Marvel Comics first announced the launch of Marvel Now! in July 2012. Marvel
Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso described it as "the next chapter in the ongoing saga of the Marvel Universe." Alonso further explained, "From October through February, we'll provide at least one great reason for readers—old, lapsed or new—to go into a comic store each week: a new issue #1, featuring an exciting new creative team and driving concept, that's an easy entry-point into the
Marvel Universe." Marvel
Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada stressed that unlike
DC Comics'
The New 52, it is not a
reboot, but a shifting of the Marvel Universe following the events of
Avengers vs. X-Men. Quesada explained that there will be "a lot of changes to the character status quos, alter egos, costumes, creator shifts, design shifts, the way that we do our covers,
digital shifts and the way we start delivering our books". In March 2013, Alonso announced that Marvel would be launching a new wave of Marvel Now! titles, dubbed
Wave Two, in the summer of that year. Alonso stated, "There are plans for a Marvel Now! Wave 2—a new wave of titles that will generate the same amount of excitement amongst retailers and fans that the first wave did. From 'Uncanny Avengers' to 'Thanos Rising,' Marvel Now! has been a hit, and we're far from done. Look for exciting new series, starting in July and carrying through next year". It was announced a week later that
Avengers A.I. would be the first of these new titles. In September 2013, Marvel announced a next phase of Marvel Now! in the aftermath of the "
Infinity" storyline, (which led into the "
Inhumanity" storyline) called "All-New Marvel Now!" which will see new series being launched and will also provide entry issue to existing series. These entry issues will be branded as .NOW issues. For example,
Avengers #24 was billed as
Avengers #24.NOW. Several new series, such as
Inhuman and
All-New Invaders were also announced. In January 2014, Marvel announced that following the conclusion of the Ultimate Marvel miniseries
Cataclysm in April 2014, and coinciding with the
Marvel Universe All-New Marvel Now! launch, three new Ultimate series will debut from April 2014, under the banner
Ultimate Marvel Now!. The three series are:
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man,
Ultimate FF, and
All-New Ultimates. In July 2014, Marvel announced that a fourth wave, Avengers Now!, would launch in October. The wave focuses exclusively on solo titles for individual Avengers, and takes place in the aftermath of the "
Original Sin" storyline. Marvel Now! officially ended in May 2015 at the start of the "
Secret Wars" storyline, which saw the end of the Marvel Universe. Following the conclusion of
Secret Wars, the universe was scheduled to be relaunched again with the branding
All-New All-Different Marvel. Alonso described the relaunches as reminiscent of the
North American television season, explaining "I think that the comics industry – certainly, we are – slowly working into a season model that's not too unlike what we see in our favorite cable TV shows: a seasonal model that offers accessible entry points for new readers and is respectful of long-term fans. We did Marvel Now! and All-New Marvel Now!, which were both two very successful campaigns. And [All-New All-Different Marvel] is the latest campaign." In May 2016, Marvel announced the return of Marvel Now! following the conclusion of the "
Civil War II" storyline. Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort stated that the relaunch was timed to coincide with "Civil War II" as means to "refresh and revitalize" the titles explaining, "One of the things a big event story is judged on, rightly or wrongly, is what kind of an impact it has on the Marvel Universe in its aftermath. That just becomes a condition of these big event stories: what is it at the end that changes the landscape?" ==Titles==