7 Marvel Canon Event Changes That Fans Hated

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For over sixty years, Marvel Comics has been telling stories, and over time, they’ve revised some key events in their history. A major issue with these changes is that many fans aren’t aware of them, either because they stopped reading comics when the revisions occurred, or because they hear about the new versions without realizing anything has changed. Some fans simply resist accepting the updates, preferring to stick with the original stories they know and love, even when Marvel has a good reason for making the changes.

Here are seven Marvel Comics canon changes that many fans still refuse to accept.

7) Nightcrawler’s Parentage

Nightcrawler debuted as part of a new generation of X-Men introduced by Marvel Comics, replacing the original team with mutants from around the globe. His backstory initially presented him as a mutant raised in a circus after being abandoned by his parents due to his unusual blue skin and demonic features. Later, it was revealed that his mother was the shapeshifting mutant Mystique, and his father was a German aristocrat named Baron Christian Wagner.

Fans generally didn’t mind when Nightcrawler’s backstory was tweaked, especially since he and Mystique both had blue skin. A story emerged that a red demon named Azazel was his father, resulting from an affair with Mystique, and most readers accepted this. However, Marvel later surprised everyone by revealing Mystique could shapeshift into a man and was Nightcrawler’s biological father, through a relationship with Destiny. While fans are still open to the idea of a demonic father for Nightcrawler, they consistently reject the idea that Mystique could be his father by physically changing genders.

6) Tony Stark Was Always a Villain

The “Crossing” storyline is largely forgotten by most comic book fans today, but it was incredibly shocking when it was first released. It revealed that Iron Man, one of Marvel’s biggest heroes, had secretly been a villain all along – a double agent working for Kang the Conqueror during his entire time with the Avengers.

Fans were especially upset when the character started eliminating anyone who knew his secret, and then aided Kang in a plot to conquer Earth-616. The Avengers traveled through time, bringing a young Tony Stark to the present in an attempt to stop him, but it resulted in the death of the original Tony Stark and the teenager taking his place. The story was widely disliked, and Marvel later revised much of it after the Onslaught event. Many fans still pretend this storyline never happened.

5) Franklin Richards Was Never a Mutant

Fans who’ve followed Marvel Comics for years always understood Franklin Richards’ incredible powers stemmed from his parents – both beings with cosmic energy – and his birth in the Negative Zone. That seemed like a complete explanation for why he was one of Marvel’s strongest young heroes. However, Marvel later added a twist to his origin story, revealing he was also a mutant. This became a core part of his background for quite some time.

During the Krakoa era, a major plot point revealed Franklin Richards isn’t a mutant, despite appearing to be one. He sought help from Professor X after losing his powers, and Xavier explained that Franklin’s abilities are cosmic in nature – so powerful that Franklin unconsciously manifested as a mutant, even to himself. While this has been established, many fans still consider and rank Franklin alongside other mutants when discussing their power levels.

4) Sins Past: Norman Osborn & Gwen Stacy

Some changes to established comic book storylines are unpopular with fans because they’re considered unnecessarily shocking and unpleasant. A particularly disliked example is the 2004 storyline “Sins Past,” which revisited Spider-Man’s past and brought back a living Gwen Stacy. This story arc, published in Amazing Spider-Man issues #509-514, appears to have been created solely for the sake of being shocking, without serving any real narrative purpose.

Okay, so Marvel did something really wild a while back. They revealed that Gwen Stacy and Norman Osborn had a secret relationship and actually had twins! And get this – those twins inherited the Goblin DNA. Honestly, most fans today just refuse to accept it ever happened, and maybe the “One More Day” storyline tried to undo it. It raises so many questions – how could Gwen hide a pregnancy from everyone? And why did Mary Jane apparently know about it and just…stay silent? The whole thing was just really uncomfortable and, frankly, it’s totally understandable why people choose to pretend it never happened.

3) Kamala Khan is a Mutant

Kamala Khan first appeared in Marvel Comics as an Inhuman, gaining her powers when a mysterious mist called the Terrigen Mists spread throughout her hometown of Jersey City. These mists activated hidden Inhuman abilities in people, and for Kamala, this meant she could change the size and shape of her body at will. She quickly became known as one of Marvel’s most promising new heroes.

This change occurred when Marvel was downplaying the role of mutants due to a legal dispute with Fox Studios. After regaining the rights to the X-Men universe, Marvel altered Kamala Khan’s backstory, revealing she’s a mutant – and a unique one at that. She’s now considered a rare hybrid of both Inhuman and mutant, which explains the powers seen in her Disney+ show. However, some fans are unhappy with this change, feeling that making her a hybrid is unnecessary or doesn’t fit her character.

2) Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver Aren’t Mutants

One change to Marvel’s official storyline that fans consistently reject is the altered parentage of Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver – they are no longer considered Magneto’s children. This wasn’t a sudden decision, but a story that unfolded over years. As early as 1983, in Avengers #234, the twins questioned their relationship with Magneto when he confessed he wasn’t certain they were his children.

Everything shifted in the Axis storyline when Scarlet Witch, overcome with anger, killed Magneto and Quicksilver. She used a spell intended to kill anyone connected to her by blood, but while Quicksilver died, Magneto survived. This revealed that Wanda wasn’t Magneto’s biological daughter; she was actually the daughter of Natalya Maximoff, the original Scarlet Witch. This new backstory gave Wanda a clear connection to her mother, but surprisingly, many fans still believe Magneto is her father, despite this earlier origin being officially retconned.

1) Spider-Man: One More Day

As a huge Spider-Man fan, there’s one story I still can’t stand: “One More Day.” It’s consistently ranked as one of the worst storylines ever, and for good reason. Basically, Peter Parker and Mary Jane made a deal with the devil – Mephisto – to save Aunt May. They knew what the cost would be, and it just felt like a huge mistake that really damaged their characters and the whole universe.

The ‘Brand New Day’ Spider-Man storyline, written by Dan Slott, was a strong continuation of the character’s adventures after the ‘One More Day’ event, and it produced some of Spidey’s most memorable stories. However, many fans remain upset that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage was removed, effectively undoing thirty years of established history. While newer readers have come to terms with these changes, a significant number of Marvel enthusiasts still dislike this alteration to the official storyline.

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2026-02-20 19:11