Growing up as a Marvel fan in the 1990s could be tough. The 1980s were a fantastic period for Marvel comics, but in the ’90s, the stories started to suffer while the artwork became the main attraction. Artists like Todd McFarlane, Ron Liefeld, and Jim Lee rose to prominence, shifting the focus away from strong writing. When many artists left Marvel to form Image Comics, the writing often took an even lower priority, especially in popular titles like X-Men and Spider-Man. This all culminated in 1996 with the release of “Onslaught,” a massive X-Men storyline that promised to be Marvel’s biggest event ever.
“Onslaught” doesn’t have the best reputation these days. Many see it as a low point for Marvel, a poorly executed crossover event. But I think it deserves a second look. In the 1990s, the X-Men were incredibly popular, and “Onslaught” brought many storylines to a head. It actually helped move the Marvel Universe forward and paved the way for some fantastic comics later on. While “Onslaught” has been criticized for years, it’s time to acknowledge that we may have been too critical.
“Onslaught” Is Nothing Like You Remember and Stronger For It
I grew up reading X-Men comics, so I’ve always liked the “Onslaught” storyline. It wrapped up the “X-Traitor” plot from Uncanny X-Men #282, surprisingly revealing Xavier as the betrayer. While it loosely connected to the “Fatal Attraction” event (you’d only know if you read a specific issue of Wolverine), it ended with a huge event that dramatically changed the Marvel Universe, leading to both excellent and disappointing comics – some of which ultimately inspired even better stories.
The “Onslaught” storyline was a major event in the X-Men comics, developed over about a year’s worth of issues. If you didn’t follow Uncanny X-Men in 1995, the first issue of Onslaught: X-Men would have been confusing, and the whole crossover would seem like a chaotic, pointless battle leading into the unpopular Heroes Reborn reboot. But, like many classic Marvel events, “Onslaught” is surprisingly good if you revisit it today.
Okay, so if you’re jumping into this story, just know Xavier’s been acting strangely and there’s this really dangerous villain causing trouble for the X-Men. That leads perfectly into Onslaught: X-Men #1 – it’s the X-Men versus Onslaught, and the art by Adam Kubert is amazing. It was his first big Marvel event, and he absolutely nailed it. Basically, Onslaught takes over a bunch of Sentinels, gets help from Dark Beast, and attacks New York City. The story is broken into two parts: the ‘Phases’ and the ‘Impacts’. The ‘Phases’ are the core of the story – you need to read those. The ‘Impacts’ are like side stories – Wolverine #104 is one, and it’s good, but not essential.
The story truly shines in issues of X-Men (Vol. 2) #53-56 and Uncanny X-Men #336. Other standout issues include Fantastic Four #415-416, Cable #33-36, The Incredible Hulk #444-445, X-Factor #125, The Amazing Spider-Man #415, and Wolverine (Vol. 2) #104-105. To experience a thrilling and well-paced narrative, be sure to also read Onslaught: X-Men #1 and Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1. Talented creators like Mark Waid, Peter David, and many others deliver exceptional issues that effectively build the core conflict. By the time you reach the climactic battle in Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1, you’ll have a cohesive and exciting story from a period in Marvel history that often receives criticism.
“Onslaught” Has Always Been Unfairly Maligned
As a long-time Marvel fan, I always felt the biggest issue with the ‘Onslaught’ event wasn’t its complexity, but people expecting it to be a super complicated X-Men story. Honestly, the X-Men stuff only really matters if you were following their comics back in the nineties. What ‘Onslaught’ actually is, is a pretty classic Marvel tale: a ridiculously powerful villain tries to take over, wants to reshape the world to fit his messed-up vision, and all hell breaks loose. There are some fantastic action sequences, some neat backstory stuff, and the final battle, while a bit over-the-top, is visually stunning and really shook things up in the Marvel Universe. It directly led to some all-time great runs on titles like The Incredible Hulk and Thunderbolts, which I still revisit today.
While Heroes Reborn wasn’t a hit, it paved the way for the much-improved Heroes Return, which delivered some truly classic Avengers stories. The “Onslaught” event isn’t high art, but it’s a genuinely fun read, featuring incredible artwork from the top artists of the 90s and some fantastic action. Despite years of criticism, it’s actually a pretty cool story. It’s not perfect, and it doesn’t break new ground, but it was enjoyable and sparked a period of creative growth for Marvel, even if it didn’t feel like a success at the time. Many great storylines for Marvel’s heroes wouldn’t have happened without “Onslaught,” making it well worth reading.
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2026-01-01 22:16