The Hellfire Gala used to be a night of celebration and high fashion, but now… Marvel Comics has announced this year’s Hellfire event will be a vigil, a time of remembrance and high fashion in the pages of X-Men: Hellfire Vigil.
A night of reunions, returns, and revelations, all setting the stage for the next year of X-Men storytelling! Always one of the most talked about comics of the year, the Hellfire Gala is now a beloved staple of the X-Men mythos, even inspiring the new season of the hit video game Marvel Rivals. In addition to Vecchio and Mancin, this latest installment will be written and drawn by various creators behind the X-Men’s current era including Jed MacKay (X-Men), Gail Simone (Uncanny X-Men), Eve L. Ewing (Exceptional X-Men), Murewa Ayodele (Storm), Stephanie Phillips (Phoenix) Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (NYX, Giant-Size X-Men), Geoffrey Thorne (X-Force), Alex Paknadel (Astonishing X-Men Infinity Comic), Jason Loo (Dazzler), Javier Garrón (Uncanny X-Men), Netho Diaz (X-Men), Sara Pichelli (Scarlet Witch), Declan Shalvey (Mystique), Roi Mercado (Phoenix) and Marcus To (X-Force).
“This is a Vigil, not a Gala, so these looks are striking, but more solemn, less flashy yet still fun, that reflect each character’s history in a Post-Krakoan way,” explained Vecchio. “Unlike previous years where I focused on individual designs one at a time, here I worked in bunches at once to create a cohesive look while keeping singularities.”
“I found inspiration by limiting myself to work with mostly black and white, and figuring out what that sparked in each character’s iconography,” he continued. “I started with Stom, following Murewa’s directives and adding some twists of my own, and then worked on the list of characters he wanted to appear in his segment. I did the same with the Outliers and Gail, and then I added characters from my own list of who I wanted to show up.”
“Being part of a major event like X-MEN: HELLFIRE VIGIL was an incredible mix of excitement and nerves,” Mancin shared. “I am truly grateful and humbled to be given the unique opportunity to contribute to it and work on the outfits for Emma, Sophie and the trio from Exceptional X-Men. It all came as a big challenge, but I was lucky to work with such an amazing team that helped me throughout the process and inspired me to do my utter best.”
X-Men: Hellfire Vigil arrives on July 2, 2025.
