MARVEL ANATOMY Book Illustrates the Science of Superhuman Abilities

Ever wondered how exactly Spider-Man clings to buildings? Curious what gives Squirrel Girl the ability to communicate with squirrels? A new book, Marvel Anatomy: A Scientific Study of the Superhuman, details the anatomy of over 60 superheroes and supervillains with detailed illustrations and insightful text. It even includes mutants, aliens, and those with technologically-enhanced abilities. The Marvel Anatomy book will be available on October 25, 2022 but you can pre-order it now. Below are exclusive pages of Throg, Howard the Duck, and Daredevil from the upcoming book.

The book’s premise is that T’Challa and Shuri are compiling the information as a result to the threat of a Skrull invasion. As we know, they can shape-shift and trick even Earth’s mightiest heroes. The Skrulls from the comics are more nefarious than those we’ve seen so far in Captain Marvel. Eventually Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four figured out a way to identify Skrulls.

This could be a hint about some plot points of Marvel’s upcoming Secret Invasion TV series. Or it could just be for fun. The anatomical illustrations are from concept artist Jonah Lobe. Marc Sumerak and Daniel Wallace wrote the text that is careful not to reveal any secret identities in case it falls into the wrong hands. The publisher’s site shows off more artwork, including for Red Hulk, Jocasta, the Thing, and symbiotes like Venom.

Fun facts from Marvel Anatomy include that Daredevil can recognize anyone by their scent from 50 feet away. When it comes to Throg, there’s speculation about his origins and whether a prank from Loki was involved in his creation. A bit of T’Challa’s personal opinions color each entry. He approves of Throg, calling him the Frog of Thunder. Meanwhile, his disdain for Howard the Duck is clear. The text includes that Howard “undoubtedly stands out when measured against our planet’s heroes and villains, but only because of his remarkable mediocrity.”

After devouring the Marvel Anatomy book, you can also learn real-life anatomy lessons by studying Pokémon anatomy. Or check out how wildly different humans would look if we had anatomy similar to animals. Basically, science is cool, even with it is wrapped up in fiction.

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.