The X-Men have their work cut out for them in the wake of Avengers: Armageddon. As announced by Marvel Comics back at SDCC 2026, writer Christopher Yost and artist Tony S. Daniel will be getting the team back together, so to speak, while the Avengers pick up the pieces in Maximum X-Men this December – and we’ve got an exclusive preview of the interior art as well as some answers from Yost about what to expect from the new ongoing series.

“In the wake of the events of AVENGERS: ARMAGEDDON, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are no more,” the official announcement of the Maximum X-Men series reads in part. “So who will stand in defense of the Earth? The X-Men will! Storm gathers an elite team for just that task, including Wolverine, Colossus, Bishop, Iceman, Psylocke, Firestar, and Justice! Mutants by birth, heroes by choice! And their first challenge is a full-on invasion from the Negative Zone! Is this Annihilus again—or something far, far worse?”

One might argue this is answering the question of what the X-Men would be like if they were Avengers, but it’s not exactly like it’s the first time we’ve seen mutants step up in this way. As Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios continue to become more aligned, it’s also worth noting that Avengers: Doomsday releases later the same month, though it doesn’t seem like there will be much in the way of overlap.

Read on to see what Yost has to say about the X-Men, the new ongoing series, and more. You can also see the exclusive interior art, as well as previously revealed covers, for Maximum X-Men #1 below:

GamesRadar+: You previously described this run as having “a classic Claremont vibe.” Can you explain what you mean? What is that to you, and what about Maximum X-Men has it?

Christopher Yost: I grew up on Claremont/Romita Jr. X-Men, then went back and discovered the classic Claremont/Byrne era. The Claremont vibe was big adventure, intrigue, real people with character put into positions where they had to be heroes… and soap opera. It was a lot of relationship drama amidst all the super-heroing. And there was fun!

This isn’t me reinventing the wheel, this is just classic X-Men… and Maximum X-Men is all that, but probably leaning a little more into the action because it’s me.

Talk me through the lineup here. There are some obvious picks, and some less-than-obvious ones. What excites you about this team?

There are some characters that just scream ‘classic X-Men,’ when you see a lineup that’s got Wolverine, Storm, Colossus… that’s X-Men. Psylocke was a newcomer when I was reading, as was Bishop… but they’ve cemented their places as classic members. Then you’ve got Firestar who’s come in and out of the X-Men world, and Justice who’s always leaned ‘Avenger.’

But for this story we’re looking at people who are all looking for HOPE most of all. They’re all heroes, and this is the X-Men standing up and fighting the good fight.

Also, I love Firestar.

There have been plenty of X-Men team leaders over the years. What do you think it is about Storm (no stranger to the job herself) that’s fundamentally different from the likes of other X-Men team leaders?

Compared to Professor X, Cyclops or Rogue, she’s just seeing the situation from a different viewpoint. Storm has the confidence and belief in her abilities that comes with being the goddess she is. She has a benevolence to her that she’ll never let be mistaken for weakness. There is nothing she won’t dare, no power she won’t stand up to as she protects the people she cares for. She’s also got better style than all of them put together.

Everyone has their own take on this, and I’d love to hear yours: what’s the purpose of the X-Men?

To protect a world that hates and fears them. The X-Men will always do the right thing, they’re fighting ignorance as much as supervillains. But in this moment in time for the team, humanity seems to be coming around a little bit. In a world without Avengers… who will save us?

What does Tony S. Daniel bring to the table in Maximum X-Men, in your own words? What is it about Daniel’s work here that speaks to you most?

Not only does Tony love drawing the X-Men, he’s killing it on the sheer amount of action we’re delivering here. There’s a dynamic quality to his art that’s just perfect for this kind of book, and the scale of it is something I’m excited for everyone to see. But in the end, it’s love. You can tell he just loves the X-Men. And Spider-Man, which I’m gonna get in there. Probably in issue 6.

Maximum X-Men #1 is set to release on December 2, 2026. The upcoming X-Men movie is set to release on May 5, 2028, while Avengers: Doomsday releases December 18, 2026. While you wait, you can always check out our ranking of the best X-Men comics.