on the night before Christmas, every criminal in New York City was stirring, leaving Spider-Man: Miles Morales to spend much of his Nochebuena, the Latin American observance of Christmas Eve, continuing to save the day. SPIDER-VERSE UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #30 shows how Miles kept busy on the night of Christmas Eve, taking on everything from common crooks to Skrulls disguised as Santa Claus throughout the city. However, while Miles may be understandably exhausted from the great responsibilities that come with his great power, he still finds the time to celebrate with his family.

AVENGERS UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #25

From AVENGERS UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #25 by Ryan North and Javier Rodríguez.
From AVENGERS UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #25 by Ryan North and Javier Rodríguez.

The holidays can be an extremely stressful time and, if there’s one Marvel hero who knows how to best control her stress, it’s She-Hulk. AVENGERS UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2022) #25 took place at a time when Jennifer Walters wasn’t quite in full control of her gamma-radiated alter ego, struggling to keep the She-Hulk within while facing the stress of holiday travel. Fortunately, Jen finds a way to not only control her She-Hulk transformation to defuse a sensitive situation but also to remind herself of the joy from the holiday season rather than taking it for granted.

SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2023) #13-18

From SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2023) #13 by Jody Houser and Nathan Stockman.
From SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2023) #13 by Jody Houser and Nathan Stockman.

Countless alternate realities across the Marvel Multiverse celebrate their own wintry seasonal holidays and Earth-18119 is no different with its observance of Christmas. This universe includes a world where Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are happily married and raising their young daughter Annie together, with Peter struggling to balance his familial responsibilities with his super hero ones as Spider-Man. SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED INFINITY COMIC (2023) #13-18 features a particularly hectic holiday season for this super hero “Spider fam,” with all three family members drawn into super-powered antics under the backdrop of a chaotic Christmastime. Start this six-part arc now, then read issues #17 and #18 as it concludes over the next two weeks on Tuesdays only on Marvel Unlimited!

Join Marvel Unlimited for instant access to this exclusive lineup of vertical series on the Marvel Unlimited app or on the web, plus gain 30,000+ digital issues spanning Marvel Comics classics to ongoing series.

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