Midnight X-Men (2026-) #1

Midnight X-Men (2026)

by Jonathan Hickman, Matteo Della Fonte (Artist), Dike Ruan (Cover Art)

AN ALL-NEW, ALL-DISTURBING UNIVERSE BEGINS HERE! The clock strikes midnight, and it's the dark dawn of a new era. The shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire. Blockbuster comic book writer Jon

Genres: Comics, Marvel, X Men, Comic Book, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels

Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2026

About the author

Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

So this is where Marvel has been hiding its talent. Hickman introduces a great premise where a lot of the X-Men have been vampires for a while now. They are at odds with the rugular vampires. Cyclops is a vampire hunter. Nightcroawler and Stryker are a bishop and cardinal within the Catholic church. Della Fonte is an artist I've never heard of but they sure delivered. One of the few Marvel comics worth reading and far better than any X-Men on the shelves today.

[Scratch · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Hm. Good pacing and tone so far. And it was a decent choice to start en media res, after this world has had a rampant vampire outbreak for several years. I just don't know if I love the choice of Hope as the viewpoint character. That character was somehow both under-utilized and overused at the same time, if that makes sense.

A lot of time is spent focusing on Nightcrawler as not just a priest, but a full-blown bishop. If you blinked you might have missed the fact Magma is working alongside him as a nun, apparently. (She's the only character we know of from Nova Roma.) Nightcrawler is given a different love interest in this universe, but because neither character is one of my all-time faves, I don't have strong feelings about them as a couple either way.

I'm not sure. Events like this, set in an alternate reality, are supposed to be a big deal because they have higher stakes. Characters can actually die and stay dead in this reality, because they aren't the mainstream characters. There's a good chance Empath dies in this issue. Does anyone care? Eh. They probably wouldn't care that much even if he were the mainstream Empath.

I can understand the reasoning why mutant vampires are called "Empyres," because M-pyres, but it's still vaguely cringe.

I don't know. We'll see how this goes.

[Machiavelli · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Midnight X-Men #1 • 4.5 stars

This was the best of the three Midnight books for me. I loved the art, loved the story, and finished feeling like there’s a whole lot Hickman can do with this.

There is a ton of information here. A ton of writing, too, and that slowed the pace a little. I wouldn’t say a whole lot actually happens in terms of moving the story forward, but I really enjoyed discovering this world. The different factions, the history, and the changed relationships give it plenty to build on. Adding vampires into the divide between mutants and humans makes things interesting, especially when familiar characters end up on sides I wouldn’t have expected.

Matteo Della Fonte’s art was a huge part of why this worked for me. I loved the detail and the atmosphere. The shadows, the expressions, and the more brutal moments really sell how dangerous this world is. It’s a beautiful book, even when things get ugly.

Mostly, I just wanted to keep learning more. There’s a lot to absorb, and I would have liked a little more movement, but the setup grabbed me enough that I was happy to spend the time with it. A really strong first issue with room to take these characters somewhere new. Definitely looking forward to the next one.

[stefanny · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

call it 3.8 ★ cause the idea of x-men as vampires? love it, but why it feels just like another what if BUT this is the first issue, soooo, hoping the next issues are gonna be scary like spider-man. anyways, the artwork is so good.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is what I'm talking about. Let my homie Hickman spit his shit. This is the best X-Men book in a minute and it has the coolest goddamn cyclops in a minute. A 5 out of 5.

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing start for the Midnight X-men

So many lines drawn. Who is aligned with who is still in question

Humans vs mutants vs vampires vs empyres

"The peace must hold."

Can't wait to find out what that entails

[Mia · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

A good start i liked Scott parts the most

[Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just going to say, Bravo Marvel, really well done with the three titles. We have an X-men vampire story but it doesnt feel like it Marvel Zombies like i thought it would just with Vampires, it feels alot darker with hidden conspiracy and quite sad and i think they are going to play on that the more this goes on.

[Fines Massey · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This is a great start. I'm a sucker for vampire stories, and honestly, I was looking forward to this one the most before I even read it. Love how badass Cyclops is because I've never been a huge fan of his character. This was definitely my favorite of the three new Midnight books.

[Whatslifeanyways · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Jonathan Hickman knows how to set up a book every god damn time! Alright at first the whole “empyre” talk seemed silly to me but i like how everyone has a side and a role to play in this horrific world. The empyre’s had killer ass designs so that helps aswell! Nightcrawler is still trying to help everyone even if things are desperate and cyclops just found “hope” only to leave her behind in an alley
Cyclops is also badass in this im hyped!

[oli · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Vampires and vampire wars as base concepts alone have seldom intrigued me to read or watch something. I enjoy less modern iterations and adaptations—the same to be said with most monster stories and creature features—but you bring the X-Men into this, and I am tickled. Out of the three stories released yesterday, this issue’s writing, particularly its dialogue is the strongest. I’ll be checking out #2.

Rating is how interested I am to see the next issue.

[Riley Pilgrim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so awesome. Vampires and X-Men. Hickman has set up some really interesting things in this issue, and it does a great job of establishing characters and the world they inhabit. Excited for issue 2

[Myles Gerber · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Awesome start. Loving the vibe!!

[Teddy Bear · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Erm.. its what the kids call peak

[Paxton Holley · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This was a really good start. Mutant vampires. Does this exist in the same universe as the other books? It’s not clear on that. But I liked this much better than Midnight Spider-Man.

[Zizzy · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

it seems like something that can become an incredible and exciting universe, the idea of keep fighting even when you are all a new and dangerous species is interesting (everyone is a hater).
The only issue i have is that it feels a little bit messy but let’s just give it time.
I love Kurt with all my heart!! i don’t care about the sulfur smell of hell or the fact that is christian bc i’m a devoted catholic!

[Anthony Lacroix · Rating 3 out of 5]

good draw vast univers not a really new thing

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An alternate take from when Storm was turned into a vampire by Dracula. This story was engaging, the vampires were sexy, and the politics were wounderful.

[Toad Soup · Rating 5 out of 5]

A literal crime to only have Dike Ruan do the cover AND to make this contemporary instead of go full gothic, but I do love it all the same..

[Cybernex007 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the last midnight title I read of the three that came out this week and dare I say that was my favorite. It definitely had the best art and they come out swinging with a world already filled with rich lore as the entire mutant sphere has already been affected by vampirism. But where the problem comes in is that this feels to big, this doesn’t fit in with the other midnight titles at all. It more feels like a vampire version of marvel zombies, only focused on the x-men side right now of course. This feels like I am reading dc vs vampires all over again, but from the middle of the event. And a HUGE round of applause for Cyclops, our badass vampire Hunter and the last x-man. I love that so much! This story is told on a few different fronts to build out our world, I will start where this story starts but I’m going to cut down on the jumping around. We find that William Stryker in this world is a cardinal for the church, which gives him direct authority to bring his heavily armed clergy into NYC to delivery a message to the church where Bishop Wagner (aka nightcrawler) is in charge to let him know of a new order directly from the pope…they are here to kill all vampires! Kurt is shocked and asks which kind, but Stryker is talking about the mutant kind of vampires. Kurt steps out for some fresh air, and Stryker joins him…reminding him that it is not a sin to kill something that is already dead and the church has a long history of it. Stryker understands that many of these vampires were once Kurt’s friends, which calls into question his motivations, but Kurt confirms he sees only shadows of once was in his former friends turned.

Although there are still a few hours until sunset, Stryker’s guards come to retrieve him so they can secure their base. Before leaving Stryker tells Kurt they must find common ground as they are both on missions of mercy. He references his famous storyline when he mentions the old saying “god loves…man kills…” and now they have something entirely different to consider. But Kurt waits in the gardens until nightfall as he sent a message to who I can only suppose is the mutant vampire queen…Storm. She once again extends an invitation for Kurt to join them, he will never do that and instead sent her a message to warn her about the men from the church sent to wipe them out. She is not concerned with the desires of man. Kurt warns her she should take this serious, but she fears nothing and says he should not either. Kurt is the only one with her protection blessed upon him, the only one where no family, clan, or house would dare lay a finger on him. She gave him this because she owes it to him for something in the past, something based on body language Kurt is not proud of. Kurt asks if she wonders why he told her, she does not as she already knows he loves the memory of what she was. But this is not why, he warned her because he wants them to stay alive and his love of the memory of her is what motivates them to find a cure. Storm laughs at that dream, but dies thank him for the warning as she puts a kiss on his forehead and walks away. Kurt continues to appeal to her, that this cannot continue and asks what happens when she looses control or if they break out into war again. Storm says this cannot be as they have a compact signed in blood and the peace must hold, but it the peace doesn’t hold…then the devilish smile and the lightning in the background say everything that needs to be said.

Crazy enough this is just one section of this pretty comprehensive book. We actually get a flashback to a few years ago to what we may suppose is the first mutant vampire transformations when we see Storm turning Phoenix into a vampire. But that was then and today we find mutants split into groups, one such group is the house of X led by magneto. They keep a watchful eye across the city, including over the human groups which band together to try and hunt vampires themselves. To get your foot in the door you have to go down the vampire Internet rabbit hole and break a code, that is how the newer member of our four man human strike team got with them. But she is very new to this, even unaware of the difference in vampires. How there are the standard humans, and then the mutant vampires known as Empyres. As they descend into the facility they suspect of housing vampires we find that quicksilver trailing behind them, whooshing off when they find a stronghold which is an upgraded version of the traditional coffin. Of course I was worried that Quicksilver was a vampire and they were about to become mincemeat. But as it turns out this is a human vampire stronghold a Quicksilver is an un-turned agent for his father, magneto, and the house of X. But these humans won’t be so lucky, as the vampires inside their shells wake up, the lights go off, and then come back on to reveal all of the coffins empty. Quicksilver arrives back to plead with the house of x to help the humans as they didn’t know what they were walking into. They cannot as they are bound by a pact and the peace must hold…so magneto suggests they send some not bound by it.

As the vampires rip into the humans the only one still alive is the new girl. The vampires scoff at her for crying, enjoying the terror which runs through her blood…only for a pink card to go into his neck as the vampire explodes. The others hiss as they look up to find a vampire gambit, some wars between the empyres and vampires exist outside of the peace pact. Alongside Gambit are vampire versions of psylocke, Glob, and empath. Honestly it’s glob I’m interested in the most, how the hell do you turn that into a vampire?! As the vampires dish it out it doesn’t take long for the human ones to go down. They admit they were an advance unit to test the new enhancements, but they got lucky finding them before they were ready. Psylocke finishes the last one off, but then the vampires turn to the human survivor…only to realize she is a mutant. Her powers clearly haven’t activated yet but Empath has taken a liking to her and wants to turn her to make her his own. But before he can a laser beam rockets in, bounces off Glob, knocks back Psylocke, and slices the legs off of empath. From the source stands a badass looking cyclops, vampire hunter. Gambit is ready to take him and the heavy price in his head, but when push comes to shove he backs off. He just wants to take empath and the human form and they will be on their way. Cyclops helps the girl up, not intending to let them take her. Her mutant powers haven’t activated and he orders her to stay close. Gambit mocks him and his ability to save people, giving us a brief flashback to a moment where cyclops was battle torn and covered in blood. Something truly went down and gambit wants his shot at the last x-men. But cyclops checks his watch, letting them know that it’s current 1:27 pm and true north is right above them. Gambit doesn’t see why that matters, until cyclops aims up and blows a hole in the ground above them…allowing sunlight to pour in. It vaporizes empath immediately while gambit is partially burned and vows he will remember this. Summers doesn’t care, instead pulling out his grappling hook to get him and the girl to a safe distance. He then tells her to pack her bags and get as far away as possible as they have her scent. She doesn’t want to, she wants to help…Scott asks her name, it’s Hope, and he tells her to go home as there is no place for her here.

All of the midnight stories seemed mandated to have dedicated pages to building out the lore, the x-men one was the only one that didn’t feel forced to me. As they had a whole page dedicated to the ways to kill vampires. The big thing to take note is that Forge helped develop these notes AND mutant vampires don’t die from a wooden stake through the heart. You’d think anyone would die of that, but it’s not on their list, lol.

[Neil Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this braced for disappointment as I have never enjoyed the use of vampires in superhero comics. I'm still not convinced I do, but given how little there was regarding the vampires, there is hope. From this issue it could just as easily be a mutant subspecies. From the little we see of them, the actual vampires come across as the type seen in the "blade" movies which I actually prefer.

What Hickman excels at is establishing a huge and complicated world in a very short span of pages - there aren't even any super dense infographics for once. I do hope we get one soon explaining all the factions though as I admit I was clueless on who Gambit and Cyclops were working for and with. In 40 pages Hickman has conjured up a world that feels ripe enough to carry a few years of stories whilst simultaneously feeling like there's decades of story existing behind it. That's so rare with franchises this old, and it does conjure up a sense of wonder in me that hits the nostalgia buttons without simply rerunning stories. That said, there's a lot of this that feels like the HOX/POX cast and characters acting very much like they always have to the point where this just feels like a continuation of his X-Men run. That's fine for me, but maybe not as bold w reinterpretation as people were expecting. Oh, and he needs to stop the two characters talking in a park framing device as the scenes with Storm and Nightcrawler felt just like the ones with Moira and Xavier.

The art is less divisive for me in that it's fine for a darker/horror vibe, but it suffers a little bit from "Greg Lane" posing where everyone feels like a mannequin. There's a scene with Cyclops exiting via a grappling hook that just feels wooden. But some of the character poses are well staged and for those who like "photo-realism" the book will have a lot of appeal. I think they are at their best with the "front cover" style art such as Storm feeding on another X-man.

Overall, this book engaged me with its world and left me thinking about the implications and what comes next. It's not "absolute X-Men" and doesn't even try to be. It's only a horror in the sense it features vampires and they are more mutant than vampire. Think of it as Hickman returning to his X-Men run or one of Moira's lives and you'll have a better idea of the book.

Overall impression = 4/5
Writing = 4/5
Art = 3/5

Will I read the next issue? yes

Wait for the trade collection? considering how Hickman's Marvel books have consistently petered out, I'm reluctant to have half a trade collection on a bookshelf. Digital, maybe. Personally, I enjoy the initial excitement of how "large" his books feel and this is heightened as a monthly read.

Did I need to read previous issues/series? no

Will I read previous issues not applicable

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting and fun introduction to a new X-Men story set in the Midnight Universe. I thoroughly enjoyed what Hickman was giving us, although there were a few of his usual Hickman-isms that I felt were unnecessary. Hickman is building an entirely new world for these characters, and a good portion of the issue is dedicated to explaining how this universe operates and introducing the different factions. While I appreciate the world-building, some of the information felt a bit excessive.
For example, there was an entire data page dedicated to explaining the importance of sunlight and its effects on vampires in this universe. Anyone even remotely familiar with vampire lore knows that sunlight is one of their greatest weaknesses. We've had over a century of vampire stories establishing this! Why dedicate an entire page to explaining something so universally understood? If Hickman were introducing a unique twist on the concept, that would be one thing, but there wasn't anything particularly new here.
That being said, I absolutely loved seeing Scott Summers portrayed as the powerful and commanding leader that I feel he's been neglected of being in the main Marvel Universe. The brief action sequence between Summers and the Empyres was a blast, and watching the Empyres clash with the regular vampires was equally thrilling. I also really enjoyed seeing Nightcrawler and Stryker in their respective roles within the Church. Their involvement adds another intriguing layer to this already fascinating world.
There's clearly a lot more to uncover in this universe, and I'm excited to see how Hickman continues developing these characters, factions, and conflicts. Despite some unnecessary exposition, this was a strong and entertaining introduction that has me eager for more. I definitely recommend it!
Grade: B+

[Norrin Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. The Midnight universe is off to a great start. The atmosphere constructed in this issue is top-notch. It’s dark, grimy, gritty, and gory. There’s a sense of anxiety that hangs as you read because, as readers, we know something terrible has happened but we don’t have all the details. That lack of information in a crisis is scary! On top of that, we know we’ll be meeting versions of our favorite characters, but we don’t know their fates. Have they been turned into monsters? Have they avoided being turned, thus being forced to fight and kill their corrupted friends and family? It’s just great.
The story itself is really well done too. I loved the pacing. The way it cut between Kurt’s church and the underground vampire lair was executed wonderfully. The church scenes built acid in your stomach as you worried what was being hidden behind Stryker’s words, then you felt your nails dig in as the kids investigated the lair - then it erupted into a gruesome combat!
This first issue was seriously so well crafted. I am STOKED to see what else the Midnight Universe has in store for us.

[Rakib Khan · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

What Hickman produced with 'HoX/PoX' was something I enjoyed quite a lot. Despite how Krakoan age has both fans and haters, the initial dual mini-series did something incredible, made use of the vast lore available, and made people interested in X-Men comics after a long time.

But, it was also very convoluted and required much prior knowledge to fully appreciate. What 'Midnight X-Men' starts in first issues is not so much old lore heavy. Rather it is a gothic and moody piece introducing readers to the new universe and its status quo. It doesn't do anything really spectacular or original, but it has time and scope it it's future issues for development.

This issue has the best drawing of the three so far, in my opinion. Matteo Della Fonte used his prowess with style to create quite an engrossing and dark atmosphere. I just hope he gets to draw more characters in the future and Hickman decides to use the depth of available characters in the X-Men universe to create something memorable.

So far, I am not overly impressed and will give this 3.5 out of 5 stars.

For more reviews and stuff check out my blog -
http://ihate00critics.blogspot.com/

[Ricardo Centella · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this was my favorite of the three starters of the new midnight universe.

I'm gonna just briefly compare the three, so spoiler warning, or just skip my next paragraph marked with ***


*******

While Fantastic Four chose to start directly into the obsessive cosmic horror madness, and spiderman went for full horror and guts of capitalism brutality..

*****

...This one chose to present a slower phased story, an introduction of a greater world already shaped by the consecuence of vampires. Definitely more interesting as Hickman does for his worldbuilding.

Here the conflict is more complex, with a new division of caste: human vs mutant vs vampires vs empyres (M+pires = Mutant Vampires // Loved that play of words! btw).

Old friends turned new foes, and new friends coming from old foes, all divided and reshaped by vampiredome.

What an excellent start.

While I'll continue reading the three, and spiderman did raised my interest, THIS ONE is the one I'm more exited about.

Definitely leave this for the last if you're reading the three, or choose this one if you'll read just one.

6 out of 5 stars
To this excellent beginning.

[Caroline Pezão · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Em termos de ousadia e escrita, provavelmente foi a melhor das primeiras edições Midnight. Hickman não demonstra qualquer tipo de desejo em estabelecer o cenário primeiro para depois trabalhar em cima disso, como ocorreu com o Homem-Aranha e o Quarteto Fantástico. Pelo contrário, já somos jogados num mundo muito mais complexo e rico no que diz respeito a causa mutante: há humanos, mutantes, vampiros e vampiros mutantes ( empyres), tudo isso vivendo sobre diferentes ramificações, clãs, famílias e organizações. É um cenário complexo que necessita releitura para ser melhor estabelecido e também a promessa de um futuro que seja hábil em lidar com tantos núcleos distintos, que se não tratado adequadamente, pode tornar a narrativa cansativa.

[Michael Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires and X-Men in the past has not always been the best combination (looking at you Curse of the Mutants), but this is a fantastic start to the Midnight universe, its a noir horror lovers dream and if you’re an X-Men fan on top of that you’re set, There is some real genuine too notch writing and I’m intrigued to see where this is going to go and cannot wait for the next issue.

(As a side note seeing a increasingly rarer Storm and Nightcrawler interaction is always a delight in itself and I’m curious to see the dynamics of this universes version of the characters relationships who in the mainline do not get enough time together)

[Kiron · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Midnight X-Men #1 introduces a dark alternate world where a fragile peace exists between mutants, ordinary vampires, and mutant-vampire hybrids. Operating in the shadows of New York, different factions struggle to protect their own interests, while the tension suggests that this uneasy truce could collapse at any moment. Familiar characters appear in entirely new roles, adding fresh layers to the story. Jonathan Hickman brings his signature dense worldbuilding to this new reality, where no one is entirely good or evil, and the looming threat of a much larger conflict sets the stage for what comes next.

[Alex Fyffe · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This is a bit stronger than Midnight Fantastic Four, but I still didn't love it the way I had hoped to. There are some interesting ideas and cool character moments, but there are also some clunky bits (the whole "Empyres" conversation), and the conflicts are a bit odd: vampires vs. mutant vampires vs. the church and vampire hunter mutants? It's just kind of a lot out of the gate, and I don't know that it fully clicks together. However, the blood is sweet enough to come back for a second bite next month. I have hope that Hickman can make it all work.

[Arkham · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Far more my speed. The concepts in this one are much more interesting than that of Midnight Fantastic Four. The art is really good, I like the characterization of Nightcrawler, Storm, Cyclops, and Remy. Having a vampire Cold War going on is fascinating, as is having vampires and empyres (mutant vampires). It’s such an effective way to extend the metaphor and plight of mutants from humans to vampires. It’s not perfect, some of the dialogue is clunky and I think this one has just a bit too much going on, but still, I’m more than intrigued to see where this one goes.