7 Awful Marvel Moments From the ’90s You Want to Forget But Can’t

Marvel Comics faced near financial ruin in the 1990s, primarily because of a series of unfortunate choices that fans still remember. These problems arose from decisions like constantly releasing different cover versions of the same comic and organizing uninspired crossover stories. The poor story choices Marvel made during this time alienated many fans and caused a significant drop in comic sales. It was a difficult decade, but after filing for bankruptcy, the company recovered by expanding its range of characters and benefiting from films produced by companies like Fox and Sony, which led to a resurgence in popularity.

From questionable choices made by characters to weak plots and an unsuccessful relaunch, here’s a look at some truly terrible Marvel moments from the 1990s that fans would rather erase from their memories, but unfortunately can’t.

7) Joseph Replaced Magneto

Joseph is widely considered a misstep by Marvel Comics during the 1990s. This character debuted as an amnesiac named Joseph, and was eventually revealed to be a clone created by Astra with the sole purpose of eliminating Magneto. He initially approached the X-Men seeking assistance, and they mistakenly believed he *was* Magneto suffering from amnesia, leading them to welcome him into their team. Ultimately, Joseph effectively replaced Magneto within the Marvel Comics universe.

It was a poorly received choice, and fans immediately rejected it, recognizing it wasn’t the genuine Magneto. Even if it had been, this version lacked the power and presence of the original Master of Magnetism, falling far short of the iconic X-Men villain. This storyline also introduced a relationship between Magneto (Joseph) and Rogue, connecting to a plot point from Age of Apocalypse. However, readers weren’t interested in that development at the time. Joseph ultimately died attempting to stop the return of the true Magneto, but fans were more thrilled by Magneto’s comeback than moved by Joseph’s sacrifice. It was a disappointing turn of events.

6) The Clone Saga

The Clone Saga is remembered as the storyline that significantly hurt Spider-Man’s popularity during the 1990s. It all started back in the 1970s when the Jackal – a professor of Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy – created a clone of Spider-Man, which created trouble for the hero. But the story didn’t truly become problematic until it was revived in 1994 as the widely disliked Clone Saga. The plot involved two Peter Parkers, one of whom was a clone, and they engaged in conflict. Ultimately, the one who thought he was the clone departed.

This storyline continued for two years until Marvel changed the established facts and showed that he was actually the original Peter Parker. For two years, people thought they were reading about Spider-Man, but he was actually a clone. So, fans had been following a fake Spider-Man all along. Though the Clone Saga did have some positive aspects (like the introduction of Ben Reilly), it went on for too long-two years, to be exact-and became overly complicated. Eventually, a lot of fans stopped buying Spider-Man comics.

5) Wolverine Loses His Adamantium & Goes Feral

The X-Men story arc, Fatal Attraction, had several problems. Magneto was living in space on Asteroid M, but people wouldn’t let him have peace, not even far away from Earth. When the X-Men confronted him, Magneto snapped and used his powers to remove Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton. Jean Grey managed to hold Wolverine together with her abilities, but it also shut down his healing factor, causing him to become wild and uncontrollable.

Artists started depicting him as more animal-like, turning one of Marvel’s most popular mutants into someone unlikeable. This was considered the low point for Wolverine in Marvel Comics, and fans strongly disliked it. This story arc also resulted in the creation of the dangerous X-Men villain Onslaught, leading to more issues later in the ’90s, but Wolverine’s change was seen as inexcusable. It was truly a dark time and many still haven’t forgiven it.

4) Punisher Became An Angel of Vengeance

Marvel Comics hasn’t always treated Frank Castle well. The best Punisher comics appeared when Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon retold his story on a different Earth in Punisher: War Zone. This success came after Marvel made some controversial changes to the character, including having Frank die by suicide and then being brought back to life by Gabriel, the guardian angel of his family.

Following this, the Punisher evolved into an Angel of Vengeance, wielding weapons crafted from divine materials, effectively justifying his killings as acts done in God’s name. Marvel intended this as a personal Purgatory for the character, launching a full-blown horror series centered around him. Many fans consider this the low point in Punisher history, though it was later surpassed by another controversial turn: his transformation into Frankenscastle, a monster reminiscent of Frankenstein’s creation.

3) Iron Man’s The Crossing Heel Turn

Iron Man is often a controversial figure, and is actually one of the most disliked heroes in the Marvel Comics world. The Marvel Cinematic Universe made him more popular with people who don’t follow the comics. But for comic book readers, there are many examples of Iron Man doing questionable things, making it surprising he’s still seen as a hero. While the Civil War storyline caused a lot of fans to dislike him, the turning point for many was actually The Crossing.

I remember when this crazy storyline dropped back in the ’90s! It turned out Iron Man had actually been a double agent for Kang the Conqueror the whole time. It was shocking! He proved it by murdering three people and then actively helping Kang get to Earth. The Avengers had to do something drastic, so they traveled through time to find a younger, teenage Tony Stark to fight his older self. Honestly, readers really disliked that teenage version of Tony in the comics. Even after they brought the adult Tony back and tried to fix things with a retcon, a lot of us just couldn’t fully trust him again.

2) Spider-Man Slaps A Pregnant Mary Jane

A truly shocking and upsetting moment in 1990s Marvel Comics happened in the pages of Spider-Man during the conclusion of the Clone Saga storyline. This instance is particularly memorable, even within a generally underwhelming event, because of an action by Peter Parker that was completely out of character. Peter was still unsure whether he was the clone, or if Ben Reilly was. When a pregnant Mary Jane attempted to reason with him, he struck her.

When Hank Pym physically assaulted his wife, Janet Van Dyne, in the Avengers comics, fans largely stopped supporting him. In contrast, it seems many fans have already accepted Peter’s mistake, likely because he acted impulsively and immediately expressed deep regret after the incident. However, Mary Jane suffered a miscarriage, a storyline that Marvel should always regret including for one of its most popular heroes.

1) Heroes Reborn

A truly unforgettable and devastating event for Marvel Comics fans occurred in the 1990s. When Professor X accidentally unleashed Onslaught – a powerful villain who defeated nearly all of Earth’s superheroes and brought the world to the brink of destruction – Marvel took a dramatic turn. The Earth’s heroes were divided into separate realities. The X-Men, Spider-Man, and some others remained on the primary Earth, while the Avengers and the Fantastic Four were transported to the Heroes Reborn universe.

Rob Leifeld and Jim Lee contributed to the project, but fans didn’t respond well to it initially. This was Marvel’s effort to capitalize on the success of creators from Image Comics, and it ultimately didn’t pan out. While Marvel later achieved success with the Ultimate Comics line, this initial attempt to revamp things for a new audience was a significant failure.

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2025-10-02 02:13