A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE
Marvel's
Golden Age Begins - Marvel Comics #1
This is the comic that became, essentially, the beginning of the Marvel Universe (although it was published under their previous incarnation,
Timely, which later became
Atlas in the 1950s, which finally became
Marvel Comics in 1961). It provides the first appearan ces of the Original
Human Torch, an
android (featured on the
cover, but not anything like how he appeared in this or any subsequent comics) and the
Sub-Mariner, Namor, an
Atlantean-Human hybrid, Marvel's first mutant, and ruler of Atlantis.
Namor had been created for an unreleased comic book entitled "Motion Picture Funnies Weekly" and an expanded version of
that first, unpublished story appeared in this comic.
The book was renamed "Marvel Mystery Comics", although the "mystery"
aspect
of its title was rather obscured.
The two characters crossed over in Marvel Mystery Comics #8 in 1940, edited by Joe
Simon*. This founded the basis for a universe of heroes who could interact (copying the lead of
All-Star Comics
#3,
which featured the creation of the Justice Society of America). Namor,
as a character in general, seemed unbalanced, as he was regularly
reconsidering his allegiances. Later, in his own comic, the Torch got a
sidekick,
Toro, the Flaming Torch Kid, who, inexplicably, was also empowered just like the Human Torch.
Joe Simon*, the editor of Marvel Mystery Comics #8, went on to team up with
Jack Kirby and create
Captain America
Comics in 1941. This comic was the first to show its hero bashing
Hitler on the premier cover. In this first issue, we find out about
Steve Rogers, a young, skinny 4-F patriot who is given a second chance
by the "Super-Soldier" formula, combined with "Vita-Rays", which
transform his body into the pinnacle of human perfection. Cap also gets
a "sidekick" in this first issue, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes and
they later founded a multiracial group of patriotic kids led by Bucky
called the Sentinels of Liberty.
Captain
America, Namor and the Human Torch were the basis for all of the
company's successes, although they had a stable of other super-heroes
throughout the Golden Age. Their most popular feature characters were
finally teamed up in All-Winners #19 in 1946 as the
All-Winners Squad
(on the cover below, the kid who looks like a Namor sidekick is actually Toro
who simply hasn't "flamed on"). The team only had two appearances, but it formed the basis for retroactive continuity
(RetCon)
formed by Roy Thomas while writing The Avengers for Marvel comics in
the late 1960's. In Avengers #71 (Vol.1), an "earlier" version of the
AWS with the three anchors was named
The Invaders,
who were a quickly slapped-together team of super-heroes who didn't
necessarily get along, but had a common goal - the elimination of the
Nazi regime.
Teamed together after saving the life of British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill from Master Man, the PM suggested that they should become a
team. The rest is "history" (or, retconned history, anyway). Members
of the team included sidekicks Bucky and Toro, as well as
Union Jack, Spitfire,
Miss America, and the unfortunately named
Whizzer (his super power was super speed,
BTW - not the ability to pee on command...).
During WWII, Sgt. Nick Fury and his "Howling Commandos" made a name for themselves as an integrated unit of soldiers with diverse backgrounds.
In 1945 Captain America and his teenage sidekick Bucky, went on a mission to prevent Baron Zemo from destroying an experimental plane. The plane was a drone, which was loaded with explosives by Zemo. While Cap and Bucky caught up to it during takeoff, Bucky attempted to disarm the detonator but it exploded, flinging Cap into the frozen Northern Atlantic Ocean. Captain America was frozen in ice and his teenage sidekick Bucky was killed. Both were soon secretly replaced by the U.S. government to avoid lowering morale among the Allies. Soon after, the Allies advanced to Berlin, and the Invaders broke into Hitler's bunker.
The original Captain America, as well as his arch-enemy the Red Skull, would be revived in the modern era (1964).
At the end of the war, it is later discovered that a young man by the name of Magnus was in Auschwitz with his future wife Magda. The pair escaped, married, and had a daughter, Anya. When Anya was killed in an arson attack on their home, "Magnus" used his mutant powers to kill the attackers, frightening away Magda, who - unbeknownst to Magnus - was actually pregnant with twins at the time. This becomes significant later in Marvel Universe history.
After the war, most of the Invaders remained active as the All-Winners Squad. Later, the Human Torch was rendered inert for decades due to exposure to an atomic bomb detonation, and the Sub-Mariner was rendered an amnesiac following a mental breakdown after the destruction of much of Atlantis by the mesmerist Paul Destine ("Destiny").
During WWII, Sgt. Nick Fury and his "Howling Commandos" made a name for themselves as an integrated unit of soldiers with diverse backgrounds.
In 1945 Captain America and his teenage sidekick Bucky, went on a mission to prevent Baron Zemo from destroying an experimental plane. The plane was a drone, which was loaded with explosives by Zemo. While Cap and Bucky caught up to it during takeoff, Bucky attempted to disarm the detonator but it exploded, flinging Cap into the frozen Northern Atlantic Ocean. Captain America was frozen in ice and his teenage sidekick Bucky was killed. Both were soon secretly replaced by the U.S. government to avoid lowering morale among the Allies. Soon after, the Allies advanced to Berlin, and the Invaders broke into Hitler's bunker.
The original Captain America, as well as his arch-enemy the Red Skull, would be revived in the modern era (1964).
At the end of the war, it is later discovered that a young man by the name of Magnus was in Auschwitz with his future wife Magda. The pair escaped, married, and had a daughter, Anya. When Anya was killed in an arson attack on their home, "Magnus" used his mutant powers to kill the attackers, frightening away Magda, who - unbeknownst to Magnus - was actually pregnant with twins at the time. This becomes significant later in Marvel Universe history.
After the war, most of the Invaders remained active as the All-Winners Squad. Later, the Human Torch was rendered inert for decades due to exposure to an atomic bomb detonation, and the Sub-Mariner was rendered an amnesiac following a mental breakdown after the destruction of much of Atlantis by the mesmerist Paul Destine ("Destiny").
The Atomic
Age/Parenthetical Age/Age of Atlas
From the period between the end of WWII and
the beginning of the Marvel Age, there were several attempts to keep publication
of Timely's/Marvel's most popular heroes going. The continuation of the Captain
America story and reboots between 1945 and 1960 resulted in several explanations
utilizing Retroactive Continuity (retcons) to explain publication history.
After Captain America (Steve Rogers) and Bucky
Barnes are reported missing in action in 1945, President Truman has Cap replaced
by The Spirit of '76, William Naslund and Bucky was replaced by Fred Davis. The
"new" Cap and Bucky would fight alongside the All-Winners squad for
the next year until Cap II was killed by a robot under the control of Adam II
(an android).
Upon the death of Captain America II, Jeffrey
Mace, aka The Patriot, becomes Captain America III and serves in this capacity
until 1950.
Later on, a fourth Captain America would
appear in comics during a reboot. William Burnside was obsessed with Captain
America and even went so far as to have plastic surgery in order to resemble
Steve Rogers, changed his name to "Steve Rogers", injected himself and
sidekick Jack Monroe with a Super Serum, resulting in their having become
mentally unbalanced and requiring medical status until an intervention for their
insanity could be provided.
Several new heroes were active during the 1950s, including Marvel Boy
(Robert "Bob" Grayson), the 3-D Man, Gorilla-Man, M-11 the Human Robot,
and the goddess Venus, and Jimmy Woo. The group broke up fairly quickly,
but in the modern day, thanks to immortality, long life and a
rejuvenation formula, they re-formed as the
Agents of Atlas.
During the Cold War, a joint U.S./Canadian task force that was later
codenamed "Team X" was formed. This was a group of spies and assassins,
including some that become important to the Marvel Universe later on.
Subsequently, the Weapon Plus Project, which had supported the creation
of the Super-Soldier Project that had created Captain America, started a
new iteration of its Weapon program. The Tenth Weapon program (Weapon
X) resulted in the implantation of adamantium in the body of a man named
"Logan" and the creation of many false memories in him and the other
Team X/Weapon X agents.
Some time during this
period, or during the Lost Generation, Stephen Strange - a highly talented and
egotistical surgeon - has an accident that destroys the nerves in his hands,
ending his livelihood as a surgeon. Strange seeks out an aged mystic, known only
as "The Ancient One", seeking to regain full use of his hands. He
studies with the mystic for years and will later return to New York City during
the Marvel Age.
The Lost Generation
As the time between the end of the war and the
beginning of the Marvel Age, or "Marvel Time" (always "10-12
years ago") began to stretch, fans became curious as to how the period of
time from 1945 to present (which was originally 1961 when the Marvel Age began)
was to be explained. The Marvel series The
Lost Generation was an enjoyable trip into the intervening period by regular
Marvel scribe and artist John Byrne. A grouping of heroes became known as "The
First Line"
Heroic Age/Silver Age/Marvel Age
The Marvel Age of Heroes started officially with the public debut of the Fantastic Four (1961), Marvel's "First Family" of super-heroes, Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Girl, The Human Torch (II) and The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing.
The Marvel Age of Heroes started officially with the public debut of the Fantastic Four (1961), Marvel's "First Family" of super-heroes, Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Girl, The Human Torch (II) and The Ever-Lovin' Blue-Eyed Thing.
Bruce Banner, after being exposed to the Gamma Bomb he created while saving the young
Rick Jones, becomes
The Hulk.
Peter Parker, a high
school student, gains extraordinary strength and other powers after being bitten
by a radioactive spider, resulting in his choice of the costumed persona of Spider-Man.
Dr.
Henry (Hank) Pym, noted scientist, discovers "Pym Particles" which
he is able to use in a serum,
allowing him to shrink to the size of an ant (Tales to Astonish #27). He
also uses a specially designed helmet to communicate with ants (TTA
#35) and have them do his bidding. His girlfriend,
wealthy socialite Janet Van Dyne, also uses the particles and becomes The
Wasp (TTA #44), at which point they become a regular feature in
Tales to Astonish. Shortly after both Ant-Man and The Wasp become
charter members of The Avengers, Hank Pym uses a different serum
utilizing Pym Particles to grow into Giant-Man (TTA #49).
Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner gets his memories back after a meeting with the Fantastic Four's Human Torch. He subsequently flirts with and then kidnaps the Invisible Girl and, after regaining his throne in Atlantis, shortly considers conquering land-dwellers, but then changes his mind.
Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner gets his memories back after a meeting with the Fantastic Four's Human Torch. He subsequently flirts with and then kidnaps the Invisible Girl and, after regaining his throne in Atlantis, shortly considers conquering land-dwellers, but then changes his mind.
Not much later, Donald Blake discovers that he is Thor, Peter Parker becomes
Spider-Man, and Tony Stark dons his
Iron Man guise. In
the March 1963 issues of Fantastic Four (#12) and Spider-Man (first
issue), the Thing and the Hulk battle and Spider-Man meets the Fantastic
Four, setting the stage for a shared universe in which all Marvel
characters can cross over into each others' series.
Some of these heroes joined to form the Avengers, Marvel's premier super-team, funded by munitions researcher, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and overseen by the US Government.
Some of these heroes joined to form the Avengers, Marvel's premier super-team, funded by munitions researcher, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) and overseen by the US Government.
Also, at this time, a group of mutants under the leadership of Professor Charles Xavier emerge, calling themselves the
X-Men (Cyclops, the Angel, the Beast, Iceman and Marvel Girl). Subsequently, the X-Men go public, fighting the mysterious
Magneto.
Here are some of the major events of the following years, in chronological
order - in "Marvel Time", all of these events of the past 47 years
have occurred only within the past 10-13 years:
The Avengers find Captain America, kept alive in a block of ice by the super-soldier formula and revive him with the help of Namor, the Sub Mariner. Cap will go on to be the most regular leader of the group through it's changing roster.
The Avengers find Captain America, kept alive in a block of ice by the super-soldier formula and revive him with the help of Namor, the Sub Mariner. Cap will go on to be the most regular leader of the group through it's changing roster.
The Fantastic
Four encounter a few Skrulls, a shape-shifting, imperialistic race.
They are quickly defeated and hypnotized into believing they are
actually cows...
Shortly thereafter, having spent all of their previous adventures in
street clothes,
the Fantastic Four don special uniforms made from unstable molecules.
Magneto returns with his Brotherhood of Evil Mutants
(Mastermind, the Toad and twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, now known as
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch) to battle the X-Men. It is later
discovered that Magneto was Magnus and the twins, Pietro and Wanda, were
his children.
Stephen Strange, former
surgeon, returns to New York City, taking up residence in Greenwich Village in a
mansion dubbed the Sanctum Sanctorum. He battles unseen and other-dimensional
threats as Earth's Sorcerer Supreme: Doctor
Strange.
Matt Murdock, a
blind lawyer trained in boxing with exceptional athletic abilities and
senses heightened to a superhuman level, becomes
Daredevil.
Colonel Nick Fury, after several years in the CIA and now sporting an eyepatch from a war injury, conceives and later becomes director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The acronym originally stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate. In the 2008 Marvel Studios film Iron Man, the acronym stood for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to be the watchdog of the Marvel Universe and Nick Fury, thanks to the Infinity Formula, which has slowed his aging considerably since the 1940s.
Colonel Nick Fury, after several years in the CIA and now sporting an eyepatch from a war injury, conceives and later becomes director of S.H.I.E.L.D. The acronym originally stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage Logistics Directorate. In the 2008 Marvel Studios film Iron Man, the acronym stood for Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. S.H.I.E.L.D. continues to be the watchdog of the Marvel Universe and Nick Fury, thanks to the Infinity Formula, which has slowed his aging considerably since the 1940s.
The Fantastic
Four find out that "Madame Medusa", former member of the Frightful Four
and current member of the Fantastic Four, had suffered from amnesia.
Upon learning this, they then encounter
The Inhumans, a
race of former humans whose genetic destiny was interfered with by the
Kree, a warrior race looking to circumvent their own evolutionary
stagnation and for a race to create as a new army. The Kree abandoned
the experiment with humans, but the Inhumans created their own, insular
society and exposed themselves ritualistically to the mutagenic Terrigen
Mist, giving them diverse powers, but also resulting in lasting genetic
damage and deformities. Black Bolt, their King, Medusa, his wife and
their cousins (the Royal Family) Karnak, Gorgon, Triton, Crystal,
Maximus the Mad, and the canine
Lockjaw.
Captain America, upon meeting Rick Jones, sidekick of The Hulk, momentarily mistakes him for
Bucky.
Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer, plan to destroy Earth. After meeting Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress and girlfriend of The Thing, the Silver Surfer rebels against his master and, as punishment, remains a prisoner of earth's atmosphere.
Galactus and his herald, the Silver Surfer, plan to destroy Earth. After meeting Alicia Masters, a blind sculptress and girlfriend of The Thing, the Silver Surfer rebels against his master and, as punishment, remains a prisoner of earth's atmosphere.
Later, the
Fantastic Four are invited to the technologically advanced nation of Wakanda,
where they meet and are defeated by The Black Panther, who is preparing for the
advent of his archenemy, Ulysses Klaw. Upon learning this, the Fantastic Four
help the Black Panther defend his nation and protect its precious store of
Vibranium, whose special properties were evident in the shield of Captain
America.
Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Sue
Storm (The Invisible Girl) of the Fantastic Four, wed. Most every character in
the Marvel Universe shows up in this comic - including Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
Rick Jones
briefly takes the title and uniform of Bucky, Cap's long-dead partner.
Rick's brief time as Bucky gave him the training to survive around
superheroes to this day.
The Human Torch battles (seemingly) the Original Human Torch.
The Human Torch battles (seemingly) the Original Human Torch.
The Kree Empire sends
Captain Mar-Vell
to Earth as a spy. Coming to empathize with humanity, Mar-Vell betrays
his orders and is welcomed as a hero by the people of Earth. After
being banished to the Negative Zone, he later is merged with Rick Jones
via the Kree nega-bands, allowing them to change places upon slamming
them together, in a manner similar to the Original Captain Marvel and
Billy Batson.
T'Challa, son of
T'Chaka and King of Wakanda (the only source of vibranium) becomes the Black
Panther. Upon accepting his invitation to visit Wakanda, the Fantastic Four are
captured in order to allow T'Challa to test himself, as he is on the brink of a
battle with Klaw, the man who killed his father. They of course help T'Challa
and he later becomes an Avenger.
Hank Pym (Ant-Man/Giant-Man) creates Ultron,
a robot based on his own brain patterns, who rebels due to an
irrational hatred for his "father"/creator and sets out to destroy
mankind.
This scenario will be repeated several times, with Ultron renaming
himself with
a version number after each iteration (Ultron-5, Ultron-7, etc.).
The
Vision, a synthezoid, is created by Ultron, to battle the Avengers,
but, in an ironic twist, rebels against his creator and becomes an
Avenger. The Vision is thought to be based on the same android
technology as The Original Human Torch and his brain patterns are based
on those of
Wonder Man (Simon Williams, believed to be deceased at that time).
Franklin Richards is born.
The Bronze Age (1971-1980)
The Avengers become involved in a millennia-old interstellar war between the Kree and the Skrulls (both races were created by cosmic beings known as the Celestials, who were experimenting with the evolution of many intelligent beings across the universe - this experimentation was the inspiration for the Kree interfering with Human development, resulting in The Inhumans).
Franklin Richards is born.
The Bronze Age (1971-1980)
The Avengers become involved in a millennia-old interstellar war between the Kree and the Skrulls (both races were created by cosmic beings known as the Celestials, who were experimenting with the evolution of many intelligent beings across the universe - this experimentation was the inspiration for the Kree interfering with Human development, resulting in The Inhumans).
During a fight with the Green Goblin, Gwen Stacy is killed when Spider-man is unable to save her.
Captain America teams
with The Falcon for a few years. Also during this period, Cap becomes
disillusioned with the US government after a serious scandal and he gives up the
title of Captain America, becoming "Nomad". After failed attempts at
replacement by the government of Captain America, Steve Rogers re-asserts
himself as Cap, noting that he is not the symbol of the government but of the
United States of America, itself.
The Canadian government brings their "Weapon X" to attack the Hulk. This adventurer, named
Wolverine, is knocked out.
Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) encounters Thanos, a deviant member of the race of Eternals (long- lived, almost godlike
beings, who once lived on Mount Olympus, but now reside on Saturn's moon,
Titan), who, fascinated by nihilism, falls in love with the personification of
Death in the Marvel Universe and embarks on a quest to eliminate known life.
Professor X assembles a new team to rescue the original X-Men. First appearance of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler and first addition of Wolverine and Banshee to the team.
Professor X assembles a new team to rescue the original X-Men. First appearance of Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler and first addition of Wolverine and Banshee to the team.
The Beast discovers a mutagenic formula and
inoculates himself, resulting in his becoming a beast in appearance, as well as name.
Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, after she is terminally injured during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere in a space shuttle - re-emerges with almost limitless power as The Phoenix.
Jean Grey/Marvel Girl, after she is terminally injured during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere in a space shuttle - re-emerges with almost limitless power as The Phoenix.
Tony Stark succumbs to, and later addresses, alcoholism.
Scott Lang, a failed electronics
expert, upon parole from incarceration for burglary, is hired by Stark
International's design department and becomes involved in the
installation of a new security system at the Avengers
Mansion. When his daughter, Cassie, suffers from a grave illness, he
turns to burglary again, stealing Dr. Hank Pym's Ant-Man suit. When he
seeks out the only person capable of curing his daughter, he finds Dr.
Sondheim in captivity. He rescues Sondheim, who saves Cassie's life.
Upon offering to return the Ant-Man equipment, Dr. Pym decides that the
equipment is in the right hands and allows Scott Lang to become the
second
Ant-Man
(Marvel Premiere #77) as long as he stays on the right side of the law.
Lang becomes an occasional Ant-Man assisting various Avengers from time
to time.
Alpha
Flight, a super-team from Canada, attempts to capture Wolverine and battle the X-Men.
Jennifer Walters, lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, receives a blood transfusion from him, resulting in her becoming the She-Hulk. She-Hulk is in full control of her faculties.
Jennifer Walters, lawyer cousin of Bruce Banner, receives a blood transfusion from him, resulting in her becoming the She-Hulk. She-Hulk is in full control of her faculties.
The Scarlet Witch and the Vision are married.
Jean Grey becomes Dark Phoenix upon allowing the Phoenix force to overcome her
personal judgment, resulting in her destroying a sun, destroying an inhabited
planet and being called to pay for her crime by being psychically lobotomized by the
Shi'ar Empire. A
battle ensues between the entire roster of the X-Men and the Imperial
Guard (artist Dave Cockrum's homage to his first
successful team, the Legion of Super-Heroes). Desperately overpowered,
the X-Men losing, Jean - feeling the Phoenix taking over again - summons
Kree technology from their battlefield (the Blue Area of the Moon) and
sacrifices herself, rather than lose control of her nigh-omnipotent
power again.
The Independent Age/Carol Kalish Age (1980-1987)
Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) falls victim to what the Kree call "the Blackend", or what is called Cancer on Earth.
Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) falls victim to what the Kree call "the Blackend", or what is called Cancer on Earth.
Daredevil (Matt Murdock) rediscovers his lost
love, Elektra and also encounters The Punisher, both of whom will go on to have
their own adventures chronicled.
The Contest of Champions, the first major
Marvel Universe Crossover, is published.
Professor Xavier creates
another team of high school aged students, the New Mutants.
Alpha Flight, a team
previously intended to be led by Wolverine and the last of Department H's
defense initiative (Alpha Flight being the premiere group of it's sub-teams of
Beta Flight, Delta Flight and Gamma Flight) become more active in the Marvel
Universe.
The Avengers begin a
West Coast Team under the direction of Hawkeye.
The Beyonder kidnaps Earth's heroes and villains to battle on a planet of his creation. Spider-Man finds his symbiote (black) costume. [Secret Wars]
She-Hulk becomes a member of the Fantastic Four, when The Thing stays behind on the "Beyonder's Planet", where he is able to shift to Ben Grimm at will. She-Hulk replaces the Thing in the Fantastic Four for a time until Ben returns from the "Beyonder's Planet".
Iron Man embarks on a mission to destroy armored suits that were created from his own stolen technology (Armor Wars).
The Beyonder kidnaps Earth's heroes and villains to battle on a planet of his creation. Spider-Man finds his symbiote (black) costume. [Secret Wars]
She-Hulk becomes a member of the Fantastic Four, when The Thing stays behind on the "Beyonder's Planet", where he is able to shift to Ben Grimm at will. She-Hulk replaces the Thing in the Fantastic Four for a time until Ben returns from the "Beyonder's Planet".
Iron Man embarks on a mission to destroy armored suits that were created from his own stolen technology (Armor Wars).
Bruce Banner
breaks through in a session with Doc Sampson, resulting in the merging
of his three personalities (Grey Hulk, Green Hulk and Banner) and giving
Banner successful and fully cognitive control over his Hulk persona.
The Dark Age (1987-1997)
The Punisher receives
his own series and is portrayed as a hero.
Venom - a character
which is an amalgam of Eddie Brock and the scorned symbiote costume of
Spider-Man - terrorizes Mary Jane Parker to the point that she asks Peter Parker never to
wear the black costume again.
Venom later receives his own
series and is portrayed as a hero.
Charles Xavier leaves
the School for Gifted Youngsters in the hands of the X-Men's enemy Magneto,
leading to a splintering of mutant groups, such as X-Factor (the original
X-Men). The Angel's wings are injured and amputated, then replaced with
razor-sharp wings after he is hyper-mutated by the evil mutant Apocolypse.
The Hulk is diagnosed
by Doc Sampson as a multiple personality disorder and successfully integrates
the personalities into a unified being, allowing hulk to gain Bruce
Banner's mental faculties. After 10 successful years of this journey, Marvel
Editorial reverts him back to a rampaging
monster.
"The Clone Saga" is
published, reintroducing clones of Spider-Man from a long-forgotten (by choice)
Bronze Age story. This story featured a clone whose dead body had been incinerated.
The Silver Surfer is
released from his imprisonment on Earth, resulting in many star-spanning
adventures.
The Original
Human Torch is (finally) revived. The "Torch" who battled Johnny Storm
turns out to have been Toro, the Original Torch's human
sidekick. Professor
Horton reveals that The Vision is not his work, but an amalgam of some
spare
parts from his lab. This provides an explanation as to why the original
Human Torch was a synthetic human (with synthetic tissue and blood) and
the Vision was a
synthezoid with robotics (electronic components, as seen in Avengers
#93).
Namor, the
Sub-Mariner learns that his hybrid physiology requires him to spend time
in both the water and air, in order to maintain a healthy psychiatric
profile.
Shortly thereafter, The Invaders, if only for a brief moment, reunite to
squash
a Nazi threat at the end of the 20th Century.
Thanos gains
control of the Infinity Gems (Adam Warlock's Soul Gem and other
similarly powered gems) and creates the Infinity Gauntlet to use them in
unison, rendering him
omnipotently powerful. A situation that requires the attention of every
hero in the Marvel Universe. [Thanos Quest/The Infinity Gauntlet]
"Marvels" by writer Kurt Busiek and painter Alex Ross is published.
The Marvel Universe (Earth-616) is erased between 1996-1997 with "Heroes Reborn".
It is quickly erased, rendering it unecessary to retell here. Suffice it to say that the mind of Franklin Richards
creates a universe which supplants the mainstream universe (with versions of
heroes as written and rendered by Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee), and then returns things to normal
again sometime later.
The Modern Era (1998-PRESENT)
The return of the Marvel Universe (Earth-616) was chronicled by Marvel titles beginning in 1998. Much had changed, but our heroes essentially picked up where they left off.
The return of the Marvel Universe (Earth-616) was chronicled by Marvel titles beginning in 1998. Much had changed, but our heroes essentially picked up where they left off.
Rick Jones becomes "partners" with Captain Marvel's son, Genis-Vell,
experiencing the same molecular transfer with the nega-bands, only this time
through the Microverse, rather than the Negative Zone.
Scott Lang, during the Avengers: Disassembled event, is seemingly killed by an explosion seemingly set off by Jack of Hearts, which destroys the Avengers Mansion.
Scott Lang, during the Avengers: Disassembled event, is seemingly killed by an explosion seemingly set off by Jack of Hearts, which destroys the Avengers Mansion.
Nathaniel Richards, destined to become
Kang the Conqueror is given a suit of armor (by Kang from the future,
of course) and decides to deny his fate by donning the suit and going
back in time to become the young hero, Iron Lad. He forms a team of
young heroes with Hulkling (Teddy Altman, a
shapeshifter with super strength), Patriot (Eli Bradley, grandson of
Super-Soldier Isaiah Bradley) and Wiccan (Billy Kaplan, wielder of
magics). They quickly encounter and add to their roster more young
would-be heroes: Kate Bishop, a young adventurer who inducted herself
into the group without any known powers and saves their bacon from a
botched rescue (Captain America will later bless her use of the
"Hawkeye" moniker due to her ability with bow and arrow). Cassie Lang
(daughter of Scott Lang, Ant-Man II,
who learns that her lifetime exposure to Pym Particles has enabled her
to change size at will) who becomes Stature. The Vision - re-formed from
the then-recovering Vision's programming and Iron Lad's technology. And
Tommy Shepherd (Speed) - whom the group find through the Vision and
release from power-dampening captivity. The group, upon liberating
Tommy, immediately note that he and Billy are identical twins, save for
their hair color. This group will become known as
The Young Avengers.
The "New" Avengers whose roster includes Luke Cage, Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Spider-Woman
(Veranke) is formed in the wake of Avengers: Disassembled. Later, Wolverine and Sentry will be
added as members, as well as the deaf ninja Echo, as Ronin.
The "House of M" event is the result
of the Scarlet Witch's (Wanda Maximoff's) escalating powers. Previously held in
check by Professor Xavier's psychic blocks, he recognizes the potential threat
she poses to the world at large. Perhaps sensing the impending doom, Wanda
reinvents reality in a fashion that results in the world being run by Magneto
and other mutants in the House of M. A warped reality bent by Magneto's
overbearing desire to "fix" the world for mutantkind and Wanda's
desire to have a "normal" life with her ersatz children (Thomas and
William) intact, she eventually realizes that she has to put things right. She
restructures the world once again - but not exactly the way it was. Some who
were dead are now alive, some who had powers do not any longer - in particular,
after she has uttered "No more mutants", the millions of mutants have
become mostly human, with a few hundred mutants left on earth.
After over 40 years of being the only
character in Marvel continuity to have remained dead after being pronounced so
(to the extent that comics fans made the distinction between being
"dead" and being "Bucky-dead"), the character is revived as
"The Winter Soldier".
Subsequently, the great character minds of the
Marvel Universe clandestinely gather together, revealing a highly fascistic and
underhanded motivation to previously heroic characters, naming themselves
"The Illuminati".
In further attempts at event storytelling, such as "Secret Invasion" and "Civil War"
the results are long stories unable to be republished as a cohesive narrative and
more universal situations thrust upon characters, writers and readers. Many
recent readers, attempting to connect the published Marvel Universe with the
Marvel Cinematic Universe, become frustrated with the number of tomes necessary
to make sense of these storylines.
Eric O'Grady, an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
discovers Dr. Hank Pym's most updated Ant-Man suit at headquarters and
steal the suit to gain his own ends as "The Irredeemable Ant-Man".
In Avengers: The Children's Crusade,
during a time travel incident, Scott Lang is
saved at the moment of the destruction of the Avengers Mansion and is
returned to the present by the Young Avengers and the Scarlet Witch
(Wanda Maximoff) at the moment she regains her memories.
In 2013, Marvel
shoots for the moon with "Marvel NOW" and, for the umpteenth time,
restarts all titles with #1. As with "Heroes Reborn", the concept is
abandoned within a year.
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