GoKawiilAs I filled my hand with Magic: The Gathering cards from the brand-new Marvel Super Heroes set, I saw the surreality of childhood hobbies layered over each other. I drew and played Spider-Man, who prevented my opponent's Advanced Idea Mechanics goon from blocking as if they'd been webbed up. My foe and I slammed heroes, villains, minions and spells against each other, replicating a comic panel brawl between opposing super teams made of cardboard rectangles.
At Summer Game Fest 2026, I got a chance to play the new Marvel Superheroes set, which launched on June 26. Better still, I got to go up against Mark Rosewater, lead designer of the set and over 30-year veteran of Magic: The Gathering, a pillar of the game who's seen it rise into the biggest trading-and-combat card game in the world -- one that's branched out in recent years to adapt famous nerd properties like Lord of the Rings and Final Fantasy into its rulesets through Universes Beyond expansions.
Under the design prowess of Rosewater and his Magic team at Wizards of the Coast, over 80 years of Marvel history from comics, shows, films and video games have been adapted to their newest format: 2.5-inch by 3.5-inch cards. With a core set, decks built for Commander rules and special reprints with new art, there're around 600 unique Magic cards featuring Marvel characters for fans to play with (and more coming later, Rosewater hinted).
CNET Managing Editor David Lumb (left) plays against Magic: The Gathering's lead designer, Mark Rosewater (right), who's been with the company for over 30 years. Faith Chihil/CNET
And while a universe of costumed heroes and villains may not seem like the easiest to bring to Magic (which has traditionally been a fantasy setting), Rosewater described Marvel as having an "embarrassment of riches" of characters and elements that worked in the long-standing card game.
"Magic players love dragons. Well, guess what? There's a dragon in Marvel, Fin Fang Foom," Rosewater said. "Whatever you want, Marvel's got it."
The set has its own pair of new mechanics that fit the theme of costumed superheroes. Power Up lets you boost a card after you play it (even after it's on the board, unlike the Kicker mechanic), while Team Up allows creatures to contribute to making spells better (similar to the vehicle-only Crew mechanic).
But the most important question for any comic collector is: Did my favorite hero make the cut?
Lumb (left) plays against Rosewater (center) and Marvel's senior product designer, Amanda Barker (right). Faith Chihil/CNET
How to choose who made it into the Marvel Super Heroes set
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