American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy has shared that the forthcoming season will be an Avengers-style crossover with characters from previous seasons returning.

The anthology series tells a different story with a different set of characters each season, although it is understood they exist in the same universe with some connections between each story. The show also has a regular ensemble, with Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters appearing in numerous different roles. Many fans have been speculating what is in store for the show’s season 13, a number associated with horror, and during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Murphy revealed what direction the season would take.

Replying to set photos that showed characters from AHS: Coven, he said. “Everybody thinks it’s a Coven season and it’s not. It’s all the seasons. Sarah Paulson is playing six or seven roles. Jessica Lange is playing all four of her iconic characters. Evan Peters is playing five characters… It is like the Avengers. They all come together to defeat the ultimate evil.”

Ryan Murphy tells us ‘American Horror Story: 13’ is “not a Coven story” ― it’s so much more. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/AVnhGrFga1

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) July 28, 2026

He also discussed how he brought all his previous stars together. “As soon as I pitched it to them — many of them had said ‘no’ over the years — they were like, ‘Well, OK, I’ve gotta come back for that’. But I pitched Jessica Lange and she was like, ‘Oh shit, now I gotta do it,’” Murphy said. “It’s all of them in one season and it’s 13 episodes because it’s called ‘13’. I spent many, many months and many years writing it. I wanted to do 13 in a special way.”

In October last year, Ariana Grande has joined the cast of the 13th season of American Horror Story in an undisclosed role. However, it was reported last month that she had to leave the production due to the shooting schedule conflicting with her current ‘Eternal Sunshine’ tour.