In the mid-1980s, Marvel Comics was experiencing a golden era, both creatively and financially. Having overcome the financial struggles of the late '70s, largely thanks to the success of Star Wars, Marvel was poised to revolutionize the comic book industry with the release of Secret Wars in 1984. This event not only transformed the Marvel Universe but also set new standards for the industry, steering Marvel's heroes and villains into fresh narrative territories for years to come.
During this period, Marvel also released other landmark stories, including Frank Miller's Born Again arc in Daredevil, the return of Jean Grey in X-Factor, and Walt Simonson's Surtur Saga in Thor, among others. In this article, we'll delve into these pivotal narratives and explore other significant stories from the same era. Join us for Part 8 of our comprehensive look at Marvel's essential issues!
For some of the most acclaimed storylines of the era, you can't go wrong with Born Again, Frank Miller's return to writing Daredevil after his initial groundbreaking run, this time with David Mazzuchelli on art. Spanning Daredevil #227-233, this arc is often considered the definitive Daredevil story. It follows Karen Page, who, in a desperate state of addiction, sells Daredevil's secret identity for heroin. This information eventually reaches the Kingpin, who uses it to systematically dismantle Matt Murdock's life, leaving him homeless, jobless, and friendless. At his lowest, Matt is saved by his mother, a nun named Maggie.
Matt's painstaking journey back to becoming Daredevil, coupled with Kingpin's descent into fanaticism, crafts a compelling narrative. This story was loosely adapted in Season 3 of Netflix’s Daredevil and will inspire the upcoming Disney+ series, Daredevil: Born Again.
Walt Simonson's tenure as writer and artist on Thor, starting with issue #337 in 1983, introduced Beta Ray Bill, an alien worthy of lifting Mjolnir. Simonson's work is celebrated for restoring Thor's mythic fantasy essence. His crowning achievement, the Surtur Saga (Thor #340-353), follows the fire demon Surtur's quest to bring about Ragnarok using the Twilight Sword. Surtur sends Malekith the Accursed to distract Thor, allowing time to forge the sword. The saga culminates in a monumental battle with Thor, Loki, and Odin united against Surtur. Elements of this saga influenced the plots of Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok.
As discussed in Part 4 of this series, the 1973 Avengers/Defenders War was a precursor to the event crossovers that would later dominate Marvel and DC's publishing schedules. The shift fully materialized in 1984 with Secret Wars, a 12-issue miniseries crafted by then Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton. This series was part of a marketing collaboration with Mattel to promote a new toy line. The plot is straightforward: the cosmic entity Beyonder transports a mix of Marvel heroes and villains to Battleworld to battle for supremacy between good and evil. While the series is filled with large-scale battles and setups for future storylines, it's often criticized for the inconsistent characterization of the X-Men and other odd plot points, like Magneto's romantic entanglement with the Wasp.
Despite its narrative flaws, Secret Wars was a commercial success, leading to a sequel, Secret Wars II, and influencing the industry's move towards event-driven storytelling. This approach was further solidified with DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths, establishing event stories as a staple for both major publishers.
Following the foundational runs by Stan Lee and Gerry Conway, Roger Stern brought new life to Amazing Spider-Man starting with issue #224. Stern's notable contributions include the introduction of the Hobgoblin in issue #238, quickly establishing him as one of Spider-Man's most formidable foes. Although Stern's original Hobgoblin saga was cut short due to editorial issues, he later returned to resolve the villain's identity in the 1997 miniseries Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives.
Just as Stern departed, Spider-Man #252 introduced the iconic black symbiote costume, which debuted in Secret Wars #8. This costume sparked a long-running narrative that eventually introduced one of Spider-Man's most famous adversaries. The symbiote saga has been adapted across various media, from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 to Insomniac's Spider-Man 2. Another significant story from this period is The Death of Jean DeWolff in Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110, written by Peter David and illustrated by Rich Buckler. This dark tale involves Spider-Man's pursuit of the Sin-Eater, who killed his ally Jean DeWolff, and his subsequent conflict with Daredevil over justice.
The mid-1980s were also a time of significant developments for the X-Men. Vision and the Scarlet Witch #4 confirmed Magneto as the father of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, a plot point that remained canon for decades. X-Men #171 saw Rogue defect from the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to join the X-Men, cementing her status as a beloved heroine. Similarly, X-Men #200 depicted Magneto's trial and his subsequent role in leading Xavier's School for the Gifted, marking his transition to a more heroic figure.
The period's most pivotal mutant stories were the resurrection of Jean Grey and the introduction of Apocalypse. Following the Dark Phoenix Saga, Jean Grey was brought back to life in a two-part story across Avengers #263 and Fantastic Four #286. She then reunited with the original X-Men to form X-Factor. X-Factor #5-6 introduced Apocalypse, an ancient Egyptian mutant empowered by Celestial technology, who became a recurring antagonist in the X-Men universe and a staple in various adaptations, including the 2016 film X-Men: Apocalypse.
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