Arrow Showrunner To Take Over X-Men Comic, Following Brian Wood’s Final Issue

Arrow executive producer and writer Marc Guggenheim’s most recent work has been in the DC universe, but he got his start at Marvel — and he’s headed back there soon. As announced by IGN, Guggenheim will be taking over the narrative reins in X-Men #18, picking up where current writer Brian Wood leaves off. Guggenheim confirmed that the X-Men will remain an all-female team during his run, and that he’s planning a “smooth, easy transition” between his Wood’s story and his own. No artist has been announced yet.

The X-Men will be heading to space for this four-part story, after Shi’ar warrior Deathbird arrives on Earth “at the brink of death.” Something bad is lurking out there, and it’s up to our heroines to save the day. Speaking with IGN, Guggenheim explained that the return to space had a lot to do with his fondness for the 1980s Brood Saga arc.

There’s been little things along the way, but nothing that really sort of grabbed me in the same way The Brood Saga grabbed me as an early reader. I just found myself getting nostalgic. I didn’t want to do another Brood story, because Chris Gage had done Children of the Brood, which was fantastic. But I liked the idea of taking this all-female team of X-Men and putting them in outer space. In doing something that was a little different than “The X-Men meet Star Wars,” this was more along the lines of “The X-Men meets Aliens.” It’s darker, it’s a little more mysterious, and it’s scarier.

He also mentions that Rachel Grey will be a focal point, seeing as how the Shi’ar kind of, y’know, murdered her family.

For the space story, Rachel and her family history is a big part of her, a big part of the story that deals a lot with themes of vengeance and how one honors the memory of their fallen family. So Rachel’s very much at the core.

X-Men #18 will hit stands later this year.

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Previously in Arrow and X-Men

• Arrow Showrunner Wants Huntress Spinoff, More Birds of Prey
• Gail Simone and Brian Wood To Do Red Sonja/Conan Crossover
• Our Interview With X-Men Editor Jeanine Schaefer