Why aren’t the X-Men or Guardians of the Galaxy in Magic’s Marvel Super Heroes set?

Now that Magic: The Gathering‘s Marvel Super Heroes set has finally been revealed in full, one question looms larger than the inevitable Infinity War: Where are the X-Men, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and hellish heroes like Ghost Rider?

For a set containing more than 600 mechanically unique cards, Marvel Super Heroes leaves a surprising number of beloved characters on the bench. But after digging through Wizards of the Coast’s preview materials, developer interviews, and design documents, that increasingly appears to be the point.

Ever since Hasbro first announced an ongoing collaboration between Marvel and Magic: The Gathering in October 2023, that language has always described a “multi-year” partnership consisting of several sets in the trading card game. There was last year’s Marvel’s Spider-Man set, and Marvel’s Super Heroes launches in a matter of weeks. But these are both part of a much larger, and longer, plan.

“We realized that this was such a huge IP that we wanted to do more than one set,” Magic head designer Mark Rosewater said during a press briefing ahead of Summer Game Fest. That statement alone confirms something unprecedented for Universes Beyond. Marvel wasn’t conceived as a single crossover product. It was designed from the beginning as a multi-set initiative spanning multiple years.

While Marvel’s Spider-Man focused squarely on Peter Parker and all the heroes and villains he associates with in New York City, Marvel Super Heroes takes a broader look at Marvel with what Rosewater has repeatedly described as “Avengers Plus.” Various marketing materials emphasize “Earth-based Marvel heroes and villains.” The core focus is on Avengers like Iron Man and Captain America, but it also includes a number of characters from various corners of Marvel canon that are associated with the Avengers and other terrestrial teams.

Aside from Galactus and the Silver Surfer, the cosmic side of Marvel remains almost completely untouched. Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Gamora, Drax, Nova, Adam Warlock, and countless others are nowhere to be found. The fact that this set emphasizes “Earth-based” characters implies another, later set will focus on space.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The supernatural side of Marvel also receives only limited attention. Perhaps the most curious example is Doctor Strange, Surgeon. At least within Marvel Super Heroes, Stephen Strange is just a human doctor and not the Sorcerer Supreme. His card focuses entirely on lifegain rather than spells, dimensions, or reality-warping sorcery. That probably means subsequent sets might have some kind of continuity where we see characters change over time. It also leaves the door open for an entire set focused on the mystic arts within Marvel Comics.

Moon Knight provides a similarly interesting clue. He appears on the artwork for Borough Backup alongside Luke Cage and Iron Fist, but doesn’t receive his own card, despite being one of Marvel’s most popular modern heroes. In the comics, Moon Knight briefly joined the Defenders, which helps explain his presence in this card art. Gods like Thor and Hercules also appear in the latest set since they’re prominent Avengers, but there are plenty more gods and earthly avatars like Moon Knight in the Marvel universe that a set like this could explore.

Also missing from Marvel Super Heroes are members of the Midnight Sons and other horror-tinged characters, including Ghost Rider, Magik, Blade, and Agatha Harkness. You can lump all of these together with a sort of “gods and mystics” vibes or even more broadly “magic in Magic.” But given their absence so far, they’re bound to show up in a later set.

The same pattern appears among Marvel’s mutants. Marvel Super Heroes actually includes around two dozen mutant characters, with some appearing on multiple cards. That makes sense, given how much overlap there is between the X-Men and Avengers. Wolverine, Beast, and Storm all spent significant time as Avengers. The Young Avengers and Runaways — both Earth-based teams with mutants in them — receive representation in the set as well.

Yet when it comes to mutants, some of the most prominent and popular characters are totally MIA. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Professor X, Magneto, Rogue, Gambit, and countless others don’t appear. Where is Iceman? That weird frog guy? It might be really interesting if we got a version of Jean Grey in an X-Men set and then saw the Phoenix show up in the cosmic set.

During the Marvel Super Heroes preview, Rosewater explained that Marvel was deliberately subdivided into different categories. “Marvel can be chopped up in different sections,” he said. Later, discussing absent characters, he added: “Are there parts of Marvel you love that aren’t here? Well, maybe they show up somewhere else, because we got more sets coming.”

Those comments become even more revealing when paired with a Marvel Super Heroes design handoff document. According to Rosewater, some characters were designed for the set and then intentionally excluded because there was a better home for them elsewhere. The design team even developed a tiered system for how often characters might be used. Tier 1 characters will appear about six times across three different sets. Tier 3 are expected to show up once in a single set.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The Infinity Stones may offer the clearest roadmap for where all of this is headed. Spider-Man introduced the Soul Stone. Marvel Super Heroes adds the Mind Stone. Four stones remain: Reality, Power, Space, and Time. Rosewater specifically described the Infinity Stones as part of the connective tissue linking Marvel releases together. While each set is designed to stand on its own, Wizards also wanted continuity across the larger Marvel line.

The Space Stone makes a lot of sense for a more cosmic-themed set. The Reality Stone feels like a solid fit for X-Men. The Time Stone fits well with the more mystic set, even if Doctor Strange isn’t really associated with it in the comics. And the Power Stone fits well as a sort of capstone for a potential Infinity War set. After all, that was the first Stone Thanos acquired in the MCU. Keep in mind that the license that Wizards of the Coast has for this collaboration is strictly related to the comics, not the MCU, but that doesn’t really prevent the design team from leveraging everyone’s familiarity with it.

Marvel Super Heroes may look massive at first glance. But the closer you look, the more selective it becomes. The biggest clue about Magic‘s future Marvel sets isn’t who made the cut. It’s who didn’t.

Wizards of the Coast didn’t forget about Professor X, Ghost Rider, Rocket Raccoon, or Moon Knight. The evidence increasingly suggests they’re being saved for something else. With four Infinity Stones still missing and Rosewater openly discussing future Marvel releases, the real question isn’t whether more Marvel sets are coming. It’s which corner of the Marvel Universe Wizards will visit next.