Brock Lesnar is Honoured in Marvel Comics

Brock Lesnar has made a living beating people up for show (in the WWE) and for real (in the UFC). In fact, he’d be a perfect foil to former UFC champ-champ Daniel Cormier, whose dream fight is Lesnar. Himself a former UFC champion, Lesnar is also quite a personality — a showman when the lights are brightest, yet guarded when the cameras are off. That combination has made the former All American seemingly larger than life, with a passionate following from MMA and WWE fans and a badass nickname — The Beast Incarnate — to boot. Come to think of it, Lesnar is exactly the type of character that would be perfect in the famous Marvel Universe.

Brock is part of the Marvel Universe

Turns out, Lesnar is in the Marvel Universe. Specifically, he’s in the Marvel comics Avengers # 31 released in February. But no, a cartoon Lesnar isn’t on the pages of Avengers # 31. He is, however, mentioned by name by no less than Iron Man himself, who had been sent back to prehistoric times in previous issues.

Avengers # 31 opens up with Iron Man blasting to smithereens the head of a vicious wolf. At this point, the man with the suit of armour recalls his encounter against the 1,000,000 B.C. Avengers comprised of Starbrand, Phoenix, Odin, Lady Phoenix, Agamotto, Ghost Rider, and the first iterations of both Iron Fist and Black Panther. In this flashback, Tony Stark mentions Brock Lesnar by name. In the heat of that battle, Iron Man quips, “Look, Ghost Rider Snuffaluffagus and Brock Lesnar Starbrand are one thing, but no way am I getting slapped around by Thor’s daddy!”

While Brock Lesnar doesn’t actually make an appearance in Avengers # 31 it shows how much of a MMA icon he has become. This opens up the possibility that the one-time UFC heavyweight champion might one day be given a bigger role, whether in the comics or in a feature film about the 1,000,000 B.C. Avengers. In such case, Starbrand looks like the perfect Marvel character for Lesnar given his powers of super strength and invulnerability.

Typical Marvel

That Marvel would namedrop Lesnar likely isn’t happenstance. It’s probably part of Marvel’s grand scheme to engage fans through collaborations with other brands. Marvel, for instance, made Ford the “official” vehicle of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a quintet of misfits that have twice “saved” the universe. This plan is working, and has helped transform Marvel into a mammoth money-maker with a global, encompassing reach.

Small wonder then that Marvel has extended its branding strategy even to online content. Proof of this expansion is the many online games connected to the Marvel Universe, both directly and indirectly. The wide array of superhero-inspired slots on Foxy Bingo, including Thunderstruck and Super Heroes, demonstrates how the company has managed to extend its reach and entice new audiences by encouraging gaming companies to create their own heroes. Many of these titles are obviously indirectly linked to the Marvel franchise, which in turn helps Marvel keep its loyal, passionate fanbase engaged and wanting more. From that prism, teaming up with a megastar like Lesnar is a logical move, as Marvel can potentially tap into the massive MMA market.

Lesnar fans, though, will have to be patient. There is no word yet from either Marvel or Brock Lesnar about a further role in the Marvel Universe. But hopefully that happening is, in the words of big bad Thanos, “inevitable.” Just give it time.

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