10 Comics You Need to Read if You Loved Spider-Man Reign

Spider-Man is usually a lighthearted hero, with the Marvel Universe’s resident Webslinger known for his jokes and colorful cast of villains. Of course, he sometimes experiences some darker stories, as seen in the dark potential future of “Reign.” This is easily one of the bleakest tales involving the wall-crawler, though there are several similar stories in comic books.

For comic book fans who loved “Reign,” several other stories also feature superheroes in a dark, almost post-apocalyptic future. These comics focus on familiar heroes such as Superman and Batman, while others are independent comic books. While they might not all feature Marvel’s friendly neighborhood hero, these tales will certainly entice those who liked Spidey’s darkest hour.

10 The Dark Knight Returns Heavily Inspired Spider-Man: Reign

Created by: Frank Miller and Klaus Janson

In his notable DC work, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller handled the original “dark future” in comic books. Though the character had already largely returned to a dark and moody tone in the 1970s under the pen of Denny O’Neil, The Dark Knight Returns took this a step further and portrayed the Caped Crusader at his grittiest. Having retired after the deaths of Robin and Alfred, Bruce Wayne becomes Batman once more in a depressing future version of Gotham ruled by criminal “mutant” gangs.

Perhaps the most notorious element of the series was the fight between Batman and Superman, which essentially “ended” the World’s Finest friendship between the two, which had been apparent since the Golden Age of Comics. The Dark Knight Returns has continued to inspire countless comic books and movies, with an example of the former being Spider-Man: Reign.

9 Wonder Woman: Dead Earth Featured a Post-Apocalyptic Amazon

Created by: Daniel Warren Johnson

One of the most beloved works in the “DC Black Label” imprint, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth, loosely revived a similar concept seen during DC’s output in the 1990s. Reawakened long after her seeming death and with no other Justice League members alive, the series sees Wonder Woman trying to rediscover who she is in a dark and twisted new world.

Wonder Woman: Dead Earth was a great sci-fi showcase of Diana’s warrior leanings. It was also morbidly in line with the many-times immortal Amazon’s central concept. With all her loved ones and allies now dead, the story sees Wonder Woman trying to find herself again as she defends an entirely new world.

8 Kingdom Come Was a Dark Future from a Dark Era

Created By: Mark Waid and Alex Ross

In many ways, Kingdom Come was arguably an example of what it was reacting to. A rebuttal against the grim and gritty antiheroes of the 1990s, Kingdom Come saw Superman and the Justice League return after ceding protection of the world to a violent generation of superhumans. This sees the Man of Steel himself becoming as jaded as the world around him, with the various supervillains (led by Lex Luthor) also plotting to retake control of the planet from its metahuman “protectors.”

Filled with poetic Biblical texts and showcasing the heroes as larger-than-life through Alex Ross’s art, Kingdom Come is held up by many as one of the landmarks of comic books. It also had a major impact on several DC heroes, namely Superman’s occasional feuds with DC’s take on Captain Marvel/Shazam. While it ends fairly positively, it’s still an initially saddening and morose story.

7 Future Imperfect Showcased the Reign of Marvel’s Darkest Hulk

Created By: Peter David and George Pérez

The Hulk has always been more of a monster than a superhero, with many of the other characters in the Marvel Universe fighting him as much as they do villains. This came to a head in Peter David’s iconic run on The Incredible Hulk, which looked at a potential future in which Hulk truly was the strongest there is. The “Future Imperfect” storyline showcased a world where a nuclear holocaust made Hulk the only surviving hero, but his warped mind saw him become the villainous Maestro.

This initial story involving Maestro was essentially Hulk’s version of Spider-Man’s “Reign” storyline, though it involved the present-day Hulk seeing Maestro’s work firsthand. It was also a logical conclusion, of sorts, to Hulk’s power and identity. Always wanting to be left alone, the story arc perfectly represented how dark this idea would be in the Marvel Universe.

6 Geiger Is Geoff Johns’ Creator-Owned Nuclear Dystopia

Created By: Geoff Johns and Gary Frank

Part of the Ghost Machine imprint created by the well-known comic book writer, Geiger is a standalone modern classic that also ties into the wider shared universe of “The Unnamed.” A man who, unlike his family, survived a nuclear holocaust, the now atomic-powered Tariq Geiger becomes an urban legend in a world ravaged by the tyrants that arose in the wake of the Unknown War.

Geiger sees Johns’ talent applied to a science fiction world with the “smell” of the superhero genre. Like Spider-Man: Reign, the title hero survives his loved ones and is forced to face a dark new world alone. It also reimagines obscure DC Comics concepts and characters, such as the Atomic Knights, much as fellow Ghost Machine series Junkyard Joe does with DC’s G.I. Robot.

5 TMNT: The Last Ronin Is the Ninja Turtles’ Darkest Future

Created By: Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, Esau Escorz, Isaac Escorza and Ben Bishop

Easily, the biggest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book to be released in the past few years is TMNT: The Last Ronin. Set in a dark future for the classic Mirage Studios TMNT comics, The Last Ronin sees a sole turtle restart the battle against the Foot Clan.

​​​​​​​The original Mirage Ninja Turtles comics were definitely inspired by Frank Miller’s works, namely his run on Marvel’s Daredevil. Emulating these origins, The Last Ronin aligns with The Dark Knight Returns and more modern series likeSpider-Man: Reign. This makes it a great read for fans of those books and the Ninja Turtles franchise.

4 Daredevil: End of Days Was the Curtain Call for the Man Without Fear

Created By: Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Alex Maleev and Klaus Janson

Brian Michael Bendis had one of the best runs on Daredevil ever, with the series being even more of a noir mystery than it was under Frank Miller’s pen. After his time on the book was over, Bendis gave Matt Murdock the ultimate capstone with Daredevil: End of Days. This miniseries was a murder mystery involving the death of the Man Without Fear, with Ben Urich looking into what became of him and the esoteric word “Mapone.”

Daredevil: End of Days is not only a great read for those who loved Spider-Man: Reign, but it’s also perfect for those who enjoyed the character’s Netflix TV series. The book has a truly grungy, gritty tone that mirrors the 1990s “dark futures” that Spider-Man: Reign was emulating. It also has a saddening end between Daredevil and the woman he once loved, much like what happens between Peter Parker and Mary Jane in Reign.

3 Old Man Logan Was the Clawed Mutant’s Dark Knight Returns

Created By: Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Initially published as part of the main Wolverine comic book, the “Old Man Logan” storyline was an alternate future that took everything from the titular hero. One of the few remaining heroes from the Marvel Age following a supervillain takeover of America, the now-aged Logan is ridden with guilt after being made to kill the other X-Men accidentally. In this brutal new world, he’s forced to serve out a debt to the inbred, gamma-irradiated family of the Hulk.

“Old Man Logan” is very similar to The Dark Knight Returns and Spider-Man: Reign, namely in its ending. The battle between Superman and Batman or Spider-Man and Venom is replaced with a fight between Logan and Hulk, evoking Wolverine’s debut in the Bronze Age of Comics. The world of Old Man Logan is brutal and harsh, perfectly reflecting the dystopian genre and proving that time doesn’t heal all wounds, even for Wolverine’s healing factor.

2 Days of Future Past Is the X-Men’s Most Notable Dark Future

Created By: Chris Claremont and John Byrne

Inspiring a movie of the same name and even a story arc in the 1990s X-Men cartoon, “Days of Future Past” was the first and best example of the many “dark futures” that have threatened the mutants in the many X-Men comic books. Kate Pryde (the older version of Kitty Pryde) sent her mind back into the body of her younger counterpart to keep an apocalyptic future for mutants from coming to pass. This involved keeping Mystique and the Brotherhood of Mutants from assassinating Senator Kelly and causing the world to hate mutants more than ever.

“Days of Future Past” is one of the most iconic comic book stories ever, and for good reason. Showcasing just how dark things could get for the current-day heroes increased tension for the franchise and brought the science fiction mutant metaphor to the forefront of the brand. It’s since become an alternate universe that Marvel frequently revisits, whether in the comics or outside media.

1 Ruin Is the Most Cynical Marvel Story Ever Published

Created By: Warren Ellis, Terese Nielsen, Cliff Nielsen and Chris Moeller

In the 1990s, Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross released Marvels, celebrating the Marvel Universe’s history and its biggest characters. It was a tribute to once-unpopular heroes, such as the Avengers. Released after the acclaimed Busiek book it was based on, Ruins told a much different story that turned the heroism of the Marvel Universe into a science fiction tragedy.

Marvel heroes were inverted into their most logical iterations, with their powers truly being a curse. This could be seen in Mystique, whose shape-changing powers resulted in her developing a mental illness. Hulk became a mass of living tumors, and Peter Parker’s spider bite led to a contagious disease instead of amazing powers. Even Captain America doesn’t get off clean, with the Sentinel of Liberty supposedly teaching Nick Fury the ways of cannibalism. It’s a mean-spirited and fairly ugly warp of what fans know and love, making it the ultimate in dark alternate universes.