For the past few years, writer Jason Aaron has been building up to something big throughout his Thor comics. Malekith the Dark Elf has been conquering the Ten Realms one by one until there is only one left. That one realm is Midgard, also know as Earth, home to 99% of Marvel’s heroes.
In Marvel’s next big comic book event, War of the Realms, we’ll see what happens when Malekith and his extensive forces of Dark Elves, Fire Goblins, and Frost Giants try and take Earth by force.
Can Thor and the huge cast of Marvel’s heroes stop his army? You’ll have to read War of the Realms to find out!
War of the Realms is a massive comic book event, similar to Civil War or Secret Invasion, which has a lot of auxilary tie-ins beyond the main story. With so many tie-ins, it can be really confusing to read. But do not stress! The War of the Realms Reading Order Checklist is here to save the day!
The War of the Realms Reading Order Checklist has the recommended reading order along with other handy pieces of information including creator credits, release dates, background reading, and heaps more.
Do I Need To Read The War of the Realms Tie-Ins?
Short answer: No
Longer answer: As long as you read War of the Realms #1-6 then you do not have to read any other War of the Realms tie-ins if you do not want to. It would be a massive expectation, both in terms of devotion and financially, for readers to read absolutely every comic involved as part of War of the Realms. The tie-ins are made to extend the story as you see fit and are not required reading to understand the main story.
If you do want to read some of the tie-ins, but are not sure which ones, you can decide based on a few different criteria:
- Story threads that spin out of tie-ins
- Characters involved
- Writers or artists that are creating the tie-ins
Background Reading
Looking to read the comics that lead up to War of the Realms? While you can start reading with War of the Realms #1, here are some comics that I recommend:
Jason Aaron’s Thor Run
Jason Aaron has been writing Thor for more than 7 years and War of the Realms will be his final story in that overall run. With more than 80 issues involved, it’s a big read (and really good too) but that’s a lot of to read if you just want some background reading for War of the Realms.
If you fit into that category, here are a few stories to check out:
- Thor: God of Thunder #12
- Thor: God of Thunder #13-17 (Features Malekith)
- Thor: God of Thunder #25 (First mention of War of the Realms)
- The Mighty Thor (2015 series) #1-5
- Thor (2018 series) #1-9
If you’re looking to read all of Jason Aaron’s Thor run then check out this reading order guide.
Another alternative is the War of the Realms Prelude collection.
War of the Realms Prelude TPB
Collects Thor #344, Thor: God of Thunder #13, #17, and #25, Mighty Thor (2015 series) #1-2, #4, #13-14, #22, and #700, and Mighty Thor: At the Gates of Valhalla.
The Road to War of the Realms
These are the comics that build up to and directly lead into War of the Realms. Some of these relate to the comic book event more than others. They are marked “The War of the Realms is coming…” on the cover. Avengers #15-17 had this on the cover too but has nothing to do with War of the Realms.
Asgardians of the Galaxy #6
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Matteo Lolli.
Available February 6th.
Thor #10
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike del Mundo.
Available February 13th.
Asgardians of the Galaxy #7
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Matteo Lolli.
Available March 13th.
Thor #11
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike del Mundo.
Available March 20th.
The War of the Realms Reading Order
Below is the recommended reading order if you want to read everything. Marvel has broken the event up into three acts, which signify the shift int he story. I have added them into the list as a good frame of reference.
Act 1: The World at War
War of the Realms #1 (of 6)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Russell Dauterman.
Available April 3rd.
War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #1 (of 5) (Tie-in)
Written by Clint McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy. Art by André Lima Araújo.
Available April 10th.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #43 (Tie-in)
Written by Ryan North. Art by Derek Charm.
Available April 10th.
Asgardians of the Galaxy #8 (Tie-in)
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Matteo Lolli.
Available April 10th.
War of the Realms #2 (of 6)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Russell Dauterman.
Available April 17th.
War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron, Chip Zdarsky, and Josh Trujillo. Art by Andrea Sorrentino, Joe Quinones, and others.
Available April 17th.
Thor #12 (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike Del Mundo.
Available April 17th.
War of the Realms: Punisher #1 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Marcelo Ferreira.
Available April 17th.
Avengers #18 (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Ed McGuinness.
Available April 24th.
Venom #13 (Tie-in)
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Iban Coello.
Available April 24th.
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #1 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Matthew Rosenberg. Art by Pere Perez.
Available April 24th.
Act 2: Reclaim the Realms
War of the Realms #3 (of 6)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Russell Dauterman.
Available May 1st.
War of the Realms Strikeforce: Dark Elf Realm #1 (Tie-in one-shot)
Written by Bryan Hill. Art by Leinil Francis Yu.
Available May 1st.
Champions #5 (Tie-in)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Steven Cummings.
Available May 1st.
War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #2 (of 5) (Tie-in)
Written by Clint McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy. Art by André Lima Araújo.
Available May 8th.
War of Realms: New Agents of Atlas #1 (of 4) (Tie-in)
Written by Greg Pak. Art by Gang-Hyuk Lim.
Available May 8th.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #44 (Tie-in)
Written by Ryan North. Art by Derek Charm.
Available May 8
War of the Realms Strikeforce: War Avengers #1 (Tie-in one-shot)
Written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum. Art by Kim Jacinto.
Available May 15th.
War of the Realms #4 (of 6)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Russell Dauterman.
Available May 15th.
War of the Realms: Giant-Man #1 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Leah Williams. Art by Marco Castiello.
Available May 15th.
War of the Realms: Spider-Man and the League of Realms #1 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Sean Ryan. Art by Nico Leon.
Available May 15th.
War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #3 (of 5) (Tie-in)
Written by Clint McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy. Art by André Lima Araújo.
Available May 22nd.
Avengers #19 (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Ed McGuinness.
Available May 22nd.
Asgardians of the Galaxy #9 (Tie-in)
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Paolo Villanelli.
Available May 22nd.
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #2 (of 3) (Tie-In)
Written by Matthew Rosenberg. Art by Pere Perez.
Available May 22nd.
War of the Realms Strikeforce: Land of Giants #1 (Tie-in one-shot)
Written by Tom Taylor. Art by Jorge Molina.
Available May 22nd.
War of Realms: New Agents of Atlas #2 (of 4) (Tie-in)
Written by Greg Pak. Art by Gang-Hyuk Lim.
Available May 22nd.
War of the Realms: Punisher #2 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Marcelo Ferreira.
Available May 22nd.
Venom #14 (Tie-in)
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Iban Coello.
Available May 22nd.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #43 (Tie-in)
Written by Brandon Montclare. Art by Ray-Anthony Height and Gustavo Duarte.
Available May 22nd.
War of the Realms: War Scrolls #2 (of 3) (Tie-In)
Written by Jason Aaron, Devin Grayson and others. Art by Andrea Sorrentino and others.
Available May 29th.
Thor #13 (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike Del Mundo.
Available May 29th.
War of the Realms: Giant-Man #2 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Leah Williams. Art by Marco Castiello.
Available May 29th.
War of the Realms: Spider-Man and the League of Realms #2 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Sean Ryan. Art by Nico Leon.
Available May 29th.
Fantastic Four #10 (Tie-in)
Written by Dan Slott. Art by Stefano Caselli.
Available May 29th.
Tony Stark: Iron Man #12 (Tie-in)
Written by Gail Simone. Art by Paolo Villanelli.
Available June 5th.
Act 3: Midgar’s Last Stand!
War of the Realms #5 (of 6)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Russell Dauterman.
Available June 5th.
War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #4 (of 5) (Tie-in)
Written by Clint McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy. Art by André Lima Araújo.
Available June 5th.
War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #3 (of 4) (Tie-in)
Written by Greg Pak. Art by Gang-Hyuk Lim.
Available June 5th.
Captain Marvel #6 (Tie-in)
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Annapaola Martello.
Available June 5th.
Deadpool #13 (Tie-in)
Written by Skottie Young. Art by Nic Klein.
Available June 5th.
Asgardians of the Galaxy #10 (Tie-in)
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Matteo Lolli.
Available June 12th.
War of the Realms: Giant-Man #3 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Leah Williams. Art by Marco Castiello.
Available June 12th.
Venom #15 (Tie-in)
Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Iban Coello.
Available June 12th.
Superior Spider-Man #7 (Tie-in)
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Lan Medina.
Available June 12th.
Champions #6 (Tie-in)
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Juanan Ramirez.
Available June 12th.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #45 (Tie-in)
Written by Ryan North. Art by Derek Charm.
Available June 12th.
War of the Realms: War Scrolls #3 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron, Devin Grayson and others. Art by Andrea Sorrentino and others.
Available June 19th.
War of the Realms: Spider-Man and the League of Realms #3 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Sean Ryan. Art by Nico Leon.
Available June 19th.
Captain Marvel #7 (Tie-in)
Written by Kelly Thompson. Art by Annapaola Martello.
Available June 19th.
Tony Stark: Iron Man #13 (Tie-in)
Written by Gail Simone. Art by Paolo Villanelli.
Available June 19th.
Deadpool #14 (Tie-in)
Written by Skottie Young. Art by Nic Klein.
Available June 19th.
War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #5 (of 5) (Tie-in)
Written by Clint McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy. Art by André Lima Araújo.
Available June 19th.
Superior Spider-Man #8 (Tie-in)
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Lan Medina.
Available June 26th.
Avengers #20 (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Ed McGuinness.
Available June 26th.
Note: Avengers #20 was marketed as a War of the Realms tie-in but has very little to do with the event.
Thor #14 (Tie-in)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike Del Mundo.
Available June 26th.
War of the Realms #6 (of 6)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Russell Dauterman.
Available June 26th.
War of Realms: New Agents of Atlas #4 (of 4) (Tie-in)
Written by Greg Pak. Art by Gang-Hyuk Lim.
Available June 26th.
War of the Realms: Punisher #3 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Marcelo Ferreira.
Available June 26th.
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #3 (of 3) (Tie-in)
Written by Matthew Rosenberg. Art by Pere Perez.
Available June 26th.
Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #46 (Tie-in)
Written by Ryan North. Art by Derek Charm.
Available July 3rd.
War of the Realms Omega (Epilogue)
Written by Jason Aaron, Al Ewing, Gerry Duggan, and Daniel Kibblesmith. Art by Juan Ferreyra and others.
Available July 10th.
Thor #15 (Epilogue)
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike Del Mundo.
Available July 10th.
After War of the Realms
What should you be reading after War of the Realms? Here are a few suggestions:
Thor #16 onwards
Written by Jason Aaron. Art by Mike Del Mundo.
As Jason Aaron’s Thor was a big part of the lead up to War of the Realms and during it, it’s only fitting that events from it will ripple in the Thor comic. The solicitations mention that this is the beginning of the final Thor story for Jason Aaron’s run.
Valkyrie #1 onwards
Written by Jason Aaron and Al Ewing. Art by CAFU.
Series starts July 24th
Loki #1 onwards
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith. Art by Oscar Bazaldua.
Series starts July 17th.
Punisher Kill Krew #1-5
Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Juan Ferreyra.
Series starts July 31st.
For anyone who has been enjoying the Agents of Atlas series then you should check out the following series launching after War of the Realms:
Aero #1
Written by Zhou Liefen and Greg Pak. Art by Keng and Pop Mhan.
Series starts July 3rd
Sword Master #1
Written by Shuizhu and Greg Pak. Art by Gunji and Ario Anindito.
Series starts July 24th
Agents of Atlas #1 (of 5)
Written by Greg Pak and Jeff Parker. Art by Gang Hyuk Lim and Carlo Pagulayan.
Series starts in August
The following series mention War of the Realms in the solicitations but it is unsure how much they will relate to the aftermath of the event.
Champions #7
Written by Jim Zub. Art by Steven Cummings.
Available July 10th
Superior Spider-Man #9
Written by Christos Gage. Art by Mike Hawthorne.
Avilable July 17th.
Watch this space as there is likely to be more comics to follow coming out of War of the Realms.
War of The Realms Collected Editions
Prefer to read War of the Realms in trade paperback? These are the volumes you’ll need to track down.
War of the Realms
Collects: War of the Realms #1-6 and War of the Realms: Omega
War of the Realms: Strikeforce
Collects: War of the Realms: Strikeforce: The Land of the Giants, The Dark Elf Realm, and The War Avengers
Asgardians of the Galaxy Volume 2: War of the Realms
Collects: Asgardians of the Galaxy #6-10
War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery
Collects: War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #1-5
War of the Realms: Giant Man
Collects: War of the Realms: Giant-Man #1-3 and material from War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1
War Of The Realms: The Punisher
Collects: War of the Realms: The Punisher #1-3 and material from War of the Realms Omega #1 and War of the Realms: War Scrolls #3
War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas
Collects: War of the Realms: New Agents of Altas #1-4
War of the Realms: Amazing Spider-Man/Daredevil
Collects: War of the Realms: Spider-Man and the League of the Realms #1-3 and material from War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1-3
War Of The Realms: Uncanny X-Men
Collects: War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #1-3 and material from War of the Realms: War Scrolls #2
War of the Realms: Venom
Collects: Venom #13-15 and Venom: Cult of Carnage (not part of War of the Realms)
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Volume 11: Call Your Squirrelfriend
Collects: The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #42-46
Tony Stark: Iron Man Vol. 3: War Of The Realms
Collects: Tony Stark: Iron Man #12-14 and Iron Man (1998 series) #25 (not part of War of the Realms)
And if you want everything in one BIG book then there is also The War of the Realms Omnibus coming out later half of 2020.
War of the Realms Omnibus
Collects: War of the Realms (2019) #1-6, War of the Realms Omega (2019) #1, War of the Realms: War Scrolls (2019) #1-3, War of the Realms Strikeforce: The Land of the Giants (2019) #1, War of the Realms Strikeforce: The Dark Elf Realm (2019) #1, War of the Realms Strikeforce: The War Avengers (2019) #1, Giant-Man (2019) #1-3, War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery (2019) #1-5, Spider-Man & the League of Realms (2019) #1-3, War of the Realms: The Punisher (2019) #1-3, War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men (2019) #1-3, War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas (2019) #1-4, Asgardians of the Galaxy (2018) #8-10, Tony Stark: Iron Man (2018) #12-13, Venom (2018) #13-15, Thor (2018) #8-16 , Avengers (2018) #18-20, Captain Marvel (2019) #6–7, Champions (2019) #5–6, Deadpool (2018) #13–14, Fantastic Four (2018) #10, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2016) #43, Superior Spider-Man (2019) #7–8, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015) #43–46.
Have Your Say!
Have you found the War of the Realms Reading Order helpful? Or have I got something in the wrong order? Kindly let me know in the comments below or via Facebook or Twitter.
Previous Marvel Event Reading Order: Secret Empire
Hello, I have noticed a slight mistake. I don\’t know if you can see that the story of Avengers # 20 should be in the wrong order before the main line ends. Also, could you tell me the meaning of \”The Road to War of the Realms\”? Because I found that the content of Avengers is not related to the event, but there is a warning sign on the cover that the event broke out, is that why?
I have added some notes to make it more clear based on your questions.
In the Avengers #20 story, I saw the She-Hulk talking to Daredevil, who at this point was imbued with cosmic powers. And after the end of the main storyline, Daredevil loses his cosmic powers, so this issue should be right before the end of the main storyline. And here’s another mistake, the end of Thor #14 clearly hints that the story will be pending in War of Realms #6, they’re in reverse order.
By the way, I’d like to ask something that’s been bugging me, I’ve only recently started reading Marvel comics, and as I’ve gotten to know them, I’ve noticed something about big events, I know that generally the covers of comics that deal with big events have a logo with the name of the event, especially spinoffs, but some don’t, so much so that when I read the comics I’m puzzled as to why some of the covers have the logo added to them, and some don’t. Is it because there is a connection between them? I don’t know what Marvel was thinking, because there’s no official specific order in which to read them, which is very agonizing for new readers. Do you have any idea why?
wait i found it
Where does the War of the Realms Giant Man fit into this?
Hey mate last the I check you were on hiatus. I don’t k ow when you came back but Welcome Back mate.
Hey mate last the I check you were on hiatus. I don’t k ow when you came back but Welcome Back mate
Is this a good spot to start reading and getting into comics specifically marvel?
Hey Jacob, I’ve talked to a few people who have started with War of the Realms as their first Marvel comic and they’ve been fine. There are a few things that are mentioned from what Jason Aaron has been doing with his run in Thor but if you just roll with it then I think you’ll be fine. If you enjoy War of the Realms then you can continue with any of the aftermath stories or go back and read Jason Aaron’s Thor run (reading order in the Background Reading section) to see how War of the Realms slowly built up.
Thanks for this list. It’s perfect to go over with my out of town comic store and making sure I don’t miss a single issue. It has been expensive, but worth it.
Saying that you dont have to read tie ins to get the full story is misleading. Ive only been reading the actual War Of The Realms, there are major gaps between all the issues that you need to read the tie ins to get. There are a ridiculous amount of tie ins with this event, it’s such a cash grab that it makes me not even want to finish it.
War Scrolls #3 comes out 6/19, not 6/12.
https://comicstore.marvel.com/War-Of-The-Realms-War-Scrolls-2019-3-of-3/digital-comic/51838?r=1
Thanks for the update!
Superior Spider-Man #7 will be released 6/12, not 6/5. https://comicstore.marvel.com/Superior-Spider-Man-2018-7/digital-comic/51691
Thanks for the update!
Thanks Trevor. Best reading order list on the net. I like your writing.
I believe War of the Realms Strikeforce, War Avengers #1 should come before War of the Realms #4. In War Avengers(I read right after WOTR #4) I was wondering how Venom got back to the team. In WOTR #4 he is with Malikith. Then towards the end of War Avengers #1, Malikith takes Venom and and Captain Marvel says,”Where the hell did they go?*” The * says, Find out in WOTR #4. Loving the series and your Reading Order has been very help. Especially since I buy lots of books weekly and my reading pile is now the size of a mountain!
Thanks for letting me know. I’ve made the change to the list 🙂 Glad to hear that the reading order has been helpful too.
Luckily I just collected a good chunk of this for my all-black Necrosword/Knull reading order
I’m another yes vote for the whole prelude thor reading order!
Some release dates need to be changed on this list:
War of the Realms Strikeforce: War Avengers #1
Available May 15th (you have it as the 8th)
War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #2
Available May 22nd (you have it as the 15th)
Just a little update since Marvel changed the release dates
Thank you!
Hi Trevor, i have some changes for the order…
Act 1 : The World at War (from WotR #1 to Uncanny X-Men #1)
Act 2 : Reclaim the Realms (from WotR #3 to Fantastic Four #10)
Act 3 : Midgar’s Last Stand! (from WotR #5 to WotR Omega)
Change Tony Stark: Iron Man #12 to 6/5
Change Superior Spider-Man #8 to 6/19
Change War of the Realms Omega to 7/10
Add Superior Spider-Man #7 to 6/5 (Cage – Medina)
Add Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #46 to 3/7 (North – Charm)
Best Regards!!
Thanks for pointing these out!
Upvote from me for a Jason Aaron Thor reading order.
You have War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1 listed before War of the Realms #2. The title page of War Scrolls says to read it AFTER reading WotR #2.
Where exactly did you find the information for the reading order? The only thing I’ve found are the checklists, which show them in a different order – which is obviously not the reading order.
Hey there. As someone who just got into reading comics a few years ago, I totally understand how intimidating it can be to get started. I’ve found this site to be really helpful to figure out how/what to read. Keep checking back, because there are articles about good jumping on points, where it talks about a new run/story starting which makes it easier to get into a comic.
Also, if you wanted to check out older comics, try searching on here because there might be reading orders that can be really helpful. For example, I was really confused about where to start reading Suicide Squad, because there are a few different #1 issues, and the reading order on here let me know the proper order.
Thanks for the handy list! The first issue of The War Of The Realms was so good that I purchased the Prelude TPB. Jason Aaron is amazing!!! Should be fun to see where this goes. This seems like a major Marvel event worth following.
I just finished War of the Realms #1 and it’s the first comic I’ve ever read. I’ve been wanting to try to get into comics for years, but it was very overwhelming trying to figure out where to start. My husband actually just bought it for me as a birthday gift and I absolutely loved it.
I’m a big fan of mythology so naturally I love Thor, Loki, and the rest of the Asgardians. I’m also a huge fan of the MCU, so I’m familiar with the characters. While obviously I don’t know all of the details leading up to The War of the Realms, I was still able to enjoy it and I didn’t feel lost. As much as I’d like to read some of the story leading up to it, I’m glad it’s not required. For someone like me who knows virtually nothing about comics, it would be really hard to track down and decide on what to read.
Hi Whitney, you’ve picked a great comic to be your first. Marvel does a great job at making sure the event comics can be read on their own, without any background reading required. I hope you enjoy the rest of War of the Realms!
I just read through the material for the reading list of WAR OF THE REALMS and I’m requesting a full list of all the Jason Aaron Thor issues leading up to this storyline. I very much enjoy the thrill of the hunt and fully intend on obtaining every comic, no matter how obscure to the story it is. Thanks.