Love Marvel? Try These 14 Super Novels Featuring The Avengers Themselves.

From Secret Wars to street-level crime-fighting, these novels showcase the ambition and power of Marvel’s storytelling.

This collage of Marvel titles includes Secret Wars, Iron Man, and Thor

The world changed forever on May 2, 2008, when Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark announced, “I am Iron Man.” The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has only evolved since then, offering blockbuster after blockbuster at the box office in addition to TV shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.The Punisher, and recent hit X-Men ‘97.

But the movies and TV shows aren’t the only compelling adaptations of Marvel comics. In an ever-expanding multiverse of heroes and villains, it only makes sense that there’s room for great storytelling in all sorts of formats. 

Perhaps the most exciting choice for readers are Marvel’s novels, which prove that you don’t need CGI or even illustrations to make an incredible superhero story. These prose adaptations, written by an all-star cast of authors, take everything we love about Marvel and turn them into page-turners that you won’t want to put down.

Whether you want to take a look back at the past with an origin story like Daredevil: The Man Without Fear or look forward to Phase 6 of the MCU with Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars, these books have everything a Marvel die-hard could ask for. There are even some original, never-before-told stories featuring fan favorites like Black Widow and Groot.

Try any one of these great Marvel novels, and you’ll find yourself saying, “I can do this all day.”

14 Super Marvel Novelizations

Astonishing X-Men

Astonishing X-Men

By Peter David

There are two super groups in Astonishing X-Men: Gifted. The first group includes mutants like Emma Frost, Cyclops, Beast, and Wolverine. When news breaks that a geneticist has discovers a “cure” for mutants, it's hard for outcasts like the X-Men to ignore a chance at “ordinary” lives. Unfortunately, when an evil alien power is unleashed, it soon becomes clear that ordinary just won't cut it.

The second band of superheroes for this story are the real-life creators. Joss Whedon and John Cassady teamed up to create the comic series, while New York Times-bestselling author (and fellow Marvel writer) Peter David adapted the work into this fantastic novel.

Astonishing X-Men
Black Widow

Black Widow

By Lindsay Smith, Margaret Dunlap, L.L. McKinney, Mikki Kendall and Taylor Stevens

Black Widow: Bad Blood is an original novel starring a pair of super spies. It probably comes as no surprise that one of the spies is Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow herself, but the other might be something of a surprise. It's none other than the Winter Soldier: James “Bucky” Barnes. 

A mysterious enemy has taken their blood, and Natasha and Bucky must work together to find out why. To do it, however, they must face their own dark histories as lab rats.

Black Widow
Black Panther

Black Panther

By Ira Madison III

Another original marvel story, Black Panther: Sins of the King was co-written by the incredible team of Ira Madison III, Geoffrey Thorne, Tananarive Due, Mohale Mashigo, and Steven Barnes. The story follows T'Challa's origin story as king of Wakanda, which is different from the one we saw in Ryan Coogler's film adaptation.

In this story, King T'Challa's father, T’Chaka, is resurrected from the ancestral plane … but he's not the only one. Dead men begin to rise as political rivals act against Wakanda, and T'Challa must face the failings of the past if he has any hope of stopping the chaos.

Black Panther
The Death of Captain America

The Death of Captain America

By Larry Hama

Adapted from the 18-issue story arc by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting, The Death of Captain America follows the pieces left behind after America's greatest hero is killed in cold blood.

Falcon vows revenge, while Sharon Carter is forced to grapple with her grief. 

Meanwhile, Tony Stark must decide who will take up the mantle of Captain America … if he can live long enough to pick someone for the job. Bucky Barnes blames Tony for Cap's death, and he's hell-bent on retribution.

The Death of Captain America
Daredevil

Daredevil

By Paul Crilley

Paul Crilley adopted this Daredevil origin story from the comic series by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr. Matt Murdock loses his sight when he tries to save another man's life, but he gains something even greater: a keen power over his other senses. With the help of a tough mentor, Matt transforms himself into a weapon and takes to the streets, handing out judgment to evil doers and unleashing his vengeance for the death of his father.

Daredevil
Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange

By Devin Grayson

This original Marvel story sees Doctor Strange enter the dream realm to save humankind. Here, the Sorcerer Supreme's magic is useless, and if Doctor Strange has any hope of stopping a crisis that threatens the entire globe, he must make an unlikely ally: Nightmare. However, Nightmare will first force Doctor Strange to confront the darkness of his own dream world…

Doctor Strange
Guardians of the Galaxy: Collect Them All

Guardians of the Galaxy: Collect Them All

By Corinne Duyvis

Groot is always good for a bit of fun mischief. But when a piece of him is replanted, the galaxy soon finds itself under siege from an endless number of clones, all claiming, “I am Groot.”

It turns out that someone has been growing and selling Groots all across the galaxy. The Collector gives the Guardians a hint on how to find the seller, but of course, the Collector always seems to leave out an important detail or two. Soon, the Guardians find themselves wrapped up in a massive conspiracy that goes roots-deep.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Collect Them All
Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon & Groot

Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon & Groot

By Dan Abnett

Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon & Groot Steal the Galaxy was actually Marvel's first original novel. The task fell to veteran comic and author Dan Abnett, who skillfully and hilariously crafts that age-old story about a talking raccoon and a mobile tree as they walk into a bar. The story takes place while the Guardians of the Galaxy are on hiatus, and the two troublemakers need some quick cash. 

Rocket and Groot wind up meeting with an android called Recorder who just happens to carry some highly sensitive and valuable information—the sort of information that the ruthless Kree Empire would kill to get their hands on. To protect their new friend, Rocket and Groot prepare for a daring and rip-roaring escapade of epic proportions.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Rocket Raccoon & Groot
Planet Hulk

Planet Hulk

By Greg Pak

Greg Pak co-wrote the Planet Hulk comic series with Carlo Pagulayan, and Aaron Lopresti, and Pak returned to write the novel, as well. The story sees a group of heroes called the Illuminati plot to ship Bruce Banner, a.k.a. the Incredible Hulk, to a peaceful planet where he can't harm anyone.

When Banner learns of the scheme, however, he flies into a rage and finds himself crashing into a planet called Sakaar, where the tyrannical Red King rules through violence and anger. In a plotline that fans of Thor: Ragnarok will appreciate, Hulk soon becomes the planet's most popular gladiator. But his masters underestimate their new warrior…

Planet Hulk
Iron Man

Iron Man

By Marie Javins

The comic of Iron Man: Extremis by Warren Ellis and Adi Granov was loosely adapted into the film, Iron Man 2. The novelization by Marie Javins, however, remains truer to the original story, following Tony Stark as he deals with the consequences of revealing his secret identity. Tony had hoped to receive fame and adulation, but instead, it seems like he's only found more trouble.

Soon, Tony needs to up his game. The quickest path to power lies in a techno-organic virus known as Extremis, but the virus comes with powerful side effects that can push any man to the breaking point.

Iron Man
Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones

By Lauren Beukes

This original novel cowritten by by Lauren Beukes, Vita Ayala, Sam Beckbessinger, Zoe Quinn, and Elsa Sjunneson follows the titular Jessica Jones as she investigates the dark secrets of New York City. The superpowered P.I. takes on a case to find a missing boy and finds his body instead.

Jessica's instinct, however, tells her that there's more to the case, and she's willing to keep digging until she can solve the deeper, darker mystery that lies beneath the surface.

Jessica Jones
Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars

Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars

By Alex Irvine

If that title sounds familiar, there's good reason for it. Secret Wars is the capstone film for Phase 6 of the MCU, and the novel by Alex Irvine might just hold clues for where the film universe is going.

Earth's mightiest heroes team up in this story: the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. The Beyonder is involved, as well as a murderers' row of villains. The only question is who are they meant to face: Is it Magneto? Kang? And what's Doctor Doom plotting in the shadows?

Marvel Super Heroes: Secret Wars
New Avengers

New Avengers

By Alisa Kwitney

New Avengers: Breakout by Alisa Kwitney tells two stories at once. The first is your classic team-up: After max-security criminals break out of a super-prison, Iron Man and Captain America must assemble a new group (including Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, and Luke Cage) to round them up.

The other plot, however, pits spy against spy as Hawkeye finds himself in hot pursuit of the person responsible for the jailbreak: Black Widow. He has orders to bring her in, dead or alive…

New Avengers
Thor

Thor

By Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Jay Edidin, Brian Keene and Yoon Ha Lee

You can never have enough of Thor and Loki, and this original space opera story brings the Gods of Thunder and Mischief together again. Thor once received a crown from the people of Miskander, whom he saved from a rebellious horde.

Loki, of course, stole the crown and gave it away without a clue as to its true significance. Now, the imomortal brothers must team up with a tiger-goddess and a band of space pirates to recover the crown before it causes the whole world to end.

Thor