As a seasoned gamer with decades of Marvel comics under my belt, I must confess that the return to the era of hero-versus-hero stories is as disappointing as finding out Wolverine has been cloned yet again. Back in the 2000s, the Civil War event was a game changer, but after years of similar tales, it felt like a worn-out trope rather than a fresh take on the Marvel Universe.
In the 2000s, Marvel achieved its biggest success with the superhero-versus-superhero storyline titled “Civil War,” which eventually became the basis for the movie “Captain America: Civil War.” Over time, Marvel started producing more and more stories where heroes clashed, but this soon grew repetitive. Readers initially found it intriguing, but as time went on, they started enjoying these stories less and less. This trend resulted in diminishing returns for Marvel, causing them to use such stories sparingly. Eventually, fans were pleased to see a decrease in these hero-versus-hero tales.
Instead, it was until editor Tom Brevoort, who primarily orchestrated superhero confrontations, assumed control over the X-Men books following the From the Ashes reboot. Now, readers are presented with not one but two superhero face-offs: “Raid On Graymalkin,” where the two X-Men teams clash, and a fresh encounter between the Avengers and X-Men in Avengers, due to Jed MacKay writing both X-Men and Avengers. It was thought that Marvel had moved away from such narratives, but returning to this theme is disheartening, particularly considering its role in the new X-Men reboot.
The Marvel Universe Works Better When It’s United
Marvel didn’t invent the superhero genre, but they certainly redefined it. During the Silver Age of Marvel Comics, most stories unfolded in New York City. Spider-Man had a friendship with Human Torch and aspired to join the Fantastic Four due to their financial resources. The Avengers resided at Avengers Mansion, which was previously owned by the Stark family. The X-Men lived an hour’s drive away from the city. Characters like Daredevil, the Punisher, Iron Fist, and others made their debut, battled initially, and either forged friendships or, in the case of the Punisher, formed uneasy alliances.
In the Marvel Comics world, there was an underlying atmosphere of friendship that resonated with readers. Marvel Inc. mirrored this camaraderie among their creative team by having Stan Lee establish the concept of the Marvel Bullpen, where artists and writers collaborated in a shared workspace to produce daily stories. This interconnectedness between characters’ narratives made the Marvel Universe seem alive and more relatable compared to DC Comics’ expansive metropolis inhabited by superheroes. It wasn’t until later that DC adopted this shared universe approach. The Marvel Cinematic Universe adapted this concept from the comics, which contributed to the massive success of Phases One through Three due to the interconnected nature of the films.
Absolutely, fights between heroes were indeed a component of the narrative, but they only represented a piece of the larger puzzle. Readers are naturally intrigued by the prospect of their favorite characters squaring off and resolving questions like “Who would win in a fight: Spider-Man or Captain America?” or “Would the Thing stand a chance against the Hulk?” However, these battles were merely preludes to the main event, which was the alliance that followed. Although certain heroes might never truly become friends, say 80s Wolverine and any non-mutant hero, they would always find shared interests and collaborate. This aspect of Marvel comics is as integral as the Marvel Method itself, contributing to the allure of the Marvel Universe for readers.
The Predictable Discord Isn’t Worth the Drama
The closing of the Krakoa Era was a distressing event for the X-Men. They lost their self-built island nation and the solidarity they had cultivated among mutants. Now, more than ever, mutants are met with fear and hostility. There’s widespread anxiety about supposed contagions that could transform humans into mutants, as well as the repercussions for mutants themselves following the Krakoan resurrection process. To make matters worse, a rift between Rogue and Cyclops has led to the X-Men splitting into different groups, which will clash in “Raid on Graymalkin.” The details of the forthcoming narrative are scant, but it’s clear that it will feature a confrontation between the two sides as they debate whether to attack the X-Mansion, now under control of anti-mutant forces.
In the upcoming Avengers Issue #21 next month, Captain Marvel and Cyclops will clash, setting events in motion that could affect future events. This is surprising because these same heroes worked together to beat Orchis at the end of the Krakoa Era. Historically, the X-Men and the Avengers have had their differences, but those are now behind them. Reviving such conflicts feels contrived and harks back to the early 2000s, a time when such hero vs hero stories were prevalent in the Marvel Universe. However, it’s been many years since then, and this type of drama no longer resonates as strongly as it once did.
Pitting heroes against heroes is never going to completely going away, nor should it. However, Marvel definitely needs a moratorium on using it as a major part of any story. The unity of the Marvel Universe is its greatest strength, and these superhero fighting superhero stories muddy that. Sure, it always feels good when everyone gets back together for the big triumph at the end, but by this point, readers know exactly how all of these stories will go. The X-Men will fight, team-up against a worse villain, and then go their separate ways after “Raid on Graymalkin,” eventually coming back together to battle an even bigger threat, take back the mansion, and then rebuild in an MCU friendly fashion just in time for their big screen debut. The X-Men and Avengers will growl at each other, skirmish a bit, and new Avenger Storm will make peace at some point between the two factions. It’s all so predictable and that makes it doubly worse.
Marvel appears to be shattering the unity of its most significant franchises for a temporary dramatic effect, which seems unusual given their past experiences. Previously, tales such as “Inhumans vs. X-Men” didn’t resonate well with readers, prompting Marvel to shift away from such stories. However, it appears that readers are once again being served a storyline they may not be eagerly anticipating.
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2024-11-29 04:09