7 Worst Marvel Events, Ranked

Marvel’s biggest issue with its large-scale crossover events is a misunderstanding of what fans truly want. These events often aim for huge, universe-altering stories, but they frequently lose sight of what makes readers connect with the characters. Fans aren’t interested in seeing heroes constantly changed, restarted, or degraded just for a surprise – they want to see characters develop, experience genuine emotion, and have their actions feel meaningful.

Marvel’s most successful storylines – like Infinity Gauntlet, Annihilation, and House of X – work so well because they thoughtfully connect to what came before. When Marvel focuses on simply surprising readers instead of rewarding their long-time investment, it risks losing the fans who actually care about these characters and stories.

7. Fear Itself (2011)

The story of Fear Itself revolves around the return of an ancient Asgardian, Odin’s brother, who aims to blanket the world in fear. He does this by giving magical hammers to both heroes and villains, creating an army of empowered followers. Despite featuring popular characters like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man, the 2011 event is considered one of Marvel’s weakest and most disappointing. A major problem was the sheer number of related comics—the tie-ins often felt more important than the main story. The action was spread across many different issues, making the seven-issue core series feel incomplete unless you purchased all the extra content – and even then, it wasn’t a satisfying experience.

6. Avengers vs. X-Men

The story of Avengers vs. X-Men centers on the return of the Phoenix Force, a powerful cosmic force capable of both creation and destruction. The X-Men, under Cyclops’ leadership, see the Phoenix as a potential savior for their struggling mutant race, hoping it can revive their dwindling numbers. However, the Avengers, led by Captain America, believe the Phoenix poses an existential threat to the planet. This fundamental difference in opinion quickly leads to a full-scale war between the two superhero teams, and both sides make increasingly questionable choices. Ultimately, Avengers vs. X-Men fails to address the core issue of how humans and mutants can coexist. The story wraps up with a convenient resurrection of the mutant gene, a departure of Hope and Wolverine, and Marvel essentially hitting the reset button on the mutant world – effectively erasing all the complex ideological conflict that was built up.

5. Civil War II (2016)

Civil War II centers around Ulysses, a new character who can see glimpses of the future. Captain Marvel thinks these visions should be used to stop crimes before they happen, but Iron Man believes it’s wrong to punish people for things they haven’t done yet. The storyline is filled with shocking deaths that don’t feel meaningful. For example, the death of War Machine is intended to fuel the conflict between Captain Marvel and Iron Man, but it feels rushed and disrespectful to the character. The way Bruce Banner (the Hulk) dies, killed by Hawkeye, is also poorly executed and simply makes the story more grim without adding substance. Unlike the first Civil War, which had a lasting impact on the Marvel Universe, Civil War II feels like a needless conflict designed for dramatic effect rather than genuine storytelling.

4. Axis (2014)

The story centers around a terrifying new threat: the Red Skull has combined his mind with Professor X, creating the incredibly powerful “Red Onslaught.” With his telepathic abilities, Red Onslaught endangers the entire world. To combat him, the Avengers and X-Men forge an unlikely alliance with notorious villains like Magneto, Doctor Doom, and Loki. However, their plan goes awry when a spell intended to defeat Red Onslaught unexpectedly flips everyone’s morality – turning heroes into villains and vice versa – leading to widespread chaos.

The idea behind this storyline – flipping heroes and villains – had promise, but the execution is so flawed it’s actually comical. Characters behave in such over-the-top, unbelievable ways that it’s difficult to invest in the story. For instance, Tony Stark is portrayed as an extremely selfish and ruthless character, essentially becoming a stereotypical villain, and the typically honorable Sam Wilson (Falcon) transforms into a violent dictator. Surprisingly, villains like Carnage are suddenly depicted as virtuous heroes. While the artwork is occasionally strong, thanks to artists like Jim Cheung and Terry Dodson, and there are a few amusing scenes, these positives aren’t enough to overcome the core problems with Axis.

3. Secret Empire (2017)

The story of Secret Empire starts with a stunning twist: Captain America is secretly working for Hydra. A powerful, living Cosmic Cube named Kobik altered Steve Rogers’ past, turning him into a Hydra agent his entire life. As Captain America, he then takes over the United States, leading to a dark and oppressive future for the Marvel Universe.

The story centers on heroes like Black Widow, Sam Wilson, and Hawkeye as they struggle to defeat a villainous organization led by a Captain America secretly working for Hydra, and to bring back freedom. The idea of Captain America being a Hydra agent was immediately upsetting to many fans, and understandably so. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who were Jewish, Captain America originally represented a stand against fascism during World War II. Seeing him become the very thing he was designed to oppose felt deeply offensive to a lot of people, particularly considering the growing concerns about nationalism and strong-handed leadership at the time. Even though Marvel claimed it was simply a fictional plot point and not a reflection of the true Captain America, the twist still felt like a betrayal.

2. One More Day (2007)

When Aunt May is seriously wounded in a shooting – a consequence of Peter Parker publicly revealing himself as Spider-Man during a conflict – Peter becomes frantic to save her. He makes a desperate deal with Mephisto, a literal devil in the Marvel universe. Mephisto offers to save Aunt May’s life, but the price is the erasure of Peter and Mary Jane’s marriage. Despite knowing it’s a terrible choice, Peter and MJ agree, sacrificing their relationship and years together to save May.

The biggest issue with One More Day is how it fundamentally changes Peter Parker’s personality. Spider-Man has always stood for taking responsibility—making tough choices and dealing with the fallout. However, this story has Peter acting selfishly and illogically, choosing to save his aunt at the expense of his own happiness and his marriage. It doesn’t feel true to the character, especially since Aunt May wouldn’t have wanted him to give up so much for her.

1. Ultimatum (2008–2009)

To see how shocking twists can ruin a whole fictional world, look at the 2008-2009 Marvel event called Ultimatum. Intended as the big, dramatic ending to Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, it’s now considered one of the worst crossover stories ever written. The story starts with Magneto, who is furious after the deaths of his children, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and responds by reversing Earth’s magnetic poles.

This event causes widespread disasters across the world and forces the Ultimate X-Men, Ultimates, and Spider-Man storylines into a dark and tragic tale. Unfortunately, instead of being a meaningful tragedy, it becomes focused on simply killing off characters one by one. While intended to streamline the story and allow for a new beginning with Ultimate Comics: Rebirth, Ultimatum ultimately damaged the Ultimate line’s overall standing.

2025-10-29 19:15