19 Years Ago This Month, Marvel Made Their Own Dark Knight Returns

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Superhero comics sometimes fall into predictable patterns. Creators often borrow ideas from each other – you see similar cover designs (like those referencing a classic Batman image inspired by Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam), re-imagined characters, or storylines involving grim futures. Both Marvel and DC have been known to do this. Nearly two decades ago, Marvel decided to draw inspiration from a particularly influential comic: The Dark Knight Returns.

Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns is a landmark achievement in Batman’s history, often credited with helping comics grow up. It envisioned a grim future where Batman had to return to fighting crime on the streets. Marvel followed suit in 2006 with Spider-Man: Reign by Kaare Andrews, which took a similar approach. However, while TDKR is considered a classic, Spider-Man: Reign received a much more mixed reaction. Though it’s often criticized, I believe Spider-Man: Reign is a strong story that gets to the heart of what makes Spider-Man such a compelling character.

Spider-Man: Reign Became Known for One Mistake

Similar to The Dark Knight Returns, Spider-Man: Reign reimagines a retired hero facing a city overrun by crime. However, unlike Bruce Wayne, Peter Parker isn’t wealthy or influential. The story uses news reports to highlight societal shifts and follows Parker, who is shadowed by a quiet Mary Jane. When he intervenes to stop an attack, he’s drawn back into his life as Spider-Man, forcing him to confront familiar foes and a dangerous scheme to control New York City.

Okay, so this comic isn’t a direct copy, but as soon as I started reading Reign, I immediately thought of The Dark Knight Returns. It’s generally a lot more lighthearted – Peter is genuinely funny – but the DNA of that story is all over it. Andrews really tries to deliver a definitive Spider-Man story, throwing in tons of classic villains, some fun side plots with J. Jonah Jameson, Sandman and his daughter, and this really interesting idea of the city turning against the establishment because of Spider-Man’s influence – that last bit is straight out of TDKR. The action is fantastic, and the core story is just really compelling. Honestly, if that was all there was to it, this story would be way more talked about. The Doc Ock sequence is seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in a comic, but… we need to address the elephant in the room, and it’s a weird one.

Throughout the story, Mary Jane is a constant companion to Peter, though she remains silent. There’s a sense that something isn’t quite right with her presence, and it’s eventually revealed that she’s passed away – existing only as a cherished memory. The tragedy isn’t caused by one of Spider-Man’s villains, but by Peter himself. His radioactive nature caused her cancer through physical contact, and he’s left to grapple with the devastating guilt of unintentionally causing her death. He must live with the knowledge that his love, in a literal sense, was fatal to her.

As a huge Spider-Man fan, I always thought the storyline in Spider-Man: Reign where Peter grieves over MJ’s death was incredibly powerful – honestly, it felt like classic Spider-Man tragedy, not too far-fetched for a darker take on the character. It’s a scene that really gets to the heart of who Peter Parker is. But, it also seemed to really rub a lot of fans the wrong way, and it’s often brought up alongside the controversial “One More Day” storyline. I get why some people see it as a tired trope – you could even call it ‘fridging’ – but within the context of the story, it works. Peter Parker is no stranger to loss. What I really loved was seeing Peter finally confront his own excuses and realize he needed Spider-Man, not the other way around. Despite all the darkness, the ending feels genuinely triumphant, and I don’t think that impact would be the same without MJ’s death being a central part of his journey. It really brought the whole thing together for me.

Spider-Man: Reign‘s One Mistake Kept It From Being a Best of All-Time Spider Story

It felt natural that Marvel would eventually create a story inspired by The Dark Knight Returns, and Spider-Man is a perfect character for that kind of treatment. He has the potential for a darker side, and exploring his life as he ages offers a lot of narrative possibilities. I first read Spider-Man: Reign back in 2007, and because I wasn’t online much, I assumed it was a universally loved story. I was surprised to learn that many people disliked it, and even more surprised by their reasons. Over time, the criticism about the ‘fridging’ trope made a lot of sense, but I’ve always been a bit let down by the overall reaction to the story itself.

Comics frequently borrow ideas from each other – it’s a common practice. When something new and successful appears, it often gets revisited and reinterpreted. Spider-Man: Reign draws inspiration from the same themes as The Dark Knight Returns, but it tells the story through a distinctly Spider-Man lens. It’s an interesting take on an older Peter Parker, featuring familiar villains, and presents a Marvel-style version of The Dark Knight Returns. While it doesn’t quite reach the same heights, I believe the criticism it receives is often excessive. The Spider-Man fanbase can be harsh, and even well-intentioned works sometimes face negativity. Spider-Man: Reign was an ambitious project that many consider a failure, but I think it’s actually more successful than most people give it credit for.

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2025-12-08 03:15