10 Iconic Marvel Comics That Aged Poorly

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While it might not seem like it, writing comics is a means of capturing entire years and decades worth of culture and history in a single, concise issue. Cultural trends, national news, global politics, and more are represented in the stories that feature Marvel‘s favorite larger-than-life characters. Once upon a time, it was commonplace to see Captain America fighting the Communist Reds; today, such villainous forces are less of a national threat than they were once perceived to be. To this end, comics – no matter how short or insignificant they may seem – are time capsules. Opening a comic and diving into its story can elicit a smile as readers are taken back in time.

Sometimes, however, comics don’t stand the test of time and serve as staunch examples of how not to pen a story. It’s important to remember that as poorly as these stories may have aged, a great many people put effort into making them. While certain stories are more explicitly dubious than others, for the most part, many are simply products of their times, whether it be an influence from its cultural zeitgeist or different cultural norms. Some of the more contentious moments in Marvel history would draw some sharp looks nowadays.

She Could Have Said Literally Anything Else

There’s crime afoot, and only Ant-Man and the Wasp can end it! The masked supervillain known as The Human Top is speeding and spinning across town, and thanks to his amazing powers, no one can apprehend him. With the authorities at their wits’ end, Ant-Man and the Wasp convene with them to hatch a plan to capture the Human Top. Everyone present is putting on their thinking caps, ironing out the details of their plan when the Wasp has one of the single-most ridiculous thought bubbles in Marvel history.

Janet Van Dyne is no slouch. While she may have started as the spunky and fashionable foil to Hank Pym’s more uptight scientist persona, she’s never been stupid or dim-witted. She’s always had the intellect and brains to match her attitude and looks, so she’s been such a great partner for Hank. So to see Jan think of nothing more than how happy she is to be in a room full of men – not contributing to their plans, not voicing her opinions on the matter – but just being happy she’s in a room full of testicles is absurd and a huge disservice not just to her character, but to all women in general.

9

Adam Warlock Became the Victim of Some Pretty Weird Science

He Was the True Villain In This Moment, Scientifically Speaking

Adam Warlock has long existed as the source of cosmic existentialism for Marvel’s space-faring heroes. Imbued with godlike powers of strength, speed, and invulnerability, as well as the potent powers of his vampiric Soul Gem, Adam Warlock should be ecstatic at what he can accomplish across the universe. But his inorganic birth and ill-fated destiny left Adam with a deep-rooted sadness as he couldn’t figure out his place in the cosmos. This is why his adventures took him deep into the heart of the universe, far from Earth.

Returning to Earth after contending with many a quest of his own, Adam was horrified to discover that his body had expanded to a size vastly larger than our own solar system due to the Expanding Universe theory. To begin with, that’s not how that works. Secondly, if Adam had expanded to such a size and then returned to our solar system, his mere physical presence alone would have created an apocalyptic change in gravity that would have destroyed the entire solar system. It was interesting to present Adam with such a problem, but the rough smudging of science was a bridge a tad too far to cross to warrant the suspension of belief (considering Adam is a man who can fly through space.)

8

Kitty Pryde Was WAY Too Young to be Dating Colossus

A Friendship Should Have Been As Far As It Went

It’s common knowledge that there have been numerous relationships among the many members of the X-Men. Cyclops and Jean, Storm and Forge, Gambit and Rogue; there have been some very famous power couples in the X-Men, some of which are still active today. However, one of the most contentious and controversial relationships in the X-Men was between Kitty Pryde and Colossus. For anyone who might be confused about why their particular romance would be so divisive, it was because when they first met, Colossus was nineteen and Kitty was fourteen.

It’s normal for younger kids to develop crushes on older people. But what isn’t okay is to allow a relationship between a girl barely a teenager and a man nearly twenty years old. The idea of a legal adult dating a minor, especially one so much younger than him, was too weird for comfort. Kitty and Colossus’ relationship has had its ups and downs over the years, but as they’re both fully grown adults now, it’s a much less frown-inducing situation.

7

Professor X Revealed His Creepiest and Most Unwanted Confession

Seriously, There Was No Reason For This

Cyclops, Beast, Iceman, and Angel were four teenage mutants, each possessing wondrous powers, and they wore the classic black and yellow suits of the X-Men. Their leader, mentor, and teacher, Professor X, trained them to become an elite fighting force to battle the threats of evil mutants. When a fifth member joined their ranks, everything changed. Jean Grey’s induction into the X-Men introduced the inevitable complications of love and romance to the team as she was the only female member then. Unfortunately, Cyclops and Angel weren’t the only ones vying for her affection.

In a particularly skin-crawling moment of soul-bearing, Professor X thinks about how tormented he is because he has to keep his love for Jean to himself. Jean was only fifteen years old when she joined the X-Men. Professor X was a man many decades older than her. He barely even knew her, as she had just joined the team. The idea that he was already in love with her was extremely bizarre. Luckily, nothing ever came out of this revelation beyond a brief mention during the Onslaught saga, and it was dropped quickly. Few things can bring about more drama than a good love triangle, so it’s understandable why the idea of Professor X battling with his unrequited love could have made sense on paper. In execution, however, it was a weird and creepy move that should never have been considered in the first place.

6

Gwen Stacy Became a Vehicle to Torment Spider-Man in the Worst Way Possible

She Didn’t Deserve This

Many fans may know Mary Jane Watson as Peter Parker’s one true love, and that’s been the case for many decades. Spider-Man has had many relationships over the years, but MJ has always been the one he’s gone back to the most. But before he dated MJ, Peter had fallen in love with another girl who suffered a terrible fate due to her connection to Spider-Man. Gwen Stacy has long existed as one of Spider-Man’s most devastating failures and is a testament to how dangerous the life of a superhero can be.So, to randomly reveal that Gwen Stacy – one of Marvel’s most beloved and cherished characters – had not only lied to Peter but also birthed the children of his arch-nemesis was a complete slap in her face.

Sins Past was an event that sought to reveal a dark truth hidden deep within Gwen Stacy’s past. It stated that she had not only had sex with Norman Osborn – ya know, the man that killed her – but had also had his children. The entire idea that Gwen was somehow promiscuous during the time she was dating Peter, that she would lie to him about having kids, that she would leave a letter for him years later detailing her sordid history, and that she would willingly have sex with her boyfriend’s best friend’s dad (who would later kill her) was horrible. Luckily, the plot has since been retconned as an overly convoluted ploy by Mysterio, so at least there’s that.

5

Skrull Kill Krew is Marvel’s Most Mind-Baffling Moment of Cognitive Dissonance

Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?

The Skrull Kill Krew isn’t exactly an iconic Marvel comic, but it did help set the foundation for the massive Secret Invasion event many years later. Skrull Kill Krew introduces several humans who have developed various powers thanks to eating Skrull-contaminated beef (a direct throwback to 1962’s Fantastic Four #2.) The people who ate this beef gained the ability to see Skrulls for what they really are, and deciding to purge the world of these alien invaders; the self-proclaimed Skrull Kill Krew got to work. The only problem is that one of the members was a card-carrying racist and neo-Nazi.

Moonstomper was a British skinhead who consistently made derogatory and hateful racial comments towards Ryder, the group’s Black leader. There is no nuance, no change of heart, and no other way of construing who and what he is. It is stated very clearly and plainly that he is a racist neo-Nazi. He is shown idolizing Baron Von Strucker and defending Hydra’s fascist ideology. He doesn’t add anything to the narrative other than caustic white supremacy. The ’90s were full of extreme edge, so introducing an unlikable edge lord as a character was par for the course. But there’s a big difference between having a character like Wolverine or Cable flaunting their bad attitudes and having a character drop racial slurs just for shock value. Skrull Kill Krew aged like milk.

4

Tony Stark Was Revealed As a Traitor in a Story No One Liked

It Took Two Other Events To Smooth This Over

The ’90s were a tough time for comics. Many classic characters and teams from the ’60s and ’70s struggled to stay relevant, and with the rise of extreme ’90s attitude, it was difficult for many characters to make the transition. The Avengers, Marvel’s flagship superhero team, had difficulty competing with the likes of the X-Men, X-Force, and Spider-Man. To liven up the stagnating team, Marvel decided to release The Crossing. This story sought to inject the Avengers with everything they were missing at the time: backward baseball caps, leather bomber jackets, and radical new outfits. Oh, and it revealed that Iron Man was a traitor all along.

Iron Man had been working as a spy for Kang the Conqueror for years. With Iron Man’s true colors revealed, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were faced with their mightiest betrayal. Except the revelation came out of nowhere, did not fit the character in any capacity, and served as nothing more than a shock piece to drum up interest in the character. Fan’s reactions were so negative that the plot was later retconned, though it did give readers a young version of Tony Stark in the interim. It would take both the Onslaught and Heroes Reborn events to undo this unnecessary plot twist that has since become a smear on Iron Man’s legacy.

3

Magneto’s Destruction of the Ultimate Universe Has Been Considered One of Marvel’s Rockiest Moments

This Could Have Been Told In So Many Other Ways

The Ultimate Universe was Marvel’s means of reinventing classic characters and concepts across the Marvel Universe that didn’t impact the core continuity. Peter Parker and Eddie Brock were childhood friends, Galactus was a giant swarm of space drones, and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were in a relationship; in other words, it was a universe that was similar to the Marvel fans had come to know for decades, just different in many key ways. But when it was time for the Ultimate Universe to end, an event known as Ultimatum was released to bring the alternate Earth to a close. Instead of bowing out gracefully, Ultimatum was one of the goriest and most unnecessary stories ever written.

Countless characters are killed horrifically. Dormammu pops Doctor Strange’s head like a grape; Blob eats Wasp, who then has his head bitten off by Giant-Man; Wolverine gets incinerated by a combined blast from Cyclops and Iron Man. Every single step of the way, Ultimatum depicted the most gruesome deaths possible with absolutely no payoff. As an event that was supposed to send off a very popular line of comics, Ultimatum was a complete middle finger to fans of the Ultimate universe. Watching favorite superheroes get massacred in gross ways isn’t fun; it doesn’t leave positive memories of the line of comics and effectively wastes fans’ time following it since its conception.

2

Invisible Woman Traded in Her Classic Outfit For More Eye-Catching Attire

Yeah, It Didn’t Last Very Long

If it’s been said once, it’ll be said forever: the ’90s were difficult for the comics industry. Major publishing houses scrambled to keep interests afloat in an age of unprecedented cultural change. Characters were killed, new teams were formed, and wild revelations were the soup du jour. The Fantastic Four were at the forefront of ailing Marvel heroes in the ’90s. Deemed antiquated and boring compared to the super stylish mutants in the X-Men, Marvel’s First Family had several major shake-ups occur in hopes of piquing the reader’s interest. And few things catch people’s attention better or faster than a snazzy new supersuit.

For Sue Storm, however, her new outfit was a jarring departure from the traditional blue suits the Fantastic Four had become famous for. With bare thighs, bare shoulders, bare mid-riff, and an absurd “4” shaped boob window, Sue’s outfit was one of the most ridiculous redesigns of the decade. She made the outfit to get Reed’s attention, as he was always so absorbed in his work. In a way, it’s actually cute that she would take such an obvious measure to catch her husband’s attention. Ultimately, it was an outfit that clashed with her demeanor as a person and the team’s decades of attire. If the rest of the team had also decided to wear similar outfits, it might’ve landed better (and infinitely funnier). Luckily, Sue retired the suit for a different one only a few issues later.

1

Captain America’s Hydra Reveal Was, Is, and Will Always Be Terrible

It Was Unnecessary In Every Way

Captain America is one of Marvel’s most iconic and popular superheroes. Introduced during World War II as a symbol of hope and national unity during an extremely dark time, Captain America became more than just a fun hero to read about. He became a source of inspiration for people at home and soldiers abroad. He became the embodiment of what America should stand for. Over the years, Captain America has remained the shining beacon of truth and justice, no matter how dire things may become. So, when it was suddenly revealed that Captain America was a Hydra operative all along, Marvel unwittingly released one of its most unwelcome stories of all time.

Saying that Cap was a Hydra operative since the beginning of his career went against decades’ worth of established lore. To suggest that Captain America, a character those soldiers read and enjoyed overseas, was a Nazi analog all along was a massive insult. Warping Captain America – the embodiment of what America is supposed to be – into a fascist tyrant was a horrible decision. It wasn’t well received upon its release, and it’s mostly remembered today for the slew of memes it produced. Superhero comics should leave a fan feeling good after reading them; Secret Empire did no such thing, and the fact that it’s been left behind so unceremoniously is proof of its poor legacy.

“}]] Marvel has produced some truly amazing stories over the years, but comics like Secret Empire and Sins Past have not stood the test of time at all.  Read More