5 Marvel Characters From The ’70s Who Are Totally Cringe Now

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The 1970s were a time of bold experimentation for Marvel Comics. The company tried to stay current and appeal to a wider audience by creating characters inspired by popular trends like disco, martial arts, and the changing social landscape. Some of these characters became enduring favorites, while others haven’t stood the test of time.

Despite sometimes trying too hard to appeal to everyone, Marvel comics of the 1970s were remarkably daring. This was the decade when comics started to mature, ambitiously addressing important social topics like racism, women’s equality, drug abuse, and political dishonesty – issues many other media outlets shied away from. However, this eagerness to stay current also led Marvel to sometimes go overboard with its creative choices.

5. Night Nurse (Linda Carter Version)

As a lifelong movie and comic book fan, I recently revisited the early days of Marvel’s attempts at female heroes, and it’s… interesting. They launched Night Nurse back in 1972 with Linda Carter – not that Linda Carter, by the way – hoping to create a groundbreaking series about women in the medical field. Looking back now, though, it feels more like a snapshot of outdated attitudes. It was a time when feminism was really changing things, but instead of giving these women the same kind of power and complexity as the male heroes, Marvel played it safe. Linda and her fellow nurses, Christine and Georgia, were definitely portrayed as brave, but they were mostly stuck supporting the real heroes. Their heroism came from patching up the injured and gently reminding everyone about doing the right thing. It was a good intention, I think, but it unintentionally sent the message that, for women, this was about as heroic as it got.

4. Hypno-Hustler

Hypno-Hustler is a Marvel villain whose entire gimmick is using funk music to control people – he literally fought Spider-Man with the power of funk! Created in 1978 during the height of the disco era, he tried to take advantage of the trend by using hypnotic sounds from his guitar to mesmerize crowds while his band robbed them. While the idea might have seemed cool back then, it now comes across as a ridiculous and overly eager attempt to be trendy. Fortunately, Marvel’s writers seemed to realize how silly Hypno-Hustler was, which is why he rarely appears in recent comics. When he does, it’s usually as a joke, highlighting his own absurdity. However, even as a comedic character, he struggles to fit into the modern Marvel Universe. He’s too ridiculous to be taken seriously, and not quite self-aware enough to be charming, leaving him feeling like a dated character who exists solely as a punchline.

3. Shang-Chi (Original Version)

As a big Marvel fan, I recently looked back at the original Shang-Chi, the “Master of Kung Fu,” and honestly, it was a bit of a mixed experience. He was created back in 1973, riding the wave of martial arts movies, but some of the choices they made haven’t aged well at all. The biggest issue? His father was Fu Manchu. Now, Fu Manchu is a really problematic character – a seriously outdated and racist stereotype from old adventure stories that painted Asians as evil masterminds. Even for the time, connecting Shang-Chi to that character feels like a big mistake. It’s a reminder that even when creators try to be inclusive, they can sometimes fall into harmful tropes.

2. Dazzler

Dazzler was Marvel’s ambitious effort to combine the popularity of superheroes with the disco craze. Although a mutant pop star who turns sound into light seemed exciting, the original concept now feels very much a product of its time. Dazzler, whose real name is Alison Blaire, started as a marketing idea. Marvel teamed up with Casablanca Records hoping to create a character who could be famous both in comic books and as a real musician, complete with albums and concerts. However, disco’s popularity was already fading when she launched, and the collaboration failed. This left Marvel with a character who didn’t quite fit the current culture. Despite this difficult beginning, Marvel continued to develop Dazzler, giving her her own comic series and sticking with the disco theme. For many fans, the image of her dramatically roller-skating into battle in a sparkly outfit remains iconic.

1. Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 in 1973, created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik. He was designed as a funny, unusual character for Marvel Comics. This talking duck, known for his sarcastic wit, quickly gained a dedicated following thanks to his rebellious humor and observations about society. However, while originally a reflection of the 1970s counterculture, his humor hasn’t held up as well over time. Howard was famous for smoking cigars, wearing a suit, and fighting strange villains – including one actually named Doctor Bong.

Howard the Duck initially gained popularity as a funny outsider – a duck living in a human world. However, the humor became repetitive, and his stories didn’t really grow beyond that initial idea. What began as smart satire turned into random silliness, leaving readers confused about the character’s purpose. He’s not entirely without value, though. Howard still makes occasional appearances in the Marvel Universe, often as a fun surprise for longtime fans, like in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. And when a talented writer works on him – such as Chip Zdarsky in his 2015 Howard the Duck series – he can be genuinely funny and engaging. Overall, though, Howard remains a character with a limited appeal, and his original stories don’t always resonate with modern readers.

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2025-11-07 20:14