Attempts have been made to revive the series, though none have been successful; most recently, a one-shot to be titled Marvel Summer Special was announced for release in 2019, but was subsequently cancelled.

The concept of a comic series that imitated the successful Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was proposed multiple times, and was ultimately published in 1991.

[1] According to writer Warren Ellis, male characters were included at the direction of Christian Cooper, who edited the final two issues of the Swimsuit Special.

Marvel Illustrated: The Swimsuit Issue is set during the "Super Olympics" organized by Stark Enterprises in the Savage Land, with the images presented as characters modelling swimwear designed by Janet Van Dyne.

[12] Marvel Swimsuit Special #1 is set in the fictional nation of Wakanda, with the illustrations presented as photographs from Black Panther and Monica Lynne's engagement party.

Comics writer Chris Claremont has called the series "problematic and plagued by the inherent disadvantage female characters face,"[4] and criticized its focus on titillation over storytelling.

"[8] Conversely, critic Megan Byrd has praised the Marvel Swimsuit Special in Women Write About Comics, arguing that the series "fulfill[s] fans' desires to see the characters sexualized, without that goal distracting or minimizing the content of in-continuity stories.

Writing for ComicsAlliance, writer Andrew Wheeler criticized the largely non-sexualized images as lacking the "confidence that Marvel showed twenty years ago with its famously tongue-in-cheek Swimsuit Specials.

[33] Three weeks later, the issue was pulled from Marvel's release schedule and Diamond Comics' Previews retail catalog, effectively cancelling the title.