Few comic book readers are as passionate and vocal as those forMarvel. When Marvel fans don’t like a storyline, they will let the publisher know one way or another. Of course, social media plays a big role in this exchange, and it makes it easier for fans to reach creators than ever before. And in turn, Marvel has become quick with how it responds to its more controversial storylines.
Sometimes,Marvel responds to the outrageby poking fun at it. Other times, the publisher pivots away from the storyline that is making everyone upset, usuallyretconning their most controversial events. There are even times when Marvel tries to ignore the outrage and keep things business as usual. Whether Marvel responds to criticisms or not, it does not change the fact that some of its stories left fans wishing they never happened. So, we have found a few of those stories readers say should be permanently deleted from Marvel lore.
10Marvel Kills Off Kamala Khan And Resurrects Ms. Marvel As A Mutant
The Amazing Spider-Man #26, written by Zeb Wells, penciled by John Romita Jr., inked by Scott Hanna, colored by Erick Arciniega and Marcio Menyz, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna
After Kamala Khan was revealed to be a mutant in the MCU, Marvel Studiosallegedly ordered Kamala Khan’s controversial deathin Marvel Comics, hoping to create synergy between the comics and the movies. The plan was to revive Ms. Marvel and bring her back to life as a mutant in the comics, making her more similar to her live-action counterpart. Marvel fans were outraged by the alleged reasoning behind Ms. Marvel’s death, and the fact it happened in aSpider-Mancomic further angered readerswho believed the treatment was undignified.
Soon after her death and resurrection, Kamala Khan would star in a limited miniseries, Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant, which was co-written by the actor who plays Ms. Marvel onscreen, Iman Vellani.
Marvel later tried to honor Ms. Marvel and her fans with the oneshotFallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel, but most readers either viewed thegesture as damage control or simply too little, too late.
9Ant-Man’s Domestic Abuse Toward The Wasp
The Avengers #213, written by Jim Shooter, penciled by Bob Hall, inked by Dan Green, colored by Don Warfield, and lettered by Janice Chiang
In one of the most infamous moments in the history ofThe Avengers,the original Ant-Man sparked debate after striking The Wasp. Hank Pym was shown slapping his partner Janet van Dyne, and the move was not only uncharacteristic of the hero at the time, but it quickly became the defining moment of his superhero career.
It’s a creative decision that many Marvel fans say killed Ant-Man’s legacy, and it marks one of the few instances in Marvel history readers have actually requested the publisher to retcon a scene. However, the publisher has made it clear that a retcon isnever going to happen.
8Marvel’s Ultimate Universe Makes Quicksilver And Scarlet Witch An Incestual Couple
Wolverine Finds Them Being Intimate in Ultimates 3 #3, written by Jeph Loeb, penciled by Joe Madureira, colored by Christian Lichtner, and lettered by Richard Starkings
Few things in comics give fans the ick quite like a reminder that siblings Pietro and Wanda Maximofffell in love with each other. At one point, Wolverine stumbled upon Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch being intimate with each other in secret. Soon enough, the romance became an open secret, one their fellow Avengers did not seem to care about or acknowledge. The closest anyone ever came to addressing the issue was when their leader Captain America questioned it, only to be chastised by his teammates for not being hip with the times.
Stories between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witchhave always been complex, butthis incest component was too grossfor readers to stomach.Even though the romance took place in a reality separate from Earth-616, fans find it hard to see the pair together on Earth-616 without thinking about their Earth-1610 variants.
7Marvel Unexpectedly Turns Agent Phil Coulson Evil Then Undoes It
Several Issues and Tie-Ins for Heroes Reborn Storyline Mostly written by Jason Aaron with art by Ed McGuinness
For MCU fans, Phil Coulson is one of the most beloved agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, the same cannot be said for the Marvel Universe at large. In the comics, Marvel gavethe ultimate heel turn to Coulsonas he used the Pandemonium Cube to erase the Avengers from history, dubbing himself the President of the United States at one point. The ordeal did not end well for Coulson which makes his turn all the more embarrassing.
Coulson was resurrected after his Heroes Reborn plot was foiled, but he came back as his usual lovable self. Even when he wasbeen rebranded as Death, there’s no sign of supervillainy with Coulson as he doesn’t even remember his past as a baddie. Perhaps Marvel was aware thatreaders didn’t want to start booingtheir favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and sought to rectify their own creative decision.
6The Less That Marvel Says About Civil War II, The Better
Civil War II #1-8, written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by David Marquez, colored by Justin Ponsor, and lettered by Clayton Cowles
Civil Warcarries a legacy as one of Marvel’s most celebrated runs ever produced, butCivil War IIis just the opposite. The sequel is universally hated by fans for an array of reasons. It is largely viewed as havingruined characters like Hawkeye, but Captain Marvel got the worst of it. Even her most die-hard fans found it hard to watch Carol Danvers as a stringent, no-nonsense attorney general type of character devoid of warmth. It was character assassination in the highest degree.
Civil War IItries to match its predecessor by raising the stakes without understanding what made the original work.
Meanwhile, while the original comic ran was nuanced,readers foundCivil War IIheavy-handed, forcing multiple unnecessary conflicts just for the sake of manifesting hero vs. hero fights.Civil War IItries to match its predecessor by raising the stakes without understanding what made the original work. It has the surface-level superhero fights without understanding what made its characters and story so rich.
5Spider-Man Working With (And Befriending) Norman Osborn
The Amazing Spider-Man run by writer Zeb Wells and artist John Romita Jr.
The now-infamous Wells and Romita run ofThe Amazing Spider-Manhas sparked venomous hatred from fans for seemingly endless reasons. However, most fans admit thatNorman Osborn and Peter Parker becoming friendsis perhaps the key reason as towhat’s wrong with Spider-Man today. Norman loses his Green Goblin essence, turning him into a good guy. So to make sure that he stays on the straight and narrow, Parker keeps an eye on him.
Over time, Peter and Norman’s partnership becomes genuine, but fans felt the bond contradicted classicSpider-Manissues. For instance, fans rebelled whenever Spider-Man spoke of Norman being a father figure before he became the Green Goblin when he was anything but. Seeing the foes become friends was strange to say the least.
4Marvel Turns Princess Diana Into A Mutant
Diana Spencer was originally supposed to join the team in X-Statix #15, written by Peter Milligan, penciled by Mike Allred, inked by J. Bone, colored by Laura Allred, and lettered by Cory Petit
Princess Diana of Wales is already canon to Marvel thanks to the different cameos she’s made, but recently, Marvel had plans to bring her to the 21st century. Plans surfaced calling for Diana to join X-Statix, a more obscure X-Men team. Diana was expected to join as a mutant justsix years after her tragic real-life death.
Understandably, upon the announcement Marvel waspublicly chastised by the Royal Family.In a statement toThe Daily Mail, the royals callee the move"appalling" and “a cheap attempt to cash in on Diana’s fame and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death.” This response was enough to convince Marvel to cut any and all plans involving Diana, hastily editing the comic to replace the late princess with an original character named Henrietta Hunter.
3Trouble Is Marvel’s Failed Romance That Almost Changed Ultimate Spider-Man Forever
Trouble #1-5, written by Mark Millar, penciled and inked by Terry Dodson, colored by Rachel Dodson, lettered by Chris Eliopoulos
Troubleis five-part series that saw Marvel attempt torevive its romance genre.The period piece took place with teenage versions of Richard “Richie” Parker, his brother Uncle Ben, his future wife Mary Parker, and Aunt May. May and Mary ended up dating the Parker brothers while working summer jobs at the Hampton Hotel. Things get steamy when May cheats on Ben with Richie, resulting in the 17-year-old girl becoming pregnant. And as you may imagine, the infedility left Marvel fans steamed.
Despite taking place in the Ultimate Universe, the idea of Marvel trying to canonizeAunt May as Spider-Man’s motherdidn’t sit right with readers.They hated it, which didn’t help revive the romance genreas many accusedTroubleof being a cheap soap opera.
2Thor Attacks The God Shiva And Offends Marvel’s Hindu Readers
Thor #301, written by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, penciled by Keith Pollard, inked by Chic Stone, colored by George Roussos, and lettered by Joe Rosen
Marvel has often garnered controversy for a story being bad, but it has also caught flak for being sacreligious. Back in the day,Thorearned such a critique. With the Asgardians dead as a result of Ragnarök, Thor needed the life-force from the other pantheons to revive Asgard and its people. All the gods are willing to give Thor a portion of their power for his mission, except for Shiva. Thor went on to beat up the god, forcing Shiva to give up some of their life-force. This fight upset many readers of the Hindu faith, and Marvel went on to adjust the feud in later years.
For Better or Worse, Marvel’s Most Controversial Comics Are Impossible To Forget
Marvels no stranger to controversial storylines and events, but the worst of them still have fans begging for retcons. And forget they ever happened.
InThor Annual#10, when Thor reunites with Shiva, the god mentions they were actually the Hindu god Indra, claiming to have previously lied about being Shiva. So, there you have it.
1What If…? Miles Morales Leaves Fans Either Confused And Angry
What If …? Miles Morales features writing by Cody Ziglar, John Ridley, Anthony Piper, and Yehudi Mercado with art from Farid Karami, Edgar Salazar, Luigi Zagaria
As a black superhero, Miles Morales is an inspiration to readers of color, and Spider-Man has tried to live up to that mantle. Being Spider-Man is a heavy responsibility, but it is worth it. So, you can see why fans were upset whenWhat If? … Miles Moralesturned Miles into other heroes outside of Spider-Man. The series quickly earned abad reputation with fans as they called it a cheap cash grab.
This reputation only worsened over time; In fact, there was suchimmense backlash on social mediathatits author released an apology. Even now, the mere mention ofWhat If? … Miles Moralesinspires ire from readers, so it is definitely better left forgotten.
