10 Worst Marvel Reboots That Shocked Fans (and Some Still Haunt Comics Today)

Marvel relies on reboots more often than DC Comics does. In the past, reboots were uncommon, and writers would typically build upon existing storylines, even when new teams took over a title. That approach has largely disappeared, especially recently. Now, it feels like everything is constantly being reset for the next creative team, making reboots the standard instead of a rare occurrence. While some reboots, like *The Immortal Hulk*, are excellent, others, like the ones discussed here, fall flat.

Failed reboots can happen in many ways, but they generally fail because the new concepts just don’t resonate with audiences. This often leads to fans becoming disinterested or reacting very negatively. The following ten reboots are considered the absolute worst, representing a low point for the source material and causing significant fan outrage.

10) Return of Wolverine

Wolverine seemingly died in 2014’s *Death of Wolverine*, and fans went four years without seeing the original Logan, though alternate versions like Old Man Logan and his daughter Laura filled the gap. He returned in 2018 with *Return of Wolverine*, where it was revealed he’d been brought back to life by a mysterious group called Soteira. This return introduced a new ability: ‘hot claws.’ When using them, Wolverine would lose his healing powers and fly into a rage, but his claws would glow red-hot. While not a complete restart of the character, the story aimed to shake things up by giving Wolverine a new power and a new enemy. Unfortunately, the story wasn’t well-received, and fans largely ridiculed the ‘hot claws’ concept. Marvel quickly moved past this storyline, and the ‘hot claws’ haven’t been mentioned since.

9) “From the Ashes” X-Men

Look, as a longtime X-Men fan, I have to be honest: this “From the Ashes” phase that started in 2024 just isn’t working. When it first launched, sales were amazing, but interest quickly dropped off in almost every comic. Even titles like *Wolverine*, which usually does really well, have seen sales decline. The biggest issue? It feels like there aren’t any *new* ideas here. It’s all just callbacks to older X-Men stories, which isn’t enough. We’ve already seen a lot of the initial books cancelled, and the new ones aren’t selling anywhere near as well as they did during the Krakoa era. It’s not that it’s *completely* bad – some people are enjoying it – but honestly, it feels like it’s really hurt the X-Men line overall.

8) “ResurreXion” X-Men

Following a failed attempt to replace the X-Men with characters more suitable for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel relaunched the X-Men comics with a line-wide event called “ResurreXion.” This included new titles like *X-Men Gold*, *X-Men Blue*, *Astonishing X-Men*, and *Generation X*, alongside individual character series. With the conflict with the Inhumans resolved and mutants free to live openly on Earth, the X-Men aimed to rebuild. Unfortunately, this era proved to be largely unsuccessful. *X-Men Gold* faced criticism due to anti-Semitic imagery included by an artist, and the writing wasn’t strong to begin with. *Astonishing X-Men* reinforced concerns about Charles Soule’s handling of mutant stories, and *X-Men Blue* continued a drawn-out storyline involving the original five X-Men being stuck in the past. The only bright spot was *Generation X*, which was unfortunately cancelled. While better creative talent might have improved things, it’s unlikely “ResurreXion” would have been truly exceptional – it just wouldn’t have been as poor.

7) The Terrigen Mist Status Quo X-Men

For years, Marvel seemed to sideline the X-Men, particularly after losing the movie rights. This decline really became noticeable around the mid-2000s and worsened after the *Secret Wars* event in 2015. A key issue began with the *Infinity* storyline in 2013, where the Terrigen Mist was released, which later proved harmful to mutants. This forced the X-Men off-world to Limbo, and Cyclops even died while carrying out an attack against the Inhumans. While I enjoyed aspects of *Extraordinary X-Men*, the Terrigen Mist situation was a major setback for the team. To make matters worse, Marvel attempted to replace the X-Men with the Inhumans, but this resulted in a series of unsuccessful books that didn’t satisfy even fans of the Inhumans. Ultimately, it was a poor relaunch for both franchises.

6) Starship Hulk

Recent Hulk comics have been strongest when leaning into horror, with *The Immortal Hulk* widely considered a Marvel masterpiece. Following that acclaimed series, Marvel paired writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Ottley (co-creator of *Invincible*) for a new *Hulk* run. While fans initially anticipated great things, that excitement quickly faded. Cates seemed to disregard the conclusion of *Immortal Hulk*, reverting to the classic conflict between Banner and the Hulk. Banner began treating the Hulk as a vehicle for interstellar and multiversal travel, an interesting concept that didn’t resonate with readers. Though the artwork was strong, this direction wasn’t what fans hoped for, and the run was cut short when Cates had to leave all his projects due to a car accident. This ‘Spaceship Hulk’ storyline frustrated fans and ultimately didn’t have a chance to fully develop.

5) Hydra Captain America

Captain America has always represented American ideals, but that changed significantly in 2016. Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, aged rapidly, and Sam Wilson became the new Cap. However, Steve was unexpectedly restored to his youth through a meeting with Kobik, a powerful being connected to the Red Skull’s Cosmic Cube. Unfortunately, the Red Skull manipulated Kobik to alter reality, swapping Earth-616 with a version where Steve Rogers was raised by Hydra. This led to the controversial Marvel event, *Secret Empire*. The biggest disappointment was that the *Steve Rogers: Captain America* comic series had a promising start, but its potential was sacrificed to serve the needs of the *Secret Empire* storyline.

4) Heroes Reborn

The 1990s were fantastic for X-Men fans, but Marvel Comics as a whole was struggling. Titles like The Avengers, Captain America, and Fantastic Four weren’t selling well, and nothing Marvel tried seemed to help. Desperate to boost sales, they brought back superstar artists Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, who had previously left Marvel to start their own company, Image Comics. Lee took over *Fantastic Four* and *Iron Man*, while Liefeld handled *Avengers* and *Captain America*. The resulting comics sold a lot of copies, but weren’t well-received by fans. Lee’s books were decent, but Liefeld’s were widely considered terrible. The *Heroes Reborn* event quickly flopped, and Liefeld and his studio were removed from their titles after only six months. Ultimately, it was a complete failure and didn’t even manage to be memorably bad.

3) “The Crossing”

Prior to the *Heroes Reborn* event, Marvel attempted to revitalize the Avengers with a grittier, ’90s-inspired storyline called “The Crossing.” The story involved Kang the Conqueror traveling back in time and manipulating a young Iron Man, turning him against the Avengers in the present. To combat this, the Avengers traveled further back in time to rescue a teenage Tony Stark and pit him against his older, corrupted self. While they ultimately defeated Kang and the brainwashed Iron Man, the young Tony Stark remained in the present. However, the story was confusing and unsuccessful, serving only as a temporary fix until the *Heroes Reborn* event began.

2) Zeb Wells’ Spider-Man

For years, *The Amazing Spider-Man* comic has faced a lot of criticism despite being a popular title. When writer Nick Spencer took over, he addressed many fan complaints, notably undoing the controversial “Sins Past” storyline and reuniting Spider-Man and Mary Jane. However, after Zeb Wells became the writer, the story took a sharp turn. The comic jumped six months into the future, portraying Spider-Man as a hated figure working alongside Norman Osborn, and his relationship with Mary Jane had fallen apart – she had even remarried to someone named Paul. This abrupt reboot immediately frustrated readers, and the explanations for the initial mysteries turned out to be disappointing. As a result, *The Amazing Spider-Man* sales plummeted for the first time in years, and the comic hasn’t regained its previous success.

1) John Byrne’s Spider-Man

Following the widely disliked ‘Clone Saga,’ Spider-Man fans were relieved when it finally ended, but their relief was short-lived. Marvel then brought in John Byrne, known at the time for rebooting other comics like Superman, to revamp Spider-Man. While working as the artist on *The Amazing Spider-Man*, Byrne also created *Spider-Man: Chapter One*, a series that retold Spider-Man’s origin story. Unfortunately, every concept in this reboot was poorly received, and many fans stopped buying the Spider-Man comics altogether. The entire effort was a failure, and by the year 2000, the future of the Spider-Man books looked bleak.

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2025-09-15 01:08