Why aren’t the X-Men or Guardians of the Galaxy in Magic’s Marvel Super Heroes set?
Magic: The Gathering’s fully revealed Marvel Super Heroes set contains over 600 mechanically unique cards but notably excludes several beloved Marvel franchises, including the X-Men, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and characters like Ghost Rider. Despite the breadth of the set, the omission of these popular properties may be intentional rather than an oversight.
According to Wizards of the Coast developer interviews and design documents, the selective inclusion of characters reflects the broader strategy behind Hasbro’s multi-year partnership with Marvel, announced in October 2023. The collaboration is designed to span multiple Magic sets, suggesting that currently excluded characters may appear in future releases rather than the initial set.
The decision to hold back certain franchises indicates that Wizards of the Coast is managing Marvel intellectual property distribution across the planned partnership roadmap. By staggering the introduction of different Marvel properties, the developer appears to be balancing mechanical design considerations with licensing strategy to maintain player interest across multiple releases.
This approach allows the company to build sustained engagement with the Magic community through phased Marvel content reveals rather than front-loading the most popular franchises into a single set. Players can expect to see additional Marvel properties represented in future Magic sets as the partnership develops over the coming years.